When he answered the call, Tomas Plekanec was in Prague, on his way to the city’s botanical garden to celebrate Halloween with his four children.
This will be his daily life for the immediate future. That of a simple father who wants to spend more time with his family. Because after 25 years of career in the world of hockey, Plekanec decided that enough was enough. At 41, his back no longer wants to keep up, and anyway, he was almost there, at the end of the road.
“I was having health problems and it was starting to get complicated,” he added. I could have continued, it took me two weeks to meditate on all that, but there would have been risks, for example the risk of being hit in the back with a stick, or something like that. It could have been dangerous, so I’ll stop. I have young children, and I want to be able to be with them, play with them, take care of them. »
Plekanec adds that he is in good health despite everything, enough in any case to be able to do other things. “I can still ride a bike, play tennis,” he insisted. I can do what I want, but I could have made my condition worse by continuing to play hockey. »
The decision was therefore a bit obvious, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to make. “Because I still had fun playing… that’s why I signed a contract for another season (with Kladno) at the start of the season. But unfortunately this was no longer possible. »
This long career, which began with the Kladno club in 1998, will therefore end in the same place, at home, in the Czech Republic. Between the two, there was of course a long detour through the National Hockey League, and more precisely through Montreal and this Canadian that he loved so much.
In all, it’s nothing less than 984 games that the former striker was able to play with the CH, a career almost entirely made up of blue, white and red, apart from this 17-game interlude with the Maple Leafs of Toronto at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Obviously his best hockey memories are associated with the Canadiens and Montreal.
“We can’t really forget that,” he admits without hesitation. I have also received several messages from people in Montreal over the last few days, from friends and also from people I met there over time. It was really nice to receive all these words. I loved the years I was able to spend with the Canadian.
“I will remember several things from Montreal, but first, I especially think back to my 1000e game in the NHL, and at the ceremony and then the ovation that I received afterwards at the Bell Centre. It was probably the best feeling of my life. And then of course, if we think about hockey as such, I will never forget the series of 2010 and 2014. Especially the two games number seven in the spring of 2010, when we beat Washington and then Pittsburgh in quick succession. It was very special. »
Now what’s next? In the immediate future, there will be family and children, we will have understood that, but in a perhaps not so distant future, Tomas Plekanec does not rule out the possibility of setting foot in an arena again, and in a other role.
“It is certain that the coaching interests me, he admitted. I would like to be able to lead younger people and pass on my knowledge and skills to them. We’ll see what happens…”