When he first arrived in Montreal, everyone called him Plekanek. Matějovský said that I should teach them. hockey

Prague I taught Montreal's overseas critics and fans to pronounce the name Plekanec correctly. During the 15 years that the attacker had been a close friend, Zdeněk Matějovský took him to the airport when he returned home this weekend.

Tomáš Plekanec was trained with Kladno, but he does not have the certainty of another engagement.

"When I came here, his daughter was four, now a 19-year-old girl, and Pleky is a respected player with a dollar more," he said. The journalist says.

Let's go back to 15 years ago.
I recall a young man suffering from acne in the locker room I did not even know. I lived in Canada for a long time and started kissing. Then I helped him with my computer and became a friend. He was very grateful for his help because no one knew. And to me, for 15 years, they were unrealistic.

What?
I got the glory and opportunity to watch teenagers transform from Kladno into world class experts. But he became a modest and modest activist. His actions and dedication are good examples for others.

Was not he the first hockey player you helped in Montreal?
No, the first was Martin Ručinský. I remember being a journalist in the first game in the forum for the first time in December 1995. Montreal and Detroit won 11: 1. Patrick Roy said he could not catch up with Montreal with nine goals. And I thought: It's good. I will go to NHL in Montreal, I will write about it. But there is no Czech here. Then I wrote about this incident. I came from the Czech Republic. And the next day Roy disappeared and news of Ručinský was here. He is also a respected player and has always been a Czech team since.

How did you come to Montreal?
In 1980 I bought a trip to Cuba. I thought the plane would arrive here in a minute. People drove to the airport lobby from the deck and escaped and asked for asylum.

wilderness?
Everyone in our pocket got two dollars to buy coffee at Čedok or send it home from Montreal. At that $ 2, I climbed from the airport of the street. The beggar there was more than me.

What's next?
I did not know my tongue, but fortunately the Czech people came out of the plane every week, so there were about 80 people. And one of the Czechs told me about a German who has a restaurant for 1200 people. I went there to wash the dishes but gave me without cooking experience. Two years later I suggested the waiter's position, I made money and I was happy. Later, I was playing a nice Russian restaurant where a Russian hockey player went. I remember that I started with the work of a journalist at the time. So I ended up there and immediately went to the nearby hall and interviewed.

So Plekanec knows the meaning of Montreal.
Good! When I saw his career improve on the turn, I found that Canadiens Chronicle would be written in gold. The statistics were consistent with famous players. He is one of the three most famous Europeans for centuries. First is Mats Näslund, then Sakoku Koivu and now Plekanec. With his dedication and determination to be a great hockey player, he has earned an unrivaled position in Montreal. And he is thankful because he is a responsible person. He never did anything wrong, he acted as a pure expert.

Did not they even care not to speak French?
It is true. He can only do a few words. However, the official language of the club is English. Despite the fact that English is recorded in the provinces, it is forbidden – all must be written in English only in French at first, until recently only English inscriptions were in the dressing room. So it was not an obstacle.

The fans liked him.
And how! In Montreal he was not easy to get out of the street. Everyone knew him for years. As we sat in the diner, people kept following him. Sometimes I was annoyed when I waved at dinner. He was very popular. There is a hockey to introduce it, and the next day is only six games at Le Journal de Montreal. He often appeared in titles on TV often.

But we know him by silence.
Be quiet. Tomas is very humble and industrious, and he does not like foolishness. The tone he talked about might have thought some of his thoughts were self-confident, but the opposite was true.

What is the most powerful hockey moment you have with him?
Last month, I was so impressed with his 1000th NHL match and score. At first it was not visible that the Flicky was hit, but as soon as it was visible on the screen, the whole stadium was standing. People were unrealistic, without knowing that it was his last goal.

The history of Canadiens is amazing. Do you think you can wear jersey once? Or is it unrealistic?
You deserve it, but the competition is great. On the other hand, he scored 20 goals as a weakness. Second in the Canadian history, Markovan played more in Europe than in clubs. Tomas made the best of only six games. And the 21st overall is the 5th. I want to upload it.

Did you tell the narrator to tell his name?
It's me. When he arrived, everyone called him Plekanek. But I can: If you can tell the New York Mets (baseball team), you have to learn Plekanec. It was effective.

Did you take it all the way?
It's fast because I thought it would continue until the end of the season. Suddenly they called me on TV. Thomas was on the free agent list. So I was totally surprised. I took a seat and went to the stadium at the press conference. It was very emotional because Tomas was so close to me. Then I took him to the airport and thanked everything he had done to me. He was always devoted.

What are you expecting?
I'll tell you something I do not like. He will not go there when I come to the Canadiens dressing room. Before the last game I went to breakfast training and there was his name tag. No more evening. There was an empty place and Plekanec disappeared from the dressing room. And it will take time to annoy me. My visit and grilled salmon will also meet me. Little is known as a great chef.