STYLE

this kind of decision, to end one’s career, is

terribly difficult, and requires serious reasons.

Roman had these reasons. He played over

nine hundred matches in the NHL and two

seasons with us. He was a captain, a leader.

His performance towards the end of last

season, when he participated in key matches

despite having a broken leg, only served to

prove his bond with the Vítkovice team, and

all of us greatly appreciate him.

How about new additions to

the Vítkovice lineup? Which new faces

can we look forward to seeing donning

the team’s jerseys?

First of all, I would like to mention that

these are not my decisions alone. Patrik

Rimmel, Aleš Pavlík—the owner of

the club—and I discuss roster updates.

We consult and evaluate all of our

options together. We managed to sign

the experienced defender Mikuš from

Pardubice and a pair of Americans,

Krieger, a striker, and Raskob, a defender.

Daniel Krenželok, from Třinec, will also

return to us. We will also be giving Puček,

a new talent from Vsetín, a shot. Finally,

our goalkeeping duo will be completed

with the addition of Klimeš, from Brno.

You dropped a bombshell on your fans

in early June. You acquired the American

striker Peter Mueller—the best foreign

player in Czech hockey…

We are ecstatic that we pulled this trade

off! Aleš Pavlík, the club’s owner, played

a substantial role in this endeavor, as he

increased our budget to allow for it. Peter

Mueller is the player to have for any team

right now, and we managed to sign him! He

collected over sixty points—fifty Canadian

points in the last two seasons alone. He is

a born striker and now he will be playing

under our banner, with the knight Vítek

on his jersey. Personally, I am delighted by

this, and I believe our fans, sponsors and

partners, without which this would not be

possible, will be, too.

Since you mentioned the importance of

sponsors and partners, how difficult is it to

maintain the cost of Extraleague hockey in

current economically trying times?

Anyone even slightly in the know can

see that sport has been underfinanced

in Czechia for a long time now. Without

help from our partners and sponsors,

we would not be able to carry on.

They continue to support us in spite of

current difficulties, and we all genuinely

appreciate that. For example, Ridera,

our club’s general partner, announced

an extension of our contract by another

two seasons well in advance of renewal.

Other key partners from a wide range

of influential companies in our region

also confirmed their participation in

multiannual contracts. We want to

maintain a stable list of long-term partners

while looking for new ones, as well.

How is that going for you?

We want to offer each of our partners

adequate services so that their connection

Roman Šimíček

Sportovní ředitel

HC VÍTKOVICE RIDERA

Sports Director of

HC VÍTKOVICE RIDERA

to Vítkovice not only brings them sports

entertainment but also added market

Mueller is the player

“ Peter

to have for any team

right now, and we

managed to sign him!

”

value. Among other opportunities, we

offer partners the chance to take part

in club activities, such as the A-team’s

recent trip to the Lower Tatra mountains.

Essentially, we want each of our partners

to feel like they are part of our team.

Mr Šimíček, thank you for the interview.

POSITIV 2/2022 ǀ 101