Footage of Petr Cech training with National Hockey League players has emerged online – it helped him fulfill a ‘childhood dream’.
Cech had the opportunity to train with Chicago Blackhawks players after attending their 4-3 defeat to the Calgary Flames on Sunday. Check out the footage below.
The former Blues goalkeeper looked adept between the sticks, saving several shots with low blocks.
How did this come about? Cech has a long-standing relationship with fellow Czech Republic national and Blackhawks star Petr Mrazek.
Cech met Mrazek 10 years ago when the duo were represented by the same agency. He ensured Mrazek was looked after when he visited London during the summer.
Mrazek is now repaying that favor, helping Cech excel in a completely new field. Despite still playing in the net, Cech believes there is a huge difference between being a goalkeeper and a goaltender.
He told the Chicago Sun Times: “The positioning aspect of hockey goaltending – determining the correct depth and angle in any given moment – is surprisingly comparable to soccer goalkeeping, Cech admitted.
“The playing surface, however, is obviously not.
“The big challenge is skating, because you need to get the technique. Once you’re on the ice, the slides and the recovery, that’s something you have to really work on. There’s no other way around it.
“In terms of the positioning, you need to be in the right place and set before the shot comes, so that is a similarity. The pressure on the goalie remains always the same. But, obviously, the nature of the game is completely different. “
Cech admitted he’d fulfilled a dream he’d held since childhood being able to play with bonafide hockey superstars.
He continued: “You’re facing the top players in the world, so you have to expect that they will have a good shot and be clever and in control.
“But you try to do the same thing: You try to fill the gaps and try to read them, which is harder. Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was a priceless experience for me. I’m kind of living my childhood dream. “
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