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[Music] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the MVP talk show. My guest is former Czech ice hockey representative Aleš Hemský. Hello. >> Hello. Thank you for the invitation. When you played and there were always some game commentaries, you had a certain wordplay, that you were a player, a hockey player. How did you feel about that, or from the beginning, when you got the puck and you liked to play with the puck from the start, even when you were a young boy. Yes, I think I was a very playful child, and I have a brother 14 months older, and we always played together, and from a young age, we played against each other a lot, and we got cuts, and until someone won, we played round and round and round, and I think that rivalry between us, we played together our whole lives, and but outside of the rink, that rivalry, whether it was tennis or football or whatever it was, or a tennis ball with our hands, when we played with balls. And we lived in an apartment, you know, in a small apartment in Pardubice, so it was always there, and for me, it was always a joy to play hockey like that. I enjoyed it, and I was playful. Well, >> from childhood, I assume you went to hockey games and were a big fan. >> I was a big fan of Pardubice. Dad played his whole life, and then we went to training, you know, he coached Pardubice, so we went from when we were little, and I remember, we used to go all the way up, you know, they had some spots, and we sat there and watched Pardubice from the stands. >> Who did you look up to? >> You know, I think in our generation, it was gradual, wasn't it? Today, kids only watch the NHL and have such high goals, and for us in Pardubice, it was just about getting into the junior league, getting into the youth teams, because there were a lot of good hockey players, you know, Hejduk played, and for us, it was more gradual, I think, than it is for these young kids, or parents these days. So the first thing was to even get into the junior league, because it was packed, and kids from surrounding towns came to play in the youth teams, you know, and it was packed, so for us, it was an achievement to get into the juniors and then into the first team. There wasn't the NHL on TV back then, you know? You didn't follow it that much when you were little, so you watched Pardubice or the national team more. >> Yes, because even at that time, there was information about the NHL. You might have said, wow, I'd love to get there. >> Look, I was like that, I'm not someone who looks too far ahead, so I was like that, I always looked at the, I never really thought about the big goals. Well, but definitely Milan Hejduk, you know, Jarda, and those guys, I can name them here. We had it even earlier, but Martinec and those guys, I didn't really experience them, but I heard the names. Mm. >> Did you also have jerseys, did you have a collection, or not? >> Not really. Of course, we collected cards, and when you went somewhere, you tried to find 10 crowns, you know, or how much they cost, 5 crowns, to buy cards, and so we collected cards, but I didn't really use them that much. I was playful. I wanted to play all those sports. >> And did you have a favorite team then, who did you collect? >> I don't remember anymore. I don't think I had a completely favorite team, but if there was Jagr and those types, then I was happy for every card. >> Do you still have any stored away, out of nostalgia? >> No, not at all. >> Or I was just saying, I collected them too, I found out I had two albums, and since I have a son, I showed him, and it's a complete return to childhood. I put them away. It's a shame. You say it like that, it would be nice, but I just put it away and moved on to something else. >> Okay, let's make a bit of a leap, when you realistically saw your career developing and an opportunity came to get into big hockey. How challenging was it, because let's be honest, you have phones and social media now, it wasn't like that back then, but there were still elements of girls, parties starting, things like that. Was it challenging to stay focused and say, okay, I want to do this, I want to be a professional hockey player, so this has to be at least a little bit on the side. Well, I left for Canada at 16, you know. I played my junior league there, so it kind of passed me by, you know, because when you went to Canada, you played the whole season there, you didn't have anyone there, you didn't speak much English, so you didn't have money to go out and drink. And every time I came back to the Czech Republic, I always enjoyed myself, so it was always a kind of release, a release from hockey, to be with friends. And to go for a beer and not have to think about my hockey problems. But I think I sometimes brought hockey home too much, even though in later times, I never really brought hockey home too much. >> No. >> I managed to separate it, so when I was at the rink, it was just hockey, and when I was at home, it was just home. How challenging was it for such a young boy, a teenager, to leave like that, to get used to functioning on your own, or rather, you were with family, I assume, but still, it's different. You were on your own there, you were responsible for yourself and your whole environment. >> Look, I'd be lying if I told you it was easy. Yes, and you leave at 16, you don't even know where you're going. Basically, I went to Quebec, I didn't even know they spoke French there. We all tried to speak English, and then I got there and they only spoke French. Even the kids didn't speak English in those parts, so it was quite a shock. But on the other hand, I went there to play hockey, and I enjoy that, and it always fulfills me, and I think for me, it was, I have two lives, you know, all the problems in life, or problems, just like, no, but when I stepped on the ice, I could be myself, and I could be creative, as creative as I wanted. There was a hockey town, even if it was years away from the NHL, but you could feel it, you know, the joy of the brothers, yes, he played there, and it was big. >> I wasn't in Quebec directly. I was in Gatineau, which is near the Olympic Stadium, which is near Ottawa. Ottawa is actually in Ontario. >> And I was just across the river. Quebec province starts there, so I was there, and well, it was a shock, but I got over it. There were tough times, but I think it made me stronger, and I think without parents, you grow up a bit and get different ideas. It's a great experience. Even if it hadn't worked out, you would have learned English, and you could always come back. That's the most important thing. >> By the way, do you speak French? >> Nothing. >> No, no, I didn't learn. >> No, no, not at all. I played. Okay. I