Mutti

Adore ya, Sam. Hope everything turns out well for you! Here's one of my cats, Frost!

Dear readers, I am hereby publishing a transcripted interview of Ondrej Vencko, which he attended on behalf of our sport's jojrnalist, Metr Prazek. Enjoy. ------ "Hello there! Metr Prazek reporting in from a cozy, yet as of now chilly city of Prague to bring you an exclusive interview with the goaltender of Prague Phantoms, Ondrej Vencko. Ondrej, thank you for coming in. First of all, how did you get here, what's your preferred mean of transport?" -"Thanks for having me! To be honest, I don't like driving around in dense cities like Prague, I prefer walking. But today, I was in a rush, so I chose the good old tube." "I am sure it worked out well for you. Now, for the hockey stuff: Phantoms made an impact, to say the least, by sorta making the play-offs as a Wild Card team. That is a huge difference compared to last year's missing out. You were the main goalie this season, do you think of yourself as the difference maker?" -"Oh yeah, it was big news for all of us. We were baffled that it happened. Especially because how much better teams missed out.. But that's, sadly, how the system works. It was a weird mix of happiness and confusion but in the end, we chose to stay calm and face the reality that this might only be a 'Hello. Goodbye.' scenario. But even though Riga was the superior team, we still managed to score against them. And the boys played in an unreal fashion. That is, I think, the reason why we even made it this far. To answer the last question: No, not at all. I try to do the best I can for my team and our fans. And I know that my teammates share this mindset. As I said: their game was unreal. It is mainly their success. After all, they are the ones to do all the skating, I am just chilling in the back!" *laughs* "What a thorough answer! Okay, I feel like we could cut it short and continue next time. After all, you still have so much work to do, even in the off-season, right? Is it good for you to spend your free time in your homeland? Or do you 'escape' abroad anyway?" -"Well.. If you knew me, you'd say that I am a fairly passionate traveller. Even though sometimes, the travels weren't exactly.. Pleasant.. Anyway, I try to focus on self-improvement. I get tons of shame from paparazzis taking pictures of me eating gargantuan (I always wanted to use that word) portions of food. I don't know what their goal is, but I can guarantee that I can eat what I want and as much as I want. I will always be in enough shape to kick ass on the rink. I'd fancy a beer right now." "Or a magical powder." -"Excuse me?" "Are you a writer?" -"What are you talking about?" "Who is Lucy?" -"How do you.. This.. This isn't any of your concern. You don't know her. You can't know her." "Ondrej, give me your diary." -"I never had one." "I know you did. And that you still do. What happened in Halifax?" -"I'VE NEVER BEEN TO HALIFAX!! STOP ASKING ME ABOUT THIS! STOP ASKING ABOUT LUCY AND BEN!" "I've never asked about Ben. Ondrej.. Give. Me. Your. Diary." -"Enough. I've had enough. Turn this fucking camera thing off-" *following interview footage has sadly been lost due to technical difficulties* ------------- 580 words capped for week ending 02/09/25

Thank you for your questions, they have been awesome!

Cheers, mate!

WILL HE FIND THEM ALL BEFORE *they* FIND HIM???

Metr Prazek here again.. Um.. So I found another page of the diary, similar to the one I shared with you before. I.. I think it's for the best to share it with you. ---------- "January 15 2024 I am writing this entry feeling rather unsure of the future ahead of me. Not long ago, my old friend came to pay me a visit. It was a rather pleasant surprise, I haven't seen him for a long, long time. Especially now that I am focusing on my career and with Minor league recquiring the best of me, I can barely see or talk to anyone from 'the old country'. However, Ben made time and a huge effort to make it across the pond. The afternoon we spent together was rather mesmerising, we were full of nostalgia, remembering all those good, bad and quirky times when I started my hockey career. He also told me that he is having a time of his life, travelling across the world. He even mentioned Sweden as one of his favourite destinations. That was a huge surprise for me, as I may end up being drafted by Västerås for the VHLE. Needless to say, his eyes lit up with excitement when I said these news. However, when I asked him how on Earth can he afford such a costly lifestyle, he didn't give me a clear answer, really. Instead, Ben chose to divert the question elsewhere, as if something weird was going on with him. From that moment, he acted as if he lost his mind a bit. I know all these looks, paranoid looking behind your back and eyes twitching like you watch a tennis game from the movies. But here Ben was, having all these symptoms of weirdom in real life. I tried to get as much information from him as possible. Not that I would like to get the police involved right away, I was just worried about my friend. It wouldn't be the first time he got himself into trouble, after all. As sun began to set, he finally opened a bit. Turns out that Ben is a rather talented bussinessman, with markets booming internationally and him fulfilling 'needs of customers' everywhere. I mean sure, why not. He still didn't give me a clear answer there but perhaps sometimes, the less I know the better. Maybe if the afternoon ended right there, things wouldn't be so confusing. Things, however, didn't end there. As I was getting ready to pay for both of us, he handed me a folded paper and whispered: 'I'll tell you the rest later. Here's the necessary info.', and left afterwards. I packed my stuff, I paid for both of us, took the paper and left. I arrived home and immediately looked at what does the paper say. I could see but a simple note: "I trust you. Let's sail like it's 21st again. Things will roll in HRM." What in the hell does that mean? HRM.. He's got bussiness ideas for Halifax? And what does he mean with the sailing? I am so confused. Moreover, he was in a bit of a hurry, to say the least, when he left the bar we were chatting in. Oh god, I hope he isn't in troubles again. I'll ask Lucy if she's familiar with anything going on in Hali. It's her turf.. .. I hope nothing bad happens." 534 words capped for week ending 02/02/2025

Hello, it is Ondřej Vencko writing you from a cozy homeplace, located somewhere in the Czech Republic (due to stalkers wanting me to sign their beer bottles I have to be careful about my privacy). As new year came around, I thought it would only be fitting to give you an insight at how I spent the Christmas Eve, following holiday and the New Year's Eve the good old Czech way! There aren't many people who still embrace our Christmas traditions, even though there are many of these. And I.. Wasn't an exception to that. I thought: 'Hey, let's make the first month of the miserable season winter is as the month of hockey sessions. More like watching hockey, anyway. And watch hockey I did! There was the expected World Junior's tournament I was excited about but before that, I watched many and many hours of hockey highlights. It is an inspirational experience, watching legends of hockey, especially goaltenders perform in a stellar way when they were in their prime. Of course, it was even more inspirational given that I drank like 10 beers per watch. One day, I got so wasted that I put up the memorial Phantoms jersey from my rookie season and ran outside, where some kinds were playing hockey at the moment. I didn't hesitate and immediately joined them. Needless to say, I absolutely dominated. 4 games, all shutouts. What a bunch of noobs. Anyway, New Year's Eve came and I was nervous, as we were supposed to host a massive party, which always make me lose my chilled out attitude. But luckily, I have a girlfriend that I have, so we plotted a plan to stay at home, relax and celebrate the completion of Earth's orbit around the Sun in peace. .. Which, in turn, led to a massive hangover on January 1. Turns out you cannot 'relax' that much. Especially if you have tons of beer in your cellar. Also, don't try to lift yourself on a goalie stick, kids. It won't hold your weight. I tried it and almost angered my neighbours. So, there's that, folks. My holidays, as usual, comprised of heavy drinking, watching