Plekanec and Jagr Team Up For Home Town Club

While former Montreal Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec may have exited the NHL limelight, it appears he has no intention of hanging up the blades any time soon.

If Montreal Canadiens fans thought the recent retirement from the NHL of long-time Hab Tomas Plekanec signalled the end of his professional playing career, they couldn’t have been more mistaken.

In fact, Plekanec plans on making up for lost ice time earlier this year by playing for two different teams in two different leagues this season back in his native Czech Republic. At the same time! This is not a typo. Do not adjust your sets.

Plekanec announced at a press conference last Monday (Nov.26) that he would play for both his hometown teams of Kladno, in the Czech second division, as well as Kometo Brno, the two-time defending champion of the first division Extraliga.

FYI….the Czech first and second divisions play on alternate nights, making the feat possible, however, these types of deals are rare and usually involve young prospects, not 36-year-old veterans.

When asked how he’ll be able to accomplish such a herculean task at his advanced age, the wily veteran casually replied,

"As far as the workload is concerned, I’m used to the NHL."

Enough said. Next question.

Plekanec’s desire to rejoin his local team is further strengthened by the fact that his long-time friend and fellow Czech countryman Jaromir Jagr is part owner of the Kladno club, and was front and centre at the press conference to officially welcome his latest addition to the roster.

“We are here to break the secret we’ve kept since Tomas Plekanec arrived from Montreal,” announced a beaming Jagr. “Tomas Plekanec will play for our team, Rytiri Kladno. I’m glad to be here right now to hand over his new jersey.”  Number 14 of course.

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In addition to his ownership stake, Jagr, who is now a spry 46 years young, still plays on the team, although he has yet to suit up this season due to knee problems. Meanwhile, Plekanec admitted he’s still healing from the back injury he suffered with Montreal earlier this season. Although, he is considered day-to-day while Jagr is also expected back relatively soon.

On a side note, Plekanec’s acknowledgment of the lingering injury and his inability to play even now should put to bed any water cooler rumours that Pleks was embellishing his back injury to help the Montreal Canadiens during their waiver woes earlier this year. If he’s still feeling the effects weeks later, that was no act.

The two team arrangement with Plekanec is only in effect until the Czech trade deadline on the 15th of February, at which point he will play solely for Kladno for the rest of the regular season. He could, however, choose to rejoin Kometo Brno for the Extraliga playoffs if Kladno failed to make their post-season or were eliminated early.

If you’re wondering whether Plekanec and Jagr ever played together on the same team outside of international tourneys, the answer is yes. The two stars played together on Kladno during the 2012-13 NHL work stoppage, finishing first and second in team scoring despite the fact they each only played a little over half the season with the club.

The two ageing all-stars hope to get back on the ice as soon as possible in an effort to help propel Kladno into the Extraliga first division. Much like European soccer (football) although more convoluted, the Czech hockey leagues are structured on a relegation system, where the top teams in the second division battle the bottom-dwellers of the first division on a yearly basis to determine league placement the following season. Trust me, it’s confusing, but Kladno does have a chance to move up.

As of press time, they currently hold down second place amongst the 14 teams, second division “Chance” league, with the season having just passed the halfway point in the schedule.

Add Plekanec and Jagr to the mix, and a shot at promotion looks like a very real possibility for Kladno. In fact, if those two stay healthy, a jump up to the big leagues appears a near certainty.

On a final note, stores in the Kladno area have noted a sudden surge in turtleneck sweater sales.
Local retail analysts claim it has to do with the dropping temperatures, but Montreal Canadiens fans know different.