managed it. Clearly. Uh, one thing, when I ask guys, what's a memorable game, 10 out of 10 will tell you a big game they played. Do you have one in mind? Do you remember your first NHL game? Okay? >> I definitely remember. It was against Montreal, not against Philadelphia. Sorry, I scored my first goal against Montreal, but I remember it. Well, it was a shock. I don't know, I was around 18, 19 years old, and back then everyone was huge, you know. It was a completely different league, so I definitely remember it. >> That's exactly what I wanted to get to. You're such a playful player, a trickster, as they said, against those two-meter guys, because the NHL was like that back then. It was challenging to avoid them. >> It was very challenging, and I think we, I was more of the modern type that started playing later, you know, or what's played now, and definitely they were all huge, but you have to get used to it, and I think I got used to it. It took me longer, I think, we Czechs, or we grow up mentally a bit later. Americans and Canadians are more mature. And they jump into the NHL more mentally prepared, I think, in life and mentally. We grow up a bit later, and I don't know why. >> Yes. Their nature, they are raised from childhood with the idea that you have to be the best, you will be the best, and we have it a bit more complicated, in my opinion. >> Look, I see it with the kids. I have kids, you know, and I see it there, how it goes there. They let them be more free, >> there's no stress, >> but you have to go everywhere, you have to take things home, you don't have a locker room, you have to do a lot privately, you know, you have to do extra, and a lot without parents, you know. Because parents might be working, so the kids have to be driven by someone else, and it's different, you know. They grow up differently, but I can't tell you exactly why. >> Hmm. I also ask classically, when you were 16, 17, did you learn to cook quickly, or did they cook for you? I was with family, but of course, we had to take care of ourselves somehow. So that's also a big experience, >> that I can cook, you know, it doesn't bother me. I enjoy cooking. Yes, >> what do you like best? >> I can cook everything, but like steaks and Czech cuisine, definitely not. I don't eat much of that anymore. When I come to the Czech Republic, then yes, but in America, definitely not. >> OK. Let's go back to the beginning, when you were talking about the ice rink, and he told me that you always had someone against you, that you picked them, that you welcomed a young guy from Europe, and that was in the mid-90s, it was even worse. >> How they looked at them then, and every first, second shift, they didn't know, this is a rookie, we have to rough him up. Did you have someone like that, who you were afraid of, but you knew that maybe in the first few years you would have to fight? >> Not really. We played against Calgary a lot, where there were quite a few rougher players, but I didn't focus on it, it didn't matter to me who you played against, basically, but there were definitely a few guys. >> Tell me a bit about the battle for Alberta. What's the atmosphere like at those games? >> Well, it was intense. Well, it's like Pardubice vs. Hradec, you know, it's quite close to each other. It's Alberta, and they call it the Alberta Battle, and it was always intense. Well, it was a spectacle. I remember that at the stadium, sometimes only four people sat there, and if you looked, you might not want to go on the ice, so yes, it was quite intense. >> Did you drop your gloves? Look, like this, that I would drop them and have a normal fight, no. I certainly scuffled with someone, but we had players for that. We almost had George Laraque, who was one of the best, big, huge, so I had >> plenty of people, plenty of people who fought, and they didn't dare much with me, because they knew it was divided, you know, they knew if they did something to someone, like me, then they would go after them. So it was different back then. It's often said about these fighters that they are beasts on the ice but very pleasant off the ice. I've interviewed many of them, and it's always been confirmed. So give an example, how was George? >> Yes, George was like a child. Like a four-year-old child, but when he came on the ice, he was huge, and I don't think anyone wanted to fight him. >> Hmm. >> But you're right, that usually these guys, these guys are crazy on the ice, or they enjoy it, they don't tell us they enjoy it. Yes, but they knew their job, they knew their role, and they knew how to earn money, and they did that, and they did it well. And I think fighting isn't easy mentally, because when I talked to them, they didn't admit it when we were still playing, and when you talk to them now, they say they were stressed every day because they saw the lineup, you know. And then they knew that the next day they had to fight him, and they didn't know, they didn't know what would happen, like if they got one hit and would still be able to play or not. So they definitely had a lot of, from what I know from the guys, they had quite a lot of trauma from it. Hmm. >> When it didn't look like it, you know, when I thought he was going to do it and he didn't care at all, but they said they thought about it for two days, how they would do it and what they would do. When you talk to these guys like this, and for example, these fighters, their strategy, do they have it all written down? Then maybe you think, wow, because a lot of people really have it, that you have mines, that's nothing, but then you realize that it's really hard work. >> No, it's really funny, because back then, you knew who the fighter was on the team, and now, nowadays, everyone can fight, it's normal, everyone can fight somehow, but back then, they knew who would fight, and they had to fight him, because the other guy wanted to be the best, the most valuable in the league, so they challenged them, and I think George was constantly challenged, you know, but he could afford to say no, that he wasn't going. >> And he only went with the best, but I think they were stressed all year. >> Edmonton is one of the most hockey cities, of course, with a huge history. Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, and other names. You can feel everywhere that these guys played there, and it's simply a city of hockey. So, definitely, yes, right? Now, McDavid, McDavid, and Draisaitl >> so they have another generation that has grown up there, but they still won the Stanley Cups, you know, you can feel it there. And when they come there, they are treated like kings. You probably live there. >> Yes, yes, definitely. I know them all. I go there quite often now, so Messier, I meet them normally. So >> they are also DIY, they are guys? >> Completely fine, yes. So great, great guys. For example, Kevin Lowe, McTavish, who trained me or lived there, I'm still with them when I come there, and it was like a family. They took you in like a brother, and you're forever, you know, it's just what Edmonton has been missing in recent years. In the 80s, they had a great dynasty, and whether it was during your time or now, it's always a bit short, and the last step is always missing. How challenging is it to manage all of this, because the pressure is immense, Canadian teams, you know, in '93 they last won the Stanley Cup, and that must be something crazy. >> Look, it's not for everyone, playing in Canada, but when you're young, it's good because it's fun, you know. You can go out, everyone knows you, so for a young person, I think it's nice, you know, let everyone say what they want, whether you like it or not. Everyone likes it. >> Mhm. >> Yes, people love it, but when things are going well, it's good, and when they're not going well, they'll let you know too. So the pressure there is immense, and not everyone can handle it, I think. >> Hmm. And that step, well, we lost in the final in the seventh game, now the guys have lost twice, I think, for them it's even harder. I remember, for us, it was very difficult to prepare for the season. When you win, you have a short off-season, but you're in euphoria, you go into the season again, you know. But when you lose, it's hard to prepare, and to lose twice like that. And I think it's quite mentally difficult. Maybe when you talk like this, it gives you a flashback to your series, what goes through a player's head before the last game of the Stanley Cup final, you know it's the last game, and you just, I was younger, now I would probably take it differently, but there's a bit of fear, you know. It's the last game, and you hope it works out, and you never know what will happen. But I think you have to tell yourself, look, it's the last game, and what happens? Yes, then tomorrow there will be no practice, you know. You have to know that you gave it your all, but getting to the final, to the last game, is an achievement, and someone has to win in the end, and if you don't succeed, it's a shame. But I think it was a great experience. At least I saw how difficult it is to get there and how much luck it takes and everything has to work out together for it to succeed, and you think you'll get there again, you know, when you're young, and then you never get there again. >> If I'm not mistaken, but in that game, I'm saying, František Berka scored the winning goal. >> Ferry scored, I think. Well, I think it was 1-1 or something like that, he made it 2-1, and then they scored into an empty net, something like that. Ferry, and Ferry. I remember, Ferry said, when we shook hands afterwards, you know, how sad we were, and he said, or it doesn't matter, you'll win so many more times. I said, yes, okay. And it's very difficult, you know. You have to try to take advantage of the opportunities when you get them. >> Hmm. >> It was probably one of the hardest moments when you really watch this. Majo Hossa experienced it twice. The third time he succeeded. He was actually the first to play three finals with three different clubs, and those are legendary photos, how he suffered. He had to watch it twice, and he succeeded the third time. Yes, you didn't have that chance afterwards, but that moment, I assume you wanted to smash all your sticks and get out of there quickly. >> You're empty. You're just empty, tired, and you don't even know what to think. Well, like a ghost, you know. Hmm. And nothing. Well, then it actually dissolves very quickly, you know. It's not like we had some party. It's very long, everyone goes home, so we flew home from Carolina and just dispersed and went home. So it's kind of quick, and I think you realize it more when you finish. >> Hmm. Yes, when you look at the Stanley Cups and see the joy, then I think you'll say, wow, that's a shame. Well, many things then happened, which were good for you, because it was one of the best years of your life. Hockey, of course, extremely intense. That's again a very pleasant memory. What can you remember, because it was an exceptional year for you, when you were in the finals, and all the stars came home. >> Well, we were looking forward to it, I didn't play at home. I think when I was 16, I played a few times for the juniors, and that's the dream, you know, that you'll play for Pardubice. >> And of course, it was tempting, so everyone came back. The league was stacked. There were also many Slovaks, many Czechs, and well, we had a good team, we didn't have a good start, but in the end, it worked out. Well, and as you say, it was one of the most beautiful moments of my hockey life. >> That's exactly it. You said it well, because simply, that karma, justice, it has to be balanced somehow, that something doesn't work out for you, something does, because otherwise, you'd be crazy four times. >> I had it very normally. I had it very quickly, you know. I won the championship in Pardubice, then we got bronze at the Olympics, and then I went to the Stanley Cup. I had three big ones, and then you're in euphoria, you think it will go on its own, and then it went slowly, you know, injuries and blah blah blah, and the team wasn't that good. But back to Pardubice, it was joy. We bonded a lot as a team, we had a good group, you know. Janko Lašák could tell you, I don't know if you talked to him, and it's a lifelong experience. And it's not about the medals, the cups, but it's about the experiences from that year with those guys, whether good or bad, you know, you go through good and bad times, and you have friends for life, you know. >> Yes. Well, Jano Lašák, he's a great guy. One of our best goalkeepers, he won the World Championship title, but most importantly, he's extremely easygoing and has a good personality. So it's always good to have someone like that in the locker room, who you know is covering your back and can also make a joke. >> Yes, goalies are kind of loners, you know. They play a kind of individual sport on their own, you know. They are alone there, and he's one of those goalkeepers who is very easygoing. He creates a good mood, doesn't yell at anyone, doesn't blame anyone, and yes. Sometimes goalies blame everyone else. They don't get yelled at much, you know. No one can yell at them, and even the coaches don't dare to, and we always pay for it, you know. So, but Jano is a great guy and played excellently in Pardubice. He did a lot for Pardubice, so Pardubice is definitely grateful to him. One of the best Slovak players you had in your career. >> Well, I had a lot of experiences with him, you know. We were together