Martin Straka 50th birthday interview

[Tomas]

In Czech:
https://www.idnes.cz/hokej/extraliga/ma ... _hokej_pls

Translated by DeepL.com :

Straka celebrates his 50th birthday: Hockey is a hobby above all. It's rejuvenated by the locker room
September 3, 2022 12:30 PM

When Jaromir Jagr celebrated the same anniversary in February, he was one of the coaches of the Czech national team at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, when he filmed a videogame for him. Now he is catching up with his long-time hockey partner and friend. Martin Straka, a former forward and owner of Plzeň, celebrates his 50th birthday today.

"I don't see any milestone, at all. If you hadn't come to see me at the ice rink and your colleague from Sport hadn't called me, I might not even remember, I don't have time," Straka smiled during an interview with MF DNES and Deník on Thursday afternoon.

But there will be a lot of congratulations. What kind of celebrations are you planning?
I'm sure I'll do something for the players and the people from the club at the ice rink soon. Unfortunately, my birthday is not at the ideal time. The holidays are over, the kids are getting ready for school and the hockey season is starting. It's complicated, but I'll figure something out.

Does the body ever speak up?
No, it doesn't. But I'm always up and down. Sometimes something hurts, sometimes I feel fine. It doesn't matter if I'm 40, 45 or 50. I have the advantage of being surrounded by young guys all the time. I come to the booth, there are 18-year-old guys, and now I often go on the ice with them. It would probably be different if I was in a 50-plus team. I have two young daughters at home, the older one is eighteen, the younger one will be fourteen soon. My brother Michal, who lives next door, also has two girls. That's the lens through which I see life.

Truthfully, it must be difficult to think of a gift for your loved ones that will surprise you.
I tell everyone I don't want anything. I don't want to sound stupid, but I feel like I have everything. Someone has a hobby of buying a jet, I don't need one. Sure, I like to treat myself to a good meal, but I don't make **** up. Why should I buy junk? I think I'm just a regular kid who was raised by decent parents. I don't have any unnecessary needs.

No hobbies? French wine collection, fancy cars...?
I have hockey. That's a hobby above all others.

Even the days of partying are over?
I used to always have to be doing something, hanging out. Nowadays, I like it best when I can relax at home. Exercise, pedal my bike, have a drink, watch some good football. Yeah, that's where I feel like I'm getting old. But if I'm at work all day, I don't feel the need to go out yet.

It almost looks like you're not going to be decorated with any vices. Just a cigarette you enjoy lighting up now and then?
Oh, yeah. I didn't start until I got back from the NHL. I'd have a cigar, then a cigarette now and then. I cut down for a while, but then it came back. I don't really drink alcohol again, I've pretty much cut that out. And I go to bed at 9:30. I always used to laugh at my dad when he was watching TV and I'd say: Go to bed, you're snoring on the couch. It's the same today. And I get up at six, but there was a time when I fell asleep at one in the morning and didn't get up until after eight.

You mentioned Dad. It's been over seven years since he left...
My parents didn't live to see my 50th birthday. I'm very sad about that. First my dad, then my mom passed away recently. Even Jarda Zavoral, my cousin, is no longer here. I won't change it, that's the way it is, that's life...

Do you have the strength to remember your father with a smile? His presence was always great fun in the company.
I do now. When I go to the cemetery to see him and Mum and it's a time when we're not doing well at the club, I immediately think: Dad would have given me. I can just hear his lines. He says it's not worth watching, we should go to hell and do something about it. And I smile in my head.

When you were forty, you won a historic title for Plzeň in Zlín. And suddenly a decade has gone by. What was it like?
Everything evolves. But especially the last few years have been difficult. Now I mean in general. First the covid, now the terrible things in Ukraine. It's no joke, what society has to deal with. You see, this would actually be the gift that would make me the happiest. Let this madness in the world come to an end. But it's going to be a difficult time, we're just at the beginning...

Let's get to the hockey instead. Still changing?
When you're in it, you have to follow the trends. It's evolving. If you have problems with skating, you have problems with hockey today. The methods are different, the conditioning is different. But I still say one old piece of wisdom still holds true. If you can ride your will, if you can get everything out of yourself, that's the only way you can do anything in sport. Even in training, you have to let the guys go to the edge sometimes to push the limits.

You didn't get anything for free when you were younger either.
That's the way it is. I didn't have a paved path. There are obstacles in sports, and there will be, just like in life.

