Getting to Know David Krejci
(Photo: Krista Patronick)
David Krejci, a center with the Boston Bruins, who is currently injured and spends his game time watching from the press level, was willing to take some time during an intermission of one of the games to chat. I took this opportunity to learn more about the beginning of his career, his dreams and what he thinks about Boston and the Bruins‘ fans.
David Krejci
Born in the Czech Republic, Krejci comes from a hockey family. His dad used to play hockey and has also been a hockey coach.
“When I was a kid my dad used to take me to watch the hockey games all the time and that is basically how my hockey career started.”
Like many boys, he did not enjoy going to school and didn’t like learning. His priority was always to play hockey. Despite not getting to actually watch NHL teams on television that didn’t stop him from knowing that this was where he wanted to go.
“When I was a kid, you couldn’t watch the NHL on TV in my country, because it was not on TV, so even though it was my dream, I thought that it was unreachable,” Krejci shared. “My dreams were mainly to represent my country at the World Hockey Championship and to play in the Czech hockey league. The NHL was unreachable for me, but now I am playing in the NHL. I achieved that dream and I am very happy about that.”
Krejci with Gatineau (Photo: Boston Sports Then and Now)
At the age of 18, Krejci left his home in Sternberk and found himself playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on the Gatineau Olympiques before ultimately earning his way onto the Boston team. Krejci shared that for him the hardest thing about moving from the Czech Republic at such a young age was the language barrier and that he was in North America without his family. Everything was unknown and new for him.
“However when a hockey player from Europe wants to succeed here, he has to go through it, no matter if he is 17, 18 or 25 years old,” he said. “It is the only way that you can succeed in the NHL.”
Though he is now in his ninth season with the Bruins, he can still remember his NHL Entry Draft Day and when he was chosen by Boston. He knew that the Bruins wanted him, so he did not expect any other teams to select him. And even though he knew that it would be the Bruins organization that would call his name, when that moment actually came, it was a great feeling and a huge moment in his life. However the moment when he realized that he had truly achieved that dream he had as a child—that dream of playing in the NHL—that moment would come later.
“The NHL has such a system, if you play good in your first NHL season, after some games the general manager tells you to find a house or an apartment, which means that they want you to stay and they count on you to play in the NHL,” Krejeci explained. “So when they told me [this], I could not believe it. But it was a great feeling and it was that moment when I realized that now I had achieved [my] dream to play in [the] NHL.’
But of course it is not easy to remain successful. You have to prove to the team’s management, the guys you play with and to a degree the NHL that they all made the right decision. As such, even a player with the skills that Krejci possesses, he must continue to work hard to get better and better, because there are so many hockey players who are just waiting for the same opportunity to play in the NHL. Krejci thinks that discipline is the most important thing for a hockey player to succeed. Players must make the choice at a young age—usually around the age of 17 or 18 years old—that same time when boys also start to pay attention to women and parties.
“This is when you have to figure out if you really want to play hockey for the money and if you do then you have to put away things like parties, alcohol and women,“ he stressed. “Discipline is so important and if you have it, it will reward you in the future.“
Coming from Europe, there were so many things that Krejci had to adjust to, not just a new language, in the new communities he would call home. He did not let those things get in his way or defeat him as he continued to aim for his dream.
David Krejci (Photo: Rhonda McClure)
“If you have a dream, follow that dream. Keep your head always up even if there will be some negative things,“ he said. “But never give up. And you have to figure this out when you are young, around 17 years old or maybe even younger.“
For hockey players all that hard work is worth it when they play at the NHL level, but is especially validated once they win the Stanley Cup. The trophy, which is not only the biggest trophy that can be won in sports, is also the hardest one to win. Krjeci won the Stanley Cup with Boston Bruins in the 2010-2011 season and for him was just a beautiful moment, and one that he would like to experience again.
And while winning the Cup again is definitely one of his goals, he also wants to be a better person. He wants to help people more.
“I am at the age when I have realized that I want to help people, and helping people makes me happy.“
Even though David is a native of the Czech Republic, he enjoys living in Boston.
“I really like Boston, it’s a beautiful city, especially during the summer. I also really like that it is a sports city, I am a big fan of the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics,“ Krejci said. “Obviously I watch Patriots games a lot too, when I have free time, me and my teammates will watch together. It’s such a classic American Sunday, watching the Patriots game and having a beer.“
It certainly sounds like he has embraced his hockey home. However, there is one thing about Boston that Krejci is not a fan of and that is the winter. However, given the amount of snow that Boston has seen this year, there are many people who are not fans of winter.
And as to the fans, the interview would not be complete if I didn’t ask him about the Bruins‘ fans.