for a year in Pardubice, and I think I played with Ľubo Višňovský, so Ľubo is probably the closest to me, I think. >> Mhm. Hockey-wise, definitely yes, but like you clicked, like as a group, coffee, dinners. Yes, we all went together, it wasn't just one or two, but we were a good group, and when we went out, almost everyone went. As it should be. I think it doesn't work like that anymore these days. >> Why do you think that is? >> I don't know, people's mentality, a different generation. It's completely different. They have different interests, you know, now. >> Hmm. >> Like they have different opportunities and different interests. I don't know, I don't look at it that much. I'll see how it goes at the games. [Music] Let's go back to that winning year, because it was a specific team, because when the World Championships were on, for example, Canada, in that year, most or many of those guys didn't play, and yet they made an extremely strong team, and became world champions, it was also a great ride in the finals. Yes, we finished. We won it in Pardubice, and they told us we had to go to the camp, you know, we enjoyed it. We had a good time, to tell you the truth, and they told us we had to go to the national team. Well, so we packed and went to the national team. I made the team, and it was incredible. Again, the same thing as in Pardubice. Great guys, great, great group, a mix of the old generation, a few younger ones, like I was, and again, it clicked. It always reminds me of winning like in Pardubice. Well, but it's 14 days, again, it's something different. It's a 14-day tournament, you know, or how many days, and a lot of things have to work out. Usually, it's about the quarterfinals, and getting through the quarterfinals, because that's always what people judge, it doesn't matter how you play in the group, and if you make it to the quarterfinals, everyone is somehow satisfied. So it's different than the season. You mentioned that it was a good mix of the afterglow of the Nagano generation and many younger players. What did the national team mean to you, when you met there, because there were still some, Jarda Jágr, Martin Straka, incredible names, not only of Czech but of world hockey. Yes, I'm definitely glad that I played with those guys, and of course, many guys I asked from the NHL, and it was great because they had won before, that generation had won about four, you know, in a row in about five years, even in '99, 2000, then others, and this was maybe in 2005, I think, or something like that. >> And so there was a lot of experience, and you learn a lot, and I'm glad it worked out, that I experienced that euphoria, because then when you think about it, you come to Prague, and how people are waiting for you, and I think that with sports, people forget their worries, when there's some success, and they enjoy it for 14 days and forget their daily worries and live for the sport, and I think it's good for people too. >> That was also a mix, and a bit of a different generation. I remember when David Výborný went to Seneč, and there were no excuses at home. Someone might have tried to say, I won't come, I don't feel like it, so next year they won't want him in quotes, and everyone simply lived for hockey, they went for the Czech Republic, and how did you perceive that group, those guys, did you try to get away with something with them, or did you say, okay, you're here, you're holding the reins firmly? >> No, you respect the players, you know, you have great respect, and whatever they say, that's what counts. Well, that was in the old days. You sat down, gritted your teeth, and tried to do your best. No, but they accepted you, you know, when you were young, those guys accepted you, and if you weren't a complete idiot, they accepted you and talked to you normally, and it wasn't like, you know, and play. So we played football, we had drinks, you know, we had fun in the rooms, and it was kind of peaceful. >> Hmm. I've already mentioned one name, Jaromír Jágr. From your perspective, what a phenomenon for the whole world is Jaromír Jágr? It's incredible what Jarda has achieved, and that he's still playing. Well, he must love the sport very much. He has done so much for Czech hockey. He is a legend forever, and he has avoided injuries. But I wish him a normal life, so he can enjoy a normal life, but he has it as he has it, and if he's happy, then he's happy. I'm glad for him. I wanted to ask. Do you think it will ever happen? Because it really seems to me that you see it now. Yesterday, some RSO popped up, that at night he's at the rink, training, working hard. I don't know, he doesn't see it. Look, he doesn't have children, and he doesn't have, you know, other worries. Those guys have children, and you start having different worries, and you don't have that much time for it. Maybe someone won't have the desire for it, and he just lives for the sport, loves hockey, and I don't know. Well, I'm glad I experienced it again, you know, that I played it and now I have a family and I'm experiencing other joys, so, but if Jarda, I think he's definitely happy, and everyone does what they like. >> When did you meet him for the first time, what was it like for you? >> Playing with him for the first time? >> Yes, when you met him for the first time and played. >> Well, yes, that was an experience. You have huge respect, you know, but most importantly, you can't fall apart from it. Hmm. >> That I played with him at the championships in lines, and you can't, well, it's complicated. You have respect, you don't want to mess anything up, so he's not angry, you know. But he's not like that. But yes, there is respect. You just have to play your game. But he helped me a lot at the beginning. He always talked to me. We played together in lines, and he helped me. He was never, you know, like, he never said, I'll help you win the scoring title. And it wasn't just, he told me, don't just play for me, and things like that. >> If you had to choose one quality from his hockey career or from what he was good at, what would it be? >> He's very big and very strong. When he has the puck, no one can take it from him. When he goes into a corner, he can stand there however he wants. And he has very long arms. He uses his weight very well. And it's very difficult to get him away from the puck. >> Hmm. He had an aura around him that many, especially younger ones, who didn't know him yet, thought, I'll go to him, I'll chat, or he's also a funny guy, but in my opinion, he has such respect, just like you do. Yes, he has respect, but he's also like a child, you know, like, you know, or I think so, I made fun of him, he made fun of me, and he's not at all against any fun. It's not like he just comes, leaves, you see how players come, leave, just go to practice, right? It's a lot of fun with him. Hmm. Okay. Now I'll give you a moment when there were many great plays, great goals, but one goal is a peak moment, something that happened on the seventh. Probably every time you see that video where two people, one role, and that's Patrik Štefan missing an empty net, and 7 seconds later you score a goal, and the whole team.
