NHL teams split Prague games

By Benjamin Cunningham and František Bouc

Staff Writers

The Boston Bruins beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-0 Oct. 10 to secure a split of their two game series at Prague's O2 Arena.

The two NHL teams squared off as part of the season opening NHL Premiere event, which saw a record six games played across Europe.

Five Czechs played in the Prague games: three Phoenix forwards, Petr Průcha, Radim Vrbata and Martin Hanzal, as well as two Czech-born Bruins, David Krejčí and Vladimír Sobotka. Boston captain Zdeno Chára and teammate Miroslav Šatan hail from neighboring Slovakia.

"When they started playing the Czech national anthem, shivers ran down my back," Krejčí told daily Lidové noviny.

The first match-up saw Phoenix beat Boston 5-2, with Mladá Boleslav native Vrbata scoring two goals. The second match-up saw the Bruins win on the back of a 29 save shutout by goalie Tim Thomas. 

"It was apparent we missed our energy a bit, and I have to say Boston deserved to win," said Průcha, a native of Chrudim, after the Oct. 10 defeat. "In reality, we didn't get the puck for the first 10 minutes of the game."

The city itself received rave reviews from first-time visitors.

"Prague is such a beautiful city, and it is nice to get out and be able to see different parts of it," Phoenix right-winger Shane Doan told NHL.com. "It's so unique in that you want to experience it because it is such an amazing country. I mean, people all over the world travel here, and we get a chance to visit and we want to enjoy it."

The Prague games were two of six regular-season NHL games taking place in Europe to start the season. The San Jose Sharks played the Columbus Blue Jackets Oct. 7 and 8 in Stockholm, and the Minnesota Wild faced the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki Oct. 8 and 9.

This is the fourth time Prague has hosted NHL games. In 2008, the Czech capital hosted two games between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers. The NHL is rumored to be considering staging a game next season outdoors at Eden soccer stadium, though no details about this proposal are confirmed for now.

Close call in win

Midfielder Tomáš Rosický took a corner kick. He centered the ball in front of the goal where it was flicked on by substitute striker Roman Bednář and defender Roman Hubník diverted it past Scottish goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

The first Czech goal in Euro 2012 qualification came in the 70th minute of the Oct. 8 game, and it was the only one in a qualifier hosted by the Czechs in Prague's Eden. In the end, it was enough to secure a tight 1-0 win.

"Relief" was the word on the tip of the tongues of most Czech players after the game.

"I was relieved that I could put the ball home after all. It was quite difficult to play against 10 players who were only defending," Hubník said.

The Scots indeed looked content to play for a scoreless draw, deploying the bulk of their team in defending their own half of the field, with no striker.

"The goal brought about a great deal of relief," said Rosický, the Czech captain. "We were under major pressure, but we managed to cope with that."

The Czechs opened the Euro 2012 campaign with a disappointing home defeat to Lithuania and quickly found themselves in a difficult position in terms of qualifying.

"In order to succeed, a team can suffer just one upset in the qualification, and we suffered one already in the opening match. We knew we had to make it this time," Rosický said.

Czech Head Coach Michal Bílek initially rejected that the Scots would deploy such a defensive strategy after news of the tactic leaked to the media before the match. Later, however, he was quickly convinced of its veracity.

"They had no intention to attack, indeed," Bílek said.

The Czechs pushed the Scots hard throughout the game but they were unable to break the deadlock. They sent eight shots on goal and 14 shots that missed the target, while Scotland had only one shot on goal throughout the game, and two others that went wide.

Rosický praised the team's determination.

"Before the game, I asked myself whether this team was worth anything," Rosický said. "This game proved it is."

The Czechs took on Lichtenstein Oct. 12. The result went final after The Prague Post went to print.

The writers can be reached at features@praguepost.com