“Our fans are hard, which is good because it pushes us forward. When they are not satisfied they let us know and that pushes us to be better every game,“ Krejci stated. „This season, it is not working as we want, but it is important to get to the playoffs right now. So we are working hard to get to the playoffs, not just for us but mainly for our fans.“
After nine seasons with the Boston Bruins Krejci feels like it is his second home and he would not mind his entire career with this team. There are a lot of Bruins fans who likely would not mind that either and would be happy to see him stay with the Bruins team.
Los Angeles Kings: Endurance is key
Drew Doughty
Photo by Mark J. Terrill
The Los Angeles Kings still have a lot to figure out if they hope to hang onto a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
LA has all the pieces to make it to the postseason to try to repeat. Darryl Sutter’s team is fast, they’re big, they’re skilled, but they’re also still fighting their way out of a hole the dug back in December and January and that battle has been taxing.
There are 14 games left in the season. LA needs upward of 90-points if they want to still be on the ice come late-April. The Kings currently have 79-points after suffering a late loss to the Nashville Predators yesterday. Their loss combined with a Winnipeg Jets victory on Saturday was all it took for the two teams to trade places in the Western Conference Wild Card race.
The Kings will also be playing nine of their last 14 matchups on the road. Their road record currently stands at 12-14-6, which could be better, but it’s also not the worst. They’re going to need to figure out how to win on the road. Los Angeles will have a five-game road trip starting on March 23rd, at which point they will only have 11-games left in the regular season. There isn’t any room for the Kings to drop the ball on the road, not with the competition so close and how evenly matched every team from the Calgary Flames to the Minnesota Wild are.
As the season winds down, the role of the goaltender becomes increasingly important. After all, tired teams tend to make more mistakes, give up chances they wouldn’t have given up earlier in the season. With a save percentage of .914 on the season (just 0.001 less than his career average), Quick has been solid in net for the Kings, but the degree to which the remainder of the team depends on him could make it harder for LA endure through the remainder of the season.
The trend of relying on goalies is becoming increasingly common, especially for teams with who need to stay on top of each and every game if they hope to find themselves on the ice come late April. It’s like a goaltender bubble that will cause all sorts of trouble if it bursts.
The Boston Bruins are a good example. The Bruins are hot right now and are fighting for a play-off spot in the Eastern Conference. According to ESPN, as of March 12th, Bruins’ starting netminder, Tuukka Rask had played “23 of the last 25 games” and helped boost the Bruins into a Wild Card spot in the East. The pressure is there for starting netminders who have proven their abilities and that includes Jonathan Quick.
The Los Angeles Kings have a solid back-up. Martin Jones has started in net 13-times, the last time being February 27th in a game where the Kings lost the Anaheim Ducks. He also made a brief, seven-save appearance without allowing any goals against Winnipeg on March 1st. Jones has a .909 save percentage with 2.22 GAA for the season and has can be used to give Quick a break, which, might be good for the Kings in the long-run.
In addition to giving Jones a game or two, the Kings defense needs pace themselves to be on top of their game for all 60 minutes of play. That means Drew Doughty and Brayden McNabb, for example, have an even bigger role to play. There’s a lot of pucks getting through to Quick that shouldn’t be, especially late into the game. One of the things that makes the Calgary Flames so successful this season is their endurance. It gives them a better chance to come from behind, and takes some of the workload off of the goaltender.
It will also be imperative for the LA Kings to stay healthy. Forward Jarret Stoll was not on the roster for the Kings matchup against the Preds Saturday night. The Los Angeles Times reported that he was sidelined with an upper-body injury, but the coaching staff of the Kings did not disclose much more. Tanner Pearson has been on the IR since January 11th with a fractured tibia. Alec Martinez has also been on the IR, but LA Kings Insider reports that he joined the team for on-ice conditioning with associate coach John Stevens on March 13th at the Toyota Sports Center. Injuries are tough on any team, but LA needs each and every one of their players now more than ever.
Everything comes back to the Kings’ endurance. Los Angeles head coach Darryl Sutter told Los Angeles Daily News: “When’s the schedule over? April 11? There’s a big difference between being done April 11th and June 20th in terms of the athlete being able to recover for the following season.”
Sutter is right, it has been a very long season for the reigning Stanley Cup Champions full of ups and downs. I doubt the Kings would be upset if they’re still in it when June rolls around, but if they want to get there, they’re going to need to milk their stamina. LA can’t let the road tire them out, and they need to make sure Quick isn’t trying to carry this team all the way to the finish line, at least the finish line of the regular season.
Sharks’ GM and Joe Thornton At Odds
(Photo: Cassie Houchin)
The truth about why Joe Thornton was demoted from his captaincy of the San Jose Sharks, with some very specific words between Thornton and General Manager Doug Wilson, surfaced Thursday evening. As if this unpredictable season couldn’t get even more worse, here we have some winds to stoke the fire.