You're changing hockey history a little, because that story continued, the scoring changed there, and actually Chicago, based on that, could draft Patrik Kane. I don't know if you know the whole story like that. >> Yes, I really didn't... at that time nobody knew, but I think I found out. Someone someone talked about it later, but well, it is. I'll say it this way. When they went to the net, you know, Patrik went to the net, we said to ourselves, someone lost it there, and so I was already at the shootout almost, because we said, well, that's like a goal. And I was at the bench, I was almost going to the bench, and now now I'm just watching how people start to roar, you know. So I turned around again and I'm back, and suddenly you had the puck and you were going alone on the goalie. So it was very fast and and I was definitely sad for Patrik, you know. But it happens, well. It went to the backend, well, and it jumped over him. It's a kind of freaky freaky accident, well, which doesn't happen often, but it was another goal. I don't see it that way. We lost in overtime anyway, you know. It's made into a lot like uh, but it was normal and it just didn't work out. We scored a goal, but we lost from it. >> Nevertheless, that goal probably reminds many people of it, because it really is something that went around the world. >> They show it a lot on TV in Canada. I'm in America, so I don't see it there, but every year someone sends it to me or someone writes to me, or a lot of people ask me about this, and in Canada they show it like it was some goal of the decade or I don't know, so someone always reminds me of it. Well. >> Uh, but I assume you didn't get any plaque for it, that you didn't get anything at all? Not even a plaque. I don't want any plaque either. >> I think I'll put it this way, because I know that he took it extremely hard afterwards. What was the hardest thing for you during your career? Maybe not to aim for it, that the first thing from the brain to the feeling is like, okay, you'll get over it, you're going, and you had it like this, that you talked about it with your teammates a few times. He had several concussions, and he tells me the first time it's like, okay, you'll walk it off, two or three days will be fine, but you come to practice. Maybe you even feel like you're going to strain yourself, but you come back, you feel sick, you don't even know your name, because if you break your arm, you're fine in a month. >> But this is something else. So >> how did your conditions proceed when you knew that something was wrong, that your head? So I had many of them, and I can't even tell you how many I had. And they are different, you know, like there are those small ones, when your head hurts for a while, but you're relatively okay, and then there are the bigger ones that last a very long time and you mentally just spin in it and don't know what will happen. And then you don't even know if you're telling yourself or or really, like, you wake up in the morning and one day can be like this, one day can be like that, and you don't know at all, as you say. I'd rather have a broken arm or, you know, I've had more injuries, so I know what it's like, but like he says, with a broken arm or something, you know it will be for xx months or days or weeks, and with a concussion, you just don't know what will happen. Well, and you're so helpless and and it's the brain. Nobody sees into it, nobody knows. And only you yourself have to say, what would I rather advise those guys. And don't let yourselves be forced into anything. Your health is the only one. And I think that before, we hockey players or athletes, we just said that you have to play and you have to play, you know. But if you don't give yourself time for a concussion, it will catch up with you, and nobody will remember you then. Nobody will help you. No team, no matter what the managers and doctors tell you. You won't see them then, and you'll just suffer in it, and it will affect your life, your family, the people around you, and it's quite difficult. >> Did you talk about it a lot with guys who went through something similar, or is it at that time that you withdraw? You should probably be in some kind of dark room, no bright light, because those are things that are simply very bad for you at that time. Well, but you do the tests, you know, you keep doing some tests that I think I might know by heart now, or you know, you always do some before the season, if someone had a concussion, they have to do some tests on those computers, and I would do it even if I had a concussion, I think, you know, it's just like it's always the same. Hm. >> I don't know where they recognize it completely, but probably yes, they probably know why they do it. And I didn't talk, when you have a concussion, you don't want to talk to anyone, >> so you want to be alone, mainly, and you don't feel like talking to people, you don't feel like it, you just don't want anyone to talk to you at all. You're in a black hole, you just don't go out. I, for example, didn't leave my room, my house, you just don't want to at all. It's terrible. Well, it's not pleasant. You don't remember it well. And you know. I don't want to. No, no, no. >> Maybe it was difficult for your surroundings when you say you don't want to see anyone, you don't want to be with anyone? >> So it must be difficult for the wife, you know, because you look normal, but you're not okay. And when they haven't experienced it, they just can't imagine what it is, I think. So it's very difficult for the people around you to support you. Well, you can look normal, but it can happen that we'll keep it to ourselves and not tell anyone, you know, that's probably the worst, and it's very difficult to recognize. And yes, it's complicated for the wife too, I think, and for the children, it's probably more complicated. Well >> so it was difficult when you went through all this and had to get on the ice and you must have had a great respect, saying, just don't hit me anymore. >> Well, you're a little scared. Rather not, I wasn't afraid if someone would hit me or not, but rather you have that feeling, will it come again, you know, if your head will spin, you know, or you'll have that feeling that you have it again, as if you're suggesting it to yourself, if it's there, if it's not. You know, you ask yourself questions