There was a time when Christmas was a bittersweet event for Radim Simek and Anna Simkova.
They were happy to have each other, and for the opportunities that Radim’s hockey career has provided them. But even before they were married in the summer of 2019, they were ready to start a family and for a long, frustrating time it wasn’t happening for them.
“This is the thing that we wish for most every Christmas,” Radim said. “I remember we would cheer and say, ‘Maybe next Christmas. Maybe one more year, we can have one more human.’”
It has been an eventful 2022 for Simek, who turned 30 in September. Simek reached one of the lowest points of his hockey career in the spring. He was one of the beneficiaries of a regime change in San Jose that gave him a fresh start in the summer. He had the chance to play NHL games at home in front of his friends and family in the fall.
At the beginning of it all, though, the most important event finally happened. Melinda Simkova arrived in his world on Jan. 23, 2022, and it hasn’t been the same since.
“Before my daughter was born, I was coming home and just thinking about hockey and that it was the most important thing for me,” Simek said. “I am still thinking about hockey all the time, but when she was born, my life was changed. Now it’s important for me and my family that I want to give her everything.
“Now when I go home and she smiles at me, it’s the best thing ever.”
Simek is, at heart, a fisherman.
He and Tomas Hertl are linked because they are both from Czechia. They naturally became close when Simek joined the Barracuda in 2017 and then the Sharks in 2018. Their wives are good friends, too.
“Toby likes my daughter, so hopefully they will be close, too,” Simek said of Hertl’s 2-year-old son.
Hertl is from the outskirts of Prague, but when the Sharks were there in October, it was a bit like a crown prince returning home. He was the star of the show, and was delighted to absorb every moment and show his teammates the amazing city he’s told them about for years.
Simek grew up in the same region, not too far from Prague. While Hertl loves flashy cars and the bright lights, Simek is more reserved.
“I just like to talk,” Hertl said. “I think it will help my English. Even when I am struggling with it a bit, I just like to talk and be in the conversation. He’s more like a quiet guy. He likes to talk more one-on-one. He’s not a big talk guy in the group. He’s quieter than me for sure.
“He doesn’t like the crazy stuff, like big restaurants and all the traffic in the city. When he goes home, his favorite thing is just to grab his stuff and go fishing and just relax.”
The NHL Global Series in Prague was important for Simek as well on a number of fronts. The games were played at O2 Arena, which was the site of his greatest team-based accomplishment. Simek’s Bílí Tygři Liberec club won the Czech ExtraLiga, with the clinching game against Sparta Praha.
“April 24, 2016,” Simek said, pointing to the tattoo he has to commemorate the championship. “Winning the title in Czech, first game in the NHL, third place in the world championships. You have to enjoy every success. That’s why I put the tattoo on my arm. I have a lot of good memories.”
Normally when Simek is at home in Czechia, he stays away from the city unless he’s there to work out or get on the ice. His favorite time in the summer is spent on the Elbe River, fishing for carp and catfish.
Simek’s best fishing tale involves a catfish that was 186 centimeters (about 73 inches), or a little bit longer than him. His brother, Martin, caught the biggest carp (one meter, or about 39 inches). Radim said his fishing style is more about volume than chasing the biggest catch.
“He doesn’t like fishing in the ocean,” said Roman Jedlicka, a Czech journalist who broadcasts NHL games at home and knows Simek well. “Because you just do this (reel in slowly) and there is your fish. He said, ‘I have to battle with a fish. I have to get a reward for my fishing, not just put the line in the water and pull out a fish.’”
Simek enjoys the relaxing quiet his hobby provides. He likes being in nature. He enjoys the hard work involved with reeling in a type of fish that is known for its willingness to fight.
It’s a window into his blue-collar nature, something his parents passed down to him.
“Anytime I meet with him, he is so polite, so good,” Jedlicka said. “He doesn’t behave like an NHL player with a multi-million dollar contract. He has a normal car. He’s a normal guy. His mom and his dad are still working. They don’t need to work, but they are working.
There’s been plenty written about how expensive it is for kids to pursue a career in hockey. Simek did not come from an affluent family, and it wasn’t an easy journey.
“My mom, she loves to work,” Simek said. “They taught me to be a good person, protect my family. They spend their time and their money for me and my brother because it wasn’t easy when I was young. We had an apartment in my hometown. We didn’t always have (much money). Our grandparents helped a lot. I think now I am trying to help my parents, like buy them some things and take them on vacation. I can do this for them now because I make good money.
“My goal is to sign a new contract. I know it is going to be hard, but I’m going to do everything for that. Hopefully after I sign a new contract, maybe they will both retire.”
Simek has this season and next left on his contract with the Sharks. The thought of another NHL deal might have seemed far off at the end of last season. He played in eight of the team’s final 36 games, often sitting as a healthy scratch while the Sharks played younger, unproven defensemen instead of him.
