WC hockey | The hockey team already knows its captain and his assistants

“It’s an honor because it’s special at the home championship, but it’s also a commitment. I hope we will do everything to be successful. But it’s not honestly about who has which letter on the jersey, but to play as a team and present ourselves on the ice. They played for each other because it decides important moments,” said Červenka.

He himself admitted that the coaches and team management decided on the captain, then they “rather announced it” to the players.

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Červenka has been part of the team since the first day of training, which began on April 2 in Říčany. “I’m going day by day, every day I’m going to try to do something to move somewhere. And then he possibly timed it for the championship. I fight for him, just like everyone,” he said at the time.

The nomination of the striker from the Swiss Rapperswil was expected, and now it can be to the captain’s advantage that he was with the team throughout his career. “A lot of us have been together for a long time. Time is playing for the boys to get to know each other better. When you spend time together, you have more fun, which makes for better relationships. For us, it can be important for the course of the tournament to present ourselves as a team. There is no player of the caliber of Pasta here, so the team will be the most important.”

“I believe we have the strength and will continue to improve during the tournament. The last tournament didn’t go well for us, maybe it was a good thing that it held up a mirror for us and we have something to work on,” added Červenka, whose jubilee 200th match in the national team awaits in Saturday’s duel against Norway. “One appreciates that he was able to wear the jersey so many times. But it’s not something I’d deal with right now, because it’s kind of a commitment.”

The Czechs will enter the championship on Friday, May 10 with a match against Finland (20:20).