Eurolanche

Hejduk talks Golden game

As we informed you some time ago, an exhibition game, the Golden game, was played on August 30^th in the Czech Republic, which featured the Olympic gold winners from Nagano 1998 and the “Golden hat-trick” team, which won World Championship gold in 1999, 2000 and 2001. The game ended in a 7-7 tie, with former Avalanche player turned club legend Milan Hejduk racking up 3 points (1+2).

No wonder Hejduk was circled in by journalists. “It was a great game, a brilliant idea. The fans were awesome and the atmosphere was fantastic. Who knows when we’ll get together like this again. It may take some time,” said Hejduk after the game. Ironically, Hejduk was regarded as the greenhorn of the 1998 Olympics roster and no one really imagined that his career would go the way it went.

A lot of the fans say that it was Hejduk, who played a pivotal role in Czech Republic’s most memorable goal in the final game against Russia (the game-winner that made it 1-0). Some say he may even have slightly deflected the puck. “The experience from that game is still there. Winning the World Championship gold three times in row is also remarkable feat,” said Hejduk, remembering the great achievements at the beginning of 21^st century.

“It brought back a lot of great memories. Things, you just can’t forget. It’s still a fresh memory, even though it’s already been 16 years,” said Hejduk about getting gold in Nagano. The only thing that can be compared to that is the year 2001, when he won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche.

“The team has got a lot of potential. They’re not far away from being a contender. They’ll probably have their shot in about 2 or 3 years from now. I’d like to get involved with the organization in the future, taking a role where I wouldn’t have to travel a lot. I want to spend time with my family. There’s no position like that just yet,” told Hejduk, talking about his plans for the future. A scenario like this would please a lot of Avs fans. 

Citations: sport.lidovky.cz