For a fleeting period of time, Jiri Sekac seemed to have a bright future with the Montreal Canadiens. His speed and skills were eye-catching. However, Sekac ruined everything. The principal concerned admits it himself.
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In theory, he had the talent to provide a spark in a third line in the National Hockey League. Alas, the reasons for his failure have nothing to do with talent.
In a most candid telephone interview with TVASports.ca from Switzerland, the striker who now plays in Lausanne hinted with barely covered words that he was celebrating without a future in the streets of Montreal, which has directly led to its downfall.
“I was young and crazy (young and wild), Sekac launched in a burst of honesty that surprised his interlocutor. I was not behaving like a professional. I thought it was easy for me to play in the NHL. I did not appreciate this chance enough. ”
To Sekac’s defense, his life changed dramatically in a very short period of time. In one season, squarely, this player who nobody cared about became a striker very popular with the teams of the National Hockey League, many of which wanted to hire him after he had had an excellent season in the Continental League. (KHL) with the Lev of Prague, aged 21.
Sekac came out of nowhere: he had not been drafted, he who had had very modest success in the junior in North America, both in Canada and in the United States.
In the summer of 2014, CH won the derby for the services of this mysterious winger.
“Two years earlier, I was a player that virtually nobody knew, and then I had a good season in the KHL before I came to the NHL. It was a difficult situation to deal with and I got lost. This is what happened, ”said Sekac without shying away.
Interesting beginnings
Sekac quickly won over Montreal fans from his first skates in training camp. In preseason games he was all over the ice, giving rise to a chance to score almost every appearance.
All in all, he started the real season well, too. After 24 games with the Canadiens, he claimed 12 points, including six goals, which wasn’t bad for a third-line player who had an ice time average of 14 minutes. His performances convinced the CH to drop René Bourque in the American League.
Sekac notably made his eyes widen with a superb turnstile against the Los Angeles Kings on December 12, 2014.
Things turned sour for him afterwards. The number 26 was limited to four points, including one meager goal, in his next 26 games. His playing time was rapidly disappearing.
The fault of everything but him
“My unprofessional behavior off the ice obviously affected my performance, which was inconsistent,” said Sekac. And the most important quality in the NHL is consistency, the ability to perform every night. ”
At this point, Sekac, with the naivety of his early twenties, was convinced that he was not responsible for his failures.
“I was stupid for a while. I thought it wasn’t my fault, that I wasn’t given enough chances to show off. With age and experience, I understood today … ”
The Canadians were starting to get fed up with his boozy nights and even gave him warnings on several occasions. Warnings that have fallen on deaf ears.
“A few people came over to me and told me to change my behavior, but in my head it was just something I wanted to do. I am a stubborn person. If I want to do something, I’ll probably just do it. ”
Marc Bergevin ended up trading Sekac on February 24, 2015 to the Anaheim Ducks in return for Devante Smith-Pelly. The Canadiens general manager didn’t really have a choice. And Sekac doesn’t blame him at all, he’s grateful to the man who gave him his chance in the NHL.
Sekac does not hold it against Michel Therrien who, decidedly, did not carry it in his heart.
“He was a tough trainer (laughs), he said. But I wasn’t doing what I had to do. You have to perform every night. If you can’t do it and you have a tough trainer, he’ll let you know. “
The new Sekac
Sekac now lives a quieter life in Switzerland with his wife, two-month-old son and three-year-old daughter.
After playing in Russia for the past five years, he feels more comfortable than ever in his new home.
“It’s different here. I don’t want to say anything bad about Russia, I was treated well there. It’s perfect in Moscow. But here, it’s quieter, quieter. There is less traffic. The mountains are superb. ”
If it had to be done again, would the father of a family that he has become have gone back in time to erase the mistakes of the past? His thinking is rather nuanced.
“Obviously I’d rather play in the NHL right now. I don’t know if I have any regrets, because it was fun anyway. But, yeah, obviously I would have done things differently, for sure. ”
In bulk
On the announcement of Carey Price, who revealed to be struggling with consumption issues …
“He’s a quiet guy, he’s not very loud in a locker room. He didn’t look like the type of guy who would run into those kinds of issues. ”
On Brendan Gallagher …
“We were the same age when I arrived in Montreal. He was one of the guys I talked to the most. I remember his work ethic on the ice, it was impressive. He’s one of the hardest-working players I’ve played with. He’s not the biggest, but he fights hard and sells his skin dearly. It’s pretty incredible. ”
On its links with the CH …
“Since leaving Montreal, I haven’t spoken to anyone who was on the team at the time.”