VIDEO: Soccer Legend Turned Hockey Star Tries His Luck as Goaltender With NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks in a Shocking Crossover
January 11, 2023

It will always be a great sight when a sports player is seen playing another sport. Many sports players dream of becoming professional players in one sport but end up making a career in another one. One such individual is former Chelsea FC soccer veteran, Petr Cech. After retiring from soccer, the Chelsea legend felt the need to accomplish another goal while he could still play. Recently, a video surfaced online of the former soccer legend stopping shots from the Chicago Blackhawks’ players.

In 2019, the Chelsea legend defied all the odds and joined the National Ice Hockey League side, Guildford Phoenix. Since then, the soccer goal-stopper has never looked back.

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Soccer legend Petr Cech spotted with the Chicago Blackhawks!

Blackhawks goaltender, Petr Mrazek played an important role in this legendary sports crossover. After the soccer legend decided to play ice hockey, Mrazek was the one who constantly helped him. In 2022, Cech made the upgrade by signing for Chelmsford Chieftains, a tier-three ice hockey side.

Recently, Mrazek invited Cech to participate in a training session with the Chicago Blackhawks. However, fans were shocked to see the level of flexibility and agility the former goalkeeper still had. It was seriously hard to believe that a 40-year-old retired soccer player was standing in front of the Blackhawks’ goal.

During the training session, Cech told Chicago Sun-Times, “You’re facing the top players in the world, so you have to expect that they will have a good shot and be clever and in control.” He continued, “But you try to do the same thing: You try to fill the gaps and try to read them, which is harder. Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was a priceless experience for me.”

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In the videos, Cech plays with such confidence as if he’s been playing the sport since childhood. However, there’s a little story as to why Cech ended up playing soccer instead of ice hockey.

Why didn’t Cech become an ice hockey player? The Cech – Mrazek connection

Petr Cech spent more than a decade playing professional soccer in England. However, even after retiring the legendary goalkeeper felt that he hadn’t achieved his lifelong dream. Cech had a childhood dream of becoming an ice hockey player. However, his parents could not afford the expensive training gear. Which is how Cech’s attention turned towards soccer.

Ice hockey, Eishockey – 2019 / 2020 National Ice Hockey League NIHL South West 2 Wilkinson – Guildford Phoenix vs. Cardiff Fire Petr Cech of Guildford Phoenix , at Guildford Spectrum. Ex Footballer Petr who played for Chelsea and Arsenal COLORSPORT/ANDREW COWIE PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK

Mrazek idolized the soccer legend from a very young age. Mrazek got a chance to meet Cech about ten years ago. At that time, Mrazek was just about kickstarting his professional career in ice hockey. On the other hand, Cech was creating a soccer legacy for himself in the English Premier League.

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However, the same sports agency represented both athletes. The two of them often had discussions about meeting up about their respective sport’s calendars never matched. Mrazek was a long-living Chelsea fan. Cech made it a point to invite Mrazek to at least one Chelsea game every season.

After Cech retired, Mrazek encouraged him that the option to play ice hockey was still very open. Petr Cech then took the brave step of restarting his career in a brand new sport and the rest is history.

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Do you know of any such other players like Cech? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: https://www.essentiallysports.com/soccer-football-news-us-sports-news-nhl-news-video-soccer-legend-turned-hockey-star-petr-cech-tries-his-luck-as-goaltender-with-nhls-chicago-blackhawks-in-a-shocking-crossover/

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