Do you ever find yourself thinking: Was hockey better and prettier in our time?
Every era has its own. When I look at Nagano today and see the fouls, that hockey was sumo on ice! Then the power play started again, hockey was more technical, a lot of combinations and ideas. Today it's an up and down game, you have to handle everything at speed. Even the NHL doesn't play with so much body anymore. Those who used to soap it up don't soap it up anymore. Plus, you can't tell who's a defenseman and who's a forward. The roles are intertwined, and the runners are sometimes better offensively than the forwards. You don't even know who to cast. Each era has its own.

Will you ever wear the gear again?
Not at all! But I do go on the ice with the guys when they have practice. And when time permits. Sloppy, skate.

What about shooting, is it still in your hand?
No, I'm just standing there. (laughs)

We're sitting in your office, David Jiricek's picture is shining from the club calendar. You were 19 when you packed up and flew overseas. Is that comparable?
Absolutely not. I'd been to West Germany once before, they'd already traveled the world. David was drafted by Columbus, but he'd been there maybe four times before that. I flew to America without speaking a word of English, nowadays guys know the language from school. We didn't get out like that because of the regime, nowadays kids go out into the world early to study. The freedom to travel and the opportunities are incomparable.

I remember in 1992 you described how you didn't understand how an ATM on the street could give you money in America.
Oh, yeah, that's how it was! I flew to Edmonton first. We had an agent there, spent a month and a half there. Me, Ríša Šmehlík, Robert Petrovický, Milan Hnilička. There were about eight of us, and we went to a school where we had to learn English. We didn't learn anything anyway, because we were always chatting among ourselves in Czech. It wasn't until the middle of September that I moved to Pittsburgh for a camp.

Today you are the club's boss in Pilsen. Do you still find the manager's job fulfilling?
There are better and worse moments. You have to fight and work. But you can either feel sorry for yourself, make excuses and complain, or grit your teeth and work hard. Especially in these difficult times. We've got some tough opponents. I'm not talking about Viktorka because of sponsors, but about the extraliga competition. There are clubs we can hardly compete with financially. But we want to compete with them on the ice.

Was there a moment when you seriously considered selling the club? Sometimes that information gets out in the ether...
It's always been bullshit. I've heard it a lot. People talking about who's circling the wagons, who's already got a guaranteed stake. And I've never even talked to anyone about it. Today, I say to those people: Oh, someone wants to buy the club? Okay, bring him in, I'd love to talk to him. But never anything. Of course, it would be interesting if someone wanted to help, bring some capital to make us stronger. I have no problem with that, I'd be happy to. But so far, no one's stopped...

Are you complaining that Viktoria made hundreds of millions by qualifying for the Champions League, but that's not possible in hockey?
That's just the way it is. We all know it and it's not going to change. So there's no point in complaining, because it won't be any different. Certainly not by the time I'm doing hockey. And again. You can cry, or you can just accept it as reality.

Are you going to watch the Champions League?
If there's time, I'd love to. Seeing such teams against Plzen, either live or on TV, is wonderful. Viktoria couldn't get anything better. I immediately wrote to Ád Šádek and Pavel Horváth, congratulating them. When we have time, we'll definitely have a beer. But we're all very busy right now.

You also combined hockey and football for a while in your childhood, right?
My dad used to play football. In Radnice, at county level. At least, that's what he said, that he played in the regional championship. But maybe it was like the District Championship - Jarda Kuzel, five games in the division. (laughs) He led my brother and me to football and hockey. Then he said, "Everybody can play football, but to learn to skate and play hockey, it's not for everybody. Gradually I gravitated more towards hockey.

Does hockey Pilsen have the skills to win another title now?
For me, it's the engine. You have to have these goals. Nobody wants to play twelfth place, that wouldn't amuse me, the players and certainly not the spectators. That wouldn't make sense to me.

How many times a season do you feel like running down from the box and saying your piece?
I go by feelings. If I think I should do it, nobody stops me and I run into the booth. But I'm not as explosive as I used to be, it happens once or twice a season.

What about coaching, do you miss it? You've already tried it at club and national level.
I'm happy to be on the ice with the guys. I clear my head, I watch them, I see that they want to keep improving. I'm a little bit sorry that I can't be there every day, there are a lot of responsibilities. But I'm still drawn to the ice...

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[shafnutz05]

Thanks Tomas!

[meecrofilm]

Good stuff, thanks!

[E-Ramone]

That was excellent! Thank you for sharing that, Tomas! Marty Straka always was an awesome Penguin. Hard to believe he's 50 already.