During a press conference Thursday evening with season ticket holders, Wilson claimed that Thornton lashes out at teammates when times get stressful. Thornton’s response? “Doug needs to shut his mouth.”
Sharks’ columnist David Pollak first reported the comments.
“He cares about the game so much. The reason we took the ‘C’ off him… Joe carries the weight of the team on his shoulders, and he’s got such a big heart that when stress comes on him, he lashes out at people and it kind of impacts them. The pressure and stress, I felt, was getting to Joe and I sat him down and said we need other players to step up and share this. He got it. He didn’t like it, but he got it and he understood it.” – Doug Wilson
Thornton was stripped of the “C” on his chest last August before the 2014-15 season, leaving the question of who would have the responsibility as captain looming in everyone’s heads, both fans and players alike. The Sharks moved forward into the season with four alternates: Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Thornton. The former Boston Bruin served as captain for that club before he came to the Sharks, where he wore the “A” before regaining the “C” from 2010 – 2014.
Wilson stands behind his decision to remove Thornton as captain, stating that the team had and does have a plan to rebuild and that meant moving around players and letting young guys step up to the challenge. He also reinforced that rebuilding takes time, even though we “want it to happen today.”
Thornton had a few words for Pollak regarding Wilson’s comments:
“All I’ve got to say is I’ve been here every day working hard. I haven’t taken a sabbatical. He just needs to stop lying, shut his mouth.”
We will never know what goes on behind closed doors in the locker room, but from how much Thornton is respected by his teammates, I’d like to think Wilson may be exaggerating with his comments. Plus, I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that to the public, true or not, about one of your top players and a veteran who is so respected in the league. It’s just wrong.
Looking at things from Thornton’s point of view, from someone who works hard day in and day out, to hear a negative comment like that from a higher up has got to sting and would get under the skin of anybody. It comes down to respect and being respected for the job that you do. Every work place, professional sports included, has conflict between management and their employees at times. Perhaps this will all blow over, or perhaps there will be big changes.
Whatever the case, this couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time. The Sharks head out on a seven-game road trip for their last 14 games of the season and are just outside the playoff picture. The last thing they need is distraction from the game. And if there has been bad blood between these two the entire season, it hasn’t affected Thornton’s game. He continues to thrive on the ice, and if anything, this unsettling ripple in the Sharks’ waters might have given him more gumption to be even better.
A Russian First
This month a historic event took place at an uneventful hockey game. The date was Monday, March 9, 2015 and the teams were the Detroit Red Wings and the Edmonton Oilers. I know if you were one of the fans of the teams playing, then the game was important. But did you noticed the new referee? The one with the accent and the unfamiliar face?
Welcome to the NHL, Evgeny Romasko! He is the first Russian born referee to work in the NHL. Born in Tver, Russia (northeast of Moscow) Romasko has a lot of experience on the ice; 295 regular season games and 15 play-off games in the KHL and 32 games in the AHL. He also refereed the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship and the Gold Medal game at the 2013 World Under-18 Championship. He does have the experience but does he have what it takes to handle the NHL level? He was noticed by Steven Walkom, NHL Vice President and director of Officiating. Does he have what it takes to be a great ref? The NHL believes he does. Romasko has the experience, skills and his own “hockey sense” on the ice. He can also skate really well and has the confidence to enforce the rules in a game. He can be on the ice without being in the spotlight. He looks like he was born to stand on the ice between players racing past him at 25 mph while pucks shoot past at 100 mph. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to add, he is still young(ish) at 33 years old. The league has asked him to work 1,000 games, a career decision.
As a fan of the game are you ready for a Russian referee? I know I am.
Ducks vs. Penguins game gallery – 3/6/15
Press Level Fashion: Matinee in San Jose
Holy late-season-matinee, Batman. As mentioned on many an occasion, we don’t do too many midday games out here, let alone a Saturday 1pm puck drop. Not to mention that this game–like all the games that the Sharks play now, really–is a must-win, and the mighty Blackhawks are in town.
Big game on little coffee? There’s a cute outfit to cure that.
I decided to leave the black at home for this game, change things up a bit. I even went so far as to wear nude nylons–which are nowhere near as warm as my black stockings, but pairing the black with the length of my dress would have made me look shorter than I already am, so I sacrificed having feeling in my toes.
Though you can’t see it, I’m wearing a full dress, not just a skirt. However, this little boutique-y bough number is sleeveless, so it most definitely needed a few layers over it. I chose this brown bomber-style leather jacket–bought from the same store as my dress–as it is heavy enough to keep me warm at the rink but doesn’t overpower the dress.
