On Saturday before noon, the hockey players of Great Britain will enter the world championship. Right at the start, they have a really tough challenge in the form of Canada. Even before it all breaks out, hockey players are already training in the Czech Republic and have even played a warm-up game with Kazakhstan in Slané. Although the hockey players of the United Kingdom had more of the game, they had to bite the bullet with a 2:5 loss. 24-year-old Liam Kirk, who spent the last season in Litvínov, was also disappointed. After the match, he spoke to Deník not only about what he expects from Prague, but also about the ambitions of the British.
The World Cup is just around the corner. How are you looking forward to it?
Power. I played this season in the Czech Republic, so I have already tasted Czech hockey. I know how the Czechs love hockey here, so it will be great. I am even more happy that we will be playing in Prague. It will be a tremendous tournament and we are all looking forward to it.
Is it special for you that you will be playing in Prague?
Of course, it will be big. The fans are absolutely crazy in the Czech Republic and I know how much they love this sport. So it’s extraordinary. And if we add to that that we are playing in Prague, which is so amazing, full of culture, it’s just great. I know how excited the boys were to be able to play there. And I was just as excited. It’s amazing that we can do it.
You lost to Kazakhstan 2:5 in the general round in Slané, but you played well.
It is so. To be honest, we are disappointed with the result. But I think we played a good game. Probably one of the best we’ve played. And we’ve only been together for two weeks. We played twice against Poland, this was the third preparation for us. I believe we can take a lot of positives from this. The Kazakhs helped themselves with two goals in a five-on-three power play and a classic numerical advantage. That probably decided it. But we were better at five-on-five. So it was bad luck, but the main thing starts in a few days in Prague.
He came to Jágr’s camp and stayed for two years. Now Norris is going for the championship
Have you been to Slané for the first time?
When Litvínov played with Kladno in Slané in the summer, I was absent. But when I was passing by in Prague, I made a little detour and checked it out here. It’s a nice town with lots of nice people. And many of them also came to our training. We had a great background, people were cheering. It’s great that you found a way to do this kind of preparation.
Do you have a set goal in the cabin that you would like to achieve in Prague?
Of course, our goal is to stay in the elite group. But playing with the best teams is always a big challenge for us. We know they play hard and fast. If we look at the rosters, there are top players from the highest competitions. So we realize it’s going to be tough. We will go match by match and hopefully get the best possible position. But the main thing is still to avoid relegation.
For you personally, it will be the third championship in the elite group. How does it help that you know what you’re getting into?
Tournament experience definitely helps. We have seven games in ten days. That’s a lot for everyone and it can easily become a mess. So I realize how important it is to be physically prepared, that it is necessary to take care of your body, but also to work on the mental side. But then again, it is necessary to go match by match, to keep improving and to meet luck. We need to bounce back from that to have any chance of staying in the elite World Cup group.
Stick the tarpaulins, put up the tents and we can start. Preparations for the World Cup are finishing in Prague
You certainly already know Prague a little. Have you thought about where you will take your teammates?
Certainly. It’s not far from Prague, so I’ve been there many times. I told my teammates that there are a lot of nice places and nice restaurants in Prague. Every time my family came to see me, we ended up at the same restaurant on the boat. This is a very pleasant place. But there are plenty of other places worth going for good food and drink. So I hope that on a free day we can go on a tour of the city together with the boys.
Many players say they still get phone calls asking for tickets. Was it similar for you?
I had a lot of requests from friends. But most of the tickets go to my family. We have limited capacity, so we shared what we could. I looked at online ticket sales and I know that there aren’t many free tickets left for any match. It will be great to see the Prague arena so full. All the players in the championship are sure to enjoy it.
A Pole with a Stanley Cup. He defended Jágr with Eliáš, worked in the mines and his father beat him
If you look back on the club season in Litvínov, what was it like in your opinion?
Good. As a team, we had an excellent first half. There was also a difficult period when we had some injuries, but overall it was a good season. We also entered the playoffs well. It’s just a shame that we ended up in the semi-finals. But we had a great team that played for all of Litvínov and its fans.
There is speculation about your future and a possible engagement in Berlin. But the NHL still remains a big dream, right?
The NHL is of course a dream goal. It’s not the best league in the world for a reason. I want to work on myself, improve my game and talk about my chance. I know what I’m fighting for and where I’d like to go. But I also realize how extremely difficult it is and how much of a challenge it is. And I will hope that it will come true. It’s clear to me that there will be a lot of scouts at the championship, but I don’t think about it. I will want to play the best I can to help the boys in our goal.