like, am I playing badly, does my head hurt a little again, is that bad again. I was never afraid of the hit, you know, that's part of it. But rather you ask yourself if you're okay, if you're not okay. Well, and then it disappears, well, with some time. But I think the last one didn't disappear, well. >> Hm. I know it's definitely a personal topic, but then I talk about it with the guys. It's hard, what do you do with it, how do you get rid of it, can you compensate for it in some other way, can you fall into something. You can fall a lot, but as I say, it's not, it's good to talk about it, but you have to talk about it, because so that the children or the parents know that it's not a joke, well. Hm. >> But I don't want to scare anyone, that's part of it, and I wouldn't trade anything, you know, injuries are part of that sport, and some are lucky, some are not. It's happening now, and there are players who were in fights in the 80s and 90s, concussions, and many of them have had huge problems with it and won many awards and similar things. And maybe this modern era is a little better in that regard. Exactly, he talks about these things, because hockey was always seen as a tough sport for tough guys, so you have to endure it. The times are not. Who is changing now, they already have different rules, you know, that they have to leave, and I think they are dealing with it a little better, but still, nobody sees into that head. And if you tell the doctor that you're okay, then what will he tell you, you know, the kid has to, and I think you have to take at least 14 minutes off. Well, and I, a lot of them, I always got a lot, my head hurt, I was dizzy, I saw that I was, and I came, I said, I'm good, okay >> and you go on. Well, and it's not good. Well, I read >> that it will catch up with you slowly, you don't see it at first, but there will be another and another, and the devil, it will catch up with you, and as the older guys I know said, many of them, and I hear those stories, and you'll start doing things, you'll start, I'll talk about myself, I won't be like everyone else, but you'll start drinking, doing things, various things, because you don't function at all in normal life, and only through this will you feel good, you know, it will numb the pain you have, and you'll start to get lost in it, and then >> then you don't even see who you are. >> Hm. Well, I read Derek Boogaard's book, which he didn't write in the first person, but it's written about him, and it's discussed extensively there. He was 28 years old when he died, he had concussions, he took everything possible, and it actually caught up with him. Were you able to eliminate all this in some way? Was it difficult? Look, I was really bad for the first two years after I finished, maybe three. Well, I think I almost had those moments where I would have ended it. Well, and it was difficult. Of course, my wife helped me, like she called that pa, and then I went to some woman and went to therapy, it helped me. But I thought I was going like this, and actually, whenever I thought I was going like this, I was going like this, you know, I didn't see it anymore. Well, but one thing helped me. Well, six months ago, it's a pretty long story, but uh, I was in Mexico for psychedelic, here it's called psychedelic. >> Psychedelics, >> psychedelics. And someone told me about it, let's say, about an American from American football, who also has terrible problems, and told me about it, and it's called Abiga Gain Abiga treatment, and uh, one of the biggest psychedelic things, and one guy who sends there, Governor Perry, who was the governor of Texas, sends Special Forces there, Navy Seals. Greenberry, and they send there, because they have almost the same problems as us. The same, they go to war. We don't shoot anyone, but you're also at war with those guys, you play, you're a team, they have the same thing, and then they come back, and it's over, you know. Nobody cares about them, and they just flounder in it like us. And they research TBI more than PTSD. I think PTSD. Those are names. That's it, it's all the same. And they have the same problems, you know. They shoot around them, those bullets, you know, they fly, or those bombs, they have that pressure, so their brain does this. Well, and they go there. So I decided, I was quite uh bad, I decided to try it, and it was difficult, it was probably the biggest mental thing I've ever experienced. And I was with the Navy Seals, with that guy who killed Bin Laden, and like high profile Seals who do the dirty work for them, and I went through the Abiga Gain, and then you smoke 5-MeO-DMT, which is some kind of frog venom, and that Abiga, you look at yourself in the mirror in a difficult way. And the 5-MeO is more about fear, you know, like when you put it in your mouth or when you inhale it, then it counts to 10 and then you exhale, and it's supposed to be the last exhale of your life, and you go to the other side. Look, some people believe it. I'm just saying that I experienced it. Well, and since I came back from there, I don't drink and I'm not afraid of flying. I'm not afraid of anything, and I feel like I'm 18 years old. And that changed me, that therapy changed my whole life. And it's like I skipped 10, 20 years of therapy and 10 years of not drinking, and I don't crave anything, and I don't have any of those excitements, you know. And it gives you a huge amount of dopamine into your head and restarts your brain, and they use it now, and a lot of people. Well, and it helped me a lot. So this, this changed my whole life. >> Club life. >> Yes, club brutal. >> Maybe you told some guys about this, and they took it, I don't know if they knew about all your problems, demons. >> So I was always the fun party guy, you know, I liked to have fun, and it probably belonged to me, but now these guys, you don't drink, you don't do drugs. So, but it's very positive, well. The reaction. You think, damn, I can't live without it. And you think people will look at you differently, and the reaction is completely different, you know, rather everyone is impressed, and it's great, well. And with the kids, and with the family, you have a completely different relationship with yourself, and it's just beautiful, well. >> Hm. And you told me you have two sons, young guys. Do you want them to follow in your footsteps, or already? They play. Well, I train them there, and they're going strong. Great. The seventh one skates better than me, and no, the guys are really good, they enjoy it, and I'm completely satisfied with them. You probably don't want to train them too much, because they should enjoy it, but you're a dad, so you try to say, okay guys, shoot, or do this, do that >> it has to have some limit, and rather I