I don’t always rock a scarf at games, but this spring-y plaid-print H&M was perfect for tying the whole outfit together. It integrated the same shade of blue as my dress with other primary colors that were perfect for matching my jewelry to. I got a little funky with the accessories, mixing sugar skulls with lip rings, but kept to the color palette.
Now, two weeks of road games in which the Sharks need to get their act together if they want to play into the end of April–and give me an excuse to wear more crazy things.
Until the next puck drops,
The Girl In The Black Tights
Ducks vs. Canadiens Gallery – 3/4/15
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 3/12/2015 @ TD Garden
Marchand Madness
Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning had the Bruins coming out pretty strong in the first ten minutes of the game, having out-shot the Lightning five to one within the first 5:30 of the period. It was just about two minutes after that when David Pastrnak was able to get one past Ben Bishop to put the Boston Bruins on the board first.
Despite this start, there still appeared to be a lack of energy from the team as the period continued and with just 4:31 remaining in that period, as a result of a takeaway from Zdeno Chara, which was more of a fumbling of the puck on Chara’s stick, by Steven Stamkos the score was tied and much of the remainder of the game would again be Tuukka Rask saving the Bruins as shot after shot was aimed in his direction from the team dressed in blue and white.
David Pastrnak on a break (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
Of course, the first period was also a tough one physically for the Bruins—especially their fourth line. Just minutes into the game Gregory Campbell took a puck to his right eyebrow. He was fortunate that it wasn’t just centimeters lower, as he does not wear a visor. Off he went down the tunnel. Nine minutes later—in real time, not game time—it would be Daniel Paille’s turn to get hurt, having gotten cut on a play. Just after returning from being stitched up, Campbell would be hit and ended up awkwardly hitting the boards, and was hunched over in pain. However, being the player he is, Campbell joked about it postgame sporting stitches with bruising started that would undoubtedly become an ugly black eye.
The second period was by far the worst for the Bruins as they were outshot on the period as a whole 16-4. At the half-way point of the period the Lightning had seven shots on Rask while the Bruins had managed just a single shot on Bishop. Despite the disparity in the shots, the Bruins managed to get off the ice still tied at one.
Ben Bishop postgame (Photo: Rhonda McClure)
As the teams came out in the third, it appeared that the Bruins were reconsidering their lack of effort, when just 2:20 into the period Patrice Bergeron, from the blue line and totally open, got a one-timer off from Dennis Seidenberg that hit the twine behind Bishop. Asked after the game about this goal, Bishop said that the puck took a dip.
Now all the fans could do was hold their breath, as there was still a lot of hockey left to be played. However, as has become the refrain all too often for the Bruins, it was less than six minutes later that the Lightning tied it up on a wrist shot from Vladislav Namestnikov. And that’s where the game would remain knotted—two a piece—for the remainder of regulation.
Overtime saw penalty after penalty. Bruins Chris Kelly was called for holding while the Lightning got a coincidental as Alex Killorn was called for embellishment just 51 seconds into the extra frame. Fans got to see some three-on-three action for about 90 seconds before Matt Bartkowski would get called for holding. There was some question as to whether or not the play would be three-on-two, but it went back to the more traditional four-on-three. For the lightning, the worst possible scenario—and one that Stamkos has experienced earlier this season—was a broken stick that flew into the stands. This was an automatic game misconduct for Stamklos with 1:01 left in overtime.
The extra five minutes would still not be enough to solve this one, and the teams would go to a shootout. For Bruins fans, they were definitely holding their breath as the shootout has been anything but a friend to the team in black this season. However, the Lightning were missing one of their best snipers in Stamkos.
Brad Marchand (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
Bergeron started the shootout off by putting his second of the night in the goal. Rask was able to stone Nikita Kucherov. Pastrnak likewise would be denied by Bishop, and Rask would also keep Jonathan Drouin from scoring. As Brad Marchand began his approach it had to be in his mind that if he got it in the net that his team would take two very important points on the night. To say that TD Garden erupted as Marchand capitalized on his attempt would be mild. Marchand leads the Bruins with 22 goals.
Marchand is also the Bruins resident pest. Because he plays for the Bruins, many Bruins’ fans like him. However, he is definitely not well-loved by other teams or their fans. Currently, the “little ball of hate” is the only player in the NHL who currently leads his team in both penalty minutes—he has 82 this season—as well as in goal scoring.
Marchand Madness is what it is and the fans wouldn’t have it any other way. He needs to play close to that edge to be the scoring machine that he can be; this being his fourth 20+ goals season. And because he is the “little ball of hate,” he does sometimes tend to end up chilling in the box for a couple of minutes, though it has been nice to see him not taking extreme chances that result in suspension. He will probably always find himself get a reputation call from time to time, but it appears he is back to finding a better balance, while still playing his game—that results in his current impressive scoring stats.
See postgame interview with Steven Stamkos here:
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