Sacha: I often recall the times when I was new with Sparta. It’s a great club with a tradition and it was an honour for me to play there. I also enjoyed playing for Jaromir Jagr’s club [in Kladno]. He’s an icon of Czech hockey, and he started his career in Kladno. It’s all coming back to me, and I’m really grateful I can be here again.

You probably know Prague better than any of your teammates. Do they ask you any questions about the city?

Yorick: On the first day, I brought the guys to the Old Town. We had a coffee and walked around. Since then, however, we really haven’t had that much time. We play games and have practices every day, but when we get a moment, we will certainly go somewhere.

Sacha: Not really. We have a busy schedule and no spare time. We were at Old Town Square for a coffee once, but that was it.

Are there some places in Prague you would like to visit again?

Yorick: There are many. You can go basically anywhere, because there is always something interesting to see. We would probably visit the Old Town again because it’s not that big and everyone can find what they’re looking for. Other than that, only some of the usual things.

Sacha: Of course. If we have some time, we’ll take advantage of it. Prague is a beautiful city and one would need three or four days to see at least some parts of it. We don’t have that, but if it’s possible, we’ll go somewhere. Some teammates have already asked me where we can go to eat.

Do you remember any Czech words?

Yorick: Sure, I know plenty of them. However, I forget with time. For example “Jak se máš?” [How are you?] or “Zapomněl jsem všechno” [I’ve forgotten everything.] (laughing).

Sacha: “Jak se máš?”, “Dobrý” [Good]. I know lots of words from everyday life.

What do you think about Czech people?

Yorick: The Czechs live well and enjoy the little things in life. They like beer and food, which I like as well. Regarding hockey, they are also great fans.

Sacha: They can play hockey for sure. They are strong, especially in front of their home crowd, which is excellent. There are also a lot of Czech fans at the games of other teams. It’s awesome.

Are you still in touch with any Czech players?

Yorick: I’m not in regular contact with anybody, but we still text each other from time to time with some of the guys. I enjoyed seeing Dominik Simon, who played with me as a junior player from Sparta and has developed quite a bit since then. I’ve also talked with Radek Smolenak already. I have contact with former teammates for sure. Nowadays it’s easy to connect with anybody via social media. Sometimes we congratulate each other for the birth of a child, winning the championship, or wishing a happy birthday.

Sacha: Sure, we’re in touch. Martin Sevc visited me recently and I would like to see Dominik Pacovsky before the tournament is over. There are many others, too.