He wasn’t happy, and told hokej.cz that someone, either departed Bob Boughner or interim GM Joe Will, had lied to him about why he wasn’t playing because he received mixed messages.
“We are close. Our wives are close. It’s not easy when you’re hanging out and you play but your friend doesn’t play,” Hertl said. “You just try to help him stay positive. It’s so nice to see him getting his ice time again this year. I think he played well for us. I’m really happy for him.”
New general manager Mike Grier and coach David Quinn told Simek he would have a fresh start. The Sharks had a crowded defense corps, but injuries to Nikolai Knyzhov and Markus Nutivaara before the season began alleviated some of the congestion.
Simek played the first 17 games of the season, although he was injured by a hit to the head on his first shift during a Nov. 13 game at Minnesota and did not play for the next five contests. He was also a healthy scratch on Dec. 22 against the Wild, but playing in 29 of the team’s first 35 games was a significant uptick in playing time.
“This year is different. I’m feeling good and confident,” Simek said. “One reason I feel that way is I can feel the coaches’ support. They trust me. They give minutes. I have confidence that I do make a mistake on the ice, it is bad, but not like last season.”
In previous seasons, when Simek had a bad game or struggled at practice, the stress that he and Anna felt from trying to get pregnant compounded his issues.
They decided they were ready to start a family early in 2019, but as the months went by it wasn’t happening. A year went by, and they tried to remain calm. As a second year progressed with no luck, they decided it was time to seek some help.
“It wasn’t easy,” Simek said. “My wife tried everything to get pregnant. We had a lot of appointments with doctors. We didn’t have any problems. We are healthy. The doctors said we don’t know what to do. It is probably in our heads.
“It was hard for us. If you have a broken hand, you know what to do to fix it. In that situation, we just didn’t know.”
Shortly after the 2020-21 season ended, the couple took a trip to Napa to unwind and enjoy some wine. A couple of days after the trip, the life-changing news finally arrived.
“I remember that morning. I was still sleeping and she had already woken up,” Simek said. “She just started crying and said she was pregnant. It was a great moment for us.
“It was stressful for sure. We are getting older and we want to have a baby. It just wouldn’t happen. It was probably more hard for my wife because she’s at home. I have hockey and I can come to the locker room and just think about hockey. She had to be at home and she was crying a lot. But she’s such a strong woman, and she’s doing well now with our baby. I’m so happy that she is doing great.”
Melinda was born in January, and those days when he wasn’t enjoying showing up for work became much easier to handle. When they went home for the summer, they took both Radim’s and Anna’s parents to Greece for an extended family vacation.
Jedlicka also spent time with Simek over the summer for a profile that was shown on the TVs in the O2 Arena when the club was practicing in Prague. Simek did part of the interview from one of his favorite fishing spots, with a line in the water while they chatted.
“There’s a moment in the (documentary) when he’s talking and suddenly there is a fish (on his line),” Jedlicka said. “But then he says to the interviewer, ‘Oh it’s a shame, I don’t have a fish.’ But he did catch a small one later, and he put it back.”
Simek’s parents were also interviewed. Maybe the most important part was Radim and Anna opening up about the struggles they had while trying to get pregnant.
“A lot of people go through this problem like we did, but nobody wants to talk about it,” Simek said. “I’m glad I did the (documentary). … If some people see that, they should know that they aren’t alone. A lot of people have problems with getting pregnant.”
Life is certainly good now for Simek. He wants to try fishing for carp here in the Bay Area — he’s got a fishing-loving friend from home that lives in Monterrey and a couple of lakes in Fremont on his radar.
He has several tattoos, and there is going to be one for Melinda. But more patience is required.
“I’m going to get one of her face, but my tattoo artist said let’s wait until she is like 3 years old,” Simek said. “Because all babies have the same face. So I have to wait.
“Some people think I’m always mad or something, but I’m really not. I think I’m a funny guy, but I look angry a lot. I’m not, though. If you spend time with me, you will figure out how I am in life. I have a beautiful baby at home, beautiful wife. Everyone in my family is healthy. So this is the best thing.”
There is a traditional Christmas meal in Czechia — fried carp and potato salad. While Simek loves to chase carp in the waters of his home country, he doesn’t really enjoy eating it.
“Too many bones,” he said.
So the plan for the Christmas meal was chicken and potato salad. But this holiday weekend was going to be different for Radim and Anna.
The toast is definitely going to have to change.
“We can’t wait. We already bought a lot of gifts for the baby. It’s going to be emotional for sure,” Simek said. “Finally, this year. My wife is for sure going to cry. Maybe I will too. It will be a special moment for us.”
(Photo: Kavin Mistry / NHLI via Getty Images)
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