say, and we are all in the past as parents, my dad gave us everything, it was a different time, you know, everything was very strict, and rather I say that you want to do it, uh, it's a different time, these kids have a different mentality, so, uh, rather it's from those experiences, well. What I didn't like, don't do to your children. >> So rather, when I take it for myself, what I didn't like, what I had those traumas from, I can't do that to my children so they have the same trauma as me. >> Now, after all this you've been through, and how you are now, as you said, you perceive the world and everything a little differently, and you've started to discover some things, or maybe something else attracts you, what would you like to explore the whole world. I don't know. >> Well. I definitely enjoy life more, but I realized that actually, I would say it like this, I realized that if a person doesn't take care of themselves, they can't help others. And first and foremost, you have to be yourself. So I never looked at myself, but I always looked at others. So now I'm focusing a lot on myself to be happy. And if I'm happy, then the people around me can be happy, and I can give them everything. Before, it was like, I was more like a robot. Well, but yes, I'm enjoying it a lot now, but as I say, for me now, the important thing is to give the children all the tools, the opportunity to grow, to achieve something in life. And that's my goal now. And I'm playing golf now and enjoying it more. Well, did you have some things in the past that you talked about with an expert, and they told you exactly, don't look, what will happen in half a day, day by day, and simply day by day, and tomorrow will be a better day, the next day, and so on, and so on, and you say it's been a few months. Don't you worry, but you don't have something like, damn, maybe in two, three, four years, some demon will return. I don't, man, and I know that if it does, I'll go there again, and I'll go there again, even if I don't have to, I'll go there again. I did the FMU again. I went there about three weeks later, with the owner we met, and I went there with the closest people to make some documentary for them, and I smoked it again, I got further, and I still know that I still have something inside me, you know, like holding inside, so on myself, but I know that if I get it again, I really have it like this, then I know that the option is there, and I'll just call him and go. Well, >> I'll go. But again, you can see more, and I don't want to. It's like, some believe it or not. That's everyone's business. But yes, there is an option, you know, if, but now I'm okay. >> Now you were talking about those guys from Navy, that you are in contact with them, that you write to each other, call each other, encourage each other. >> It's like family. Well, you know, I was one of five, and actually you're friends, you know, you go through a lot of experiences, you realize that everyone has some problems, and whether it's this thing or that thing or that thing, it's all in the head, you know. And it's actually irrelevant what problem you have. It's all the same. It all originates in the head, and so it's a community there, well. It's like family, so you feel like you're in a team again, you know, and it's encouraging, yes. Uh, when we put all this behind us, or rather, when we put it behind us, but as you said, what you enjoy, and we are actually talking now, we are on the third or fourth day, the guys played golf and enjoyed themselves with the group, it's exactly about meeting these guys, and that's probably the beautiful thing when it comes back to sports, what sports gave you, parties, and it's exactly like being in a collective, and those are things you carry with you for life. I said it's always about memories, you know, you put the medals somewhere and show them to your kids, you know, that's nice, but you come to events like this, and I didn't want to go to anything, you know. Probably when I was bad, they invited me somewhere, I was at home, and now now you enjoy it and see the guys, chat. You know, you tell these guys more, you know, than even if you have your friends or whatever, you know those guys, and you know they have similar problems, so you say more, you say everything, it seems to me, you know, nobody is afraid, nobody is pretending, and it's just great. Here you play golf for three days. And great people, you meet some new ones, and it's nice to see those guys and have some fun with them again, and you have a memory for a lifetime, you have something to talk about. Well, and you look forward to next year. Hm. But overall, this is great, you know. I'm really glad you're talking about it, it's a step up for many people, because especially us men, we suppress it, we don't say it, we don't talk about it, and then when you listen to it, you say, damn, I'm not alone in this. >> That's the most important thing. Well, that's like, I would say it doesn't matter at all. Someone thinks I'll say I'm on alcohol or drugs or, you know, whatever people will think. And it's completely irrelevant, whether you're a gambler or an alcoholic or on drugs or you have some trauma from childhood. It's all the same. That's not you, you know. It's not your fault. It stems from something, and we're all afraid that someone will think something about us, that we did something like that, well, then we did it, but it can be fixed, so you shouldn't shut yourself away. Hm. When you put on your skates again, do you feel nostalgia when you tie your laces? Look, I don't. It just showed me that in the Abiga, you know, like when I left, when I had those concussions, I left very quietly, and I didn't really come to terms with it well, and everyone has those matches, you know, everyone says goodbye, and I never had that, I never even wanted it, because I was bad. Well, and I had a vision there, you know, like I'm skating a few laps, and someone is commenting, I'm scoring a goal, and people are clapping, and it says last game, and it gave me something to my brain, it ended it, you know, it gave my brain what it needs, what it doesn't need, even if it was something bad or good, only you understand what it is. And and now I don't at all, before when someone said something, I went, you know, because I had to and I didn't want to say no to anyone. Well, and now when I want to go, I go, and when I don't want to go, then I just don't have it anymore. Well, I don't have it from that. >> It's about the kids, well. And I have an artificial hip, so I can't play much, but I go there with the veterans and it's the same. We have veterans, and rather we have a great group. We have a locker room there, we have everything there, we go to some games, we play, someone comes to