Petr Čech and his transition from football to ice hockey

As The Boar’s self-designated ice hockey aficionado, the news that rippled around social media last week was quite the spectacle. Petr Čech, a Champions League-winning goalkeeper with Chelsea in 2012, announced that he would be icing for Guildford Phoenix for the remainder of the 2019/20 ice hockey season. Unsurprisingly, social media immediately exploded into a frenzy of confusion, hilarity and, certainly in my household at least, excitement.

Čech’s decision to join the Phoenix comes at a moment of flux for the sport in this country. Earlier this year, Team GB arrived in Kosice, Slovakia, to compete against the world’s best at the 2019 IIHF World Championships. Against all the odds, the British squad staved-off relegation from the highest tier of international hockey, beating France in the final game of the tournament. For the first time this century, ice hockey is back on the British sporting agenda and Čech’s arrival in Guildford could help to keep it there.

Čech is expected to make his first appearance for the Phoenix against Swindon Wildcats

In a statement given to the club’s website, Guildford head coach, Andy Hemmings acknowledged that “the signing of Petr [Čech] is massive for the Phoenix”, adding that “he is a great guy who trains hard.” Milos Melicherik, general manager of the Guildford Phoenix, also moved to praise Čech for the progress the former-Chelsea goalkeeper has made on the ice since first training with the club. 

Čech holds a longstanding affiliation with the ice hockey community in Guildford, since arriving in the UK in 2004 the former-Czech international has followed the Guildford Flames, and has spoken of his desire to “help this young team to achieve their goals for the season.” Čech, an ice hockey fan since his youth, told the club’s press officer that “after 20 years of professional football, [icing for the Phoenix] is going to be a wonderful experience to play the game [he] loved to watch and play as a kid.” 

Čech is expected to make his first appearance for the Phoenix against Swindon Wildcats ‘2’ as the sides meet in the National Ice Hockey League 2, the fourth division of British ice hockey, this weekend. Keen to capitalise upon the spike of interest in the sport, the University’s local Elite League club, Coventry Blaze took to Twitter to “deny rumours” that former Coventry City goalkeeper and coach, Steve Ogrizovic, was on the cusp of joining the club. In a statement given to the club’s website, Blaze head coach, Danny Stewart said: “Steve was a great goalie for many years, and also a fine local club cricketer but I have no idea where these rumours have come from. There is absolutely no truth in it and he will not be joining the Blaze.”

Luckily my job at Chelsea doesn’t stop me in my spare time from playing the game I loved as a kid and which I’ve been playing for years

Amid fears that he would be forced to resign from his post as Chelsea sporting director, Čech clarified the nature of his involvement with the Phoenix. “Some people seem to think I’ve changed my job. No, I didn’t,” Čech started, “luckily my job at Chelsea doesn’t stop me in my spare time from playing the game I loved as a kid and which I’ve been playing for years. While being a professional footballer, I couldn’t play the game for obvious reasons. Now I can.”

Only time will tell if Čech will be able to make an impression on the ice, but it is already apparent that the four-time Premier League champion’s arrival on the ice hockey scene has made an impression on the wider public. Petr Čech isn’t the first professional athlete to change sports, nor will he be the last, but few can claim to have made such a transformative first impression on their new sport.