Former Champions League winner Petr Cech has remarkably admitted that ice hockey is "more fun" than turning out for a European match under the lights.
The ex-Chelsea and Arsenal keeper, 40, is one of the greatest shot-stoppers of the Premier League era, banking every trophy there is to win in English football before hanging up his boots in 2019. But seemingly not satisfied with the abundance of silverware already on his mantlepiece, Cech immediately turned to a second sporting passion.
He signed as a goaltender for National Ice Hockey League Division 2 outfit Guildford Phoenix in October 2019, just four and a half months after retiring from football, and was named man of the match on debut having saved two penalties in a shoot-out victory.
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"It's a completely different level of pressure. This [ice hockey] is more fun than when you play a Champions League game," he told the Daily Mail. "I still have that feeling in myself because I want to perform. I want to win. I hate losing. It's the same feeling I had when I played football.
"You still get that feeling when you're walking through the corridor, to the ice, surrounded by all these people. Maybe if there were 30 fans, it would be different. But the building is full. That's what I like."
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Spending three seasons with Guildford Phoenix, Cech helped the fourth-tier side claim a treble in the 2021/22 season as they won the NIHL Division 2 South Regular Season, Playoffs and South Cup. He then penned a one-year deal at the Chelmsford Chieftains in November 2022
"When I was a kid, I wanted to be an ice hockey player," said Cech. "For some reason when you see the goalies with the gear, the pads, the gloves, it resonated with me.
"Don't get me wrong, I love football. But in terms of playing, I felt being an ice hockey goalie was more fun. But as a family, we couldn't afford to buy all the equipment – the stick, the pads, helmet, gloves, everything. It was super expensive. So my dad (Vaclav) took me to football. The timing collided and in the end, football won."
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