us, always. We play after the Dallas Stars, like when they play at 2 o'clock, we play after them, and people stay, we chat, you know. They talk, that's what's good about it. Well, >> but I didn't want to do that, you know. >> Well, so now you find out that there are possibilities, and you can still live some kind of hockey life even bigger. Maybe we'll see each other in two years. >> Otherwise, well, otherwise, but you're still living it. Clearly. And maybe we'll see each other in two years in Pardubice. Well, still at your farewell game, then into the net again. >> You are actually living in America mostly, or do you go home for the summer? I assume. I go, I go in the summer, and my children were born there, you know. And then we stayed there, and I go in the summer, we go to Pardubice, to the Czech Republic, not here, but to Pardubice, and for a month and a half, two months. At Christmas, we go for three weeks. I told my wife, when I'm in the Czech Republic for those two or three months, that's enough for me, and I'll be satisfied. >> You know Czech. >> Look, it's more complicated, you know. If you had a Czech woman, you know, then it's simple. And they'll always learn English when they go to school, you know, so they'll learn it. But if you're with someone else, like my wife is from Brazil, but we met in Edmonton when she was 22 or 23, so we've been together for a long time, and at home I tried, but there was COVID. >> Hm. And that was bad, you know, because they also had to learn English to go to school, to get them in, to get them there, so it was very complicated, but then at home you say, you know, you say it three times, you say it in Czech, then you say it in English, then your wife doesn't understand, and you feel like a normal crazy person. And Portuguese too, you know, on top of that. And we were like, we spoke about five languages or I don't know, and we found it completely embarrassing, so we said we'll speak English, and of course the children have some basics, they say everything excellently, they pronounce it well, and the children say when you introduce them very early, they still have Spanish in school. Mhm. >> So now they also have Mandarin, like. So they have a lot, and they say when you introduce them to languages, you know, then that language leads to something, you know. Czech, Slovak, Russian, Polish, Italian, or Portuguese is related to French, and so on, so you learn the language quickly when you drink. But they are in America. They will probably be in America. And look, it doesn't bother me. If they want to learn it, they will learn it. >> Clearly. I assume you'll take them home. And the American lifestyle, are you used to it? Chill. >> Probably yes. Of course, I like the Czech Republic, and I still like going home. I have parents there, I have friends there, but after a while, now you have the kids, you know, so the kids need some rhythm of life, and suddenly you're in Pardubice, in the summer, in the summer, nobody is there, everyone is on vacation, and you have nothing to do, you know. And it's not good for me either, and it's not good for the kids either, so they have some established rhythm there. I have some established rhythm, and it's good for a person's health too. >> Hm. When you said that you have that group after the games, do you often go to NHL games? Look, not much. Not much. I go to the playoffs, for example, and when I play at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, for example, I take the kids, I go with the kids, and usually I play at 7:30, which is late. Hm. >> And it's not like you go 5 minutes to the rink, you know, to the ice rink. But I'll tell you honestly, I'd rather watch it on TV, because when I go to the ice rink, I'm talking to someone the whole game, or I've been drinking, you know. And and I get absolutely nothing out of the game, so I'd rather sit in front of the TV and watch it on TV. >> Hm. Well, Dallas had a good start, but >> it's a shame, well. >> It didn't work out there either, >> well. But they have a good team, they have a good goalie. Of course, I know the guys, and now I'm going to Hakan's wedding in three days, so I'll see the guys there again, and they have a super super team. Like, I think they could easily do it next time with Edmonton. >> And you would probably just enjoy it, play it. >> For me, it's good. I can go to Edmonton or Dallas. I used to go to Edmonton for the playoffs, so it's always best for me. Well >> you're an alumnus, so maybe they'd let you lift the cup, then I'd rather not go. I didn't believe it. [Music] >> So, like every guest I talk to, you have a quiz prepared at the end for everyone, and you have two questions. Who was the first Czech hockey player in the NHL All-Star Game? You have four options. Either Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek, Miroslav Fryčer, or Petr Svoboda. Petr Svoboda >> Miroslav Fryčer. >> Miroslav, it won't be Hašek in 1985. Let's go to the second one. Vienna, but the first one in 1996. Who scored the winning goal in the final when the Czech Republic won against Canada? It was 19 seconds before the end. Was it Pavel Patera, Martin Procházka, Robert Lang, or František Kučera? >> How did he say it again? Who there Procházka? Lang Kučera >> Patera or Procházka. Yes, >> Procházka, >> Martin Procházka 5941 Kučera then scored into an empty net later at 42 and tr >> I have at least one satisfied. It's good. The legend with the most points, who had the most points in the playoffs during the 85-86 season? You have a tolerance of seven points. >> I have a tolerance of seven points. >> How many points did he score? >> 186. 207 or a few. >> Wait. 207, that's also in the NHL, 215 >> 215 is the record. Brutal >> that's terrible >> that's like David when he actually did those 160, I think, it was compared to what era it was. Well, but still 150 or how many he had, it doesn't matter, but that's terrible. >> That's a massacre, what. >> He scored 215 points. That's a massacre. >> Well, I think three or four Czechs scored 200 points, >> you know, a different era, but in today's world, that's like a massacre. Well, that's terrible. >> And the very last question. Does pineapple belong on pizza? >> No, not at all. Never had it? >> No, not at all. Ugh. Good, good. >> You, you, you. Or >> yes. Yes, yes, for example, they kill me. You know, you wouldn't dare, but here, I know that here in the Czech Republic it's accepted, you know, but no, no. >> Good, thank you very much for the great conversation >> and I wish you all the best and >> enjoy the senators, because that's extra. And once again, all the best. Aleš Hemský. >> Thank you very much for the invitation, and it was great. >> So, and you can watch us next time. Another MVP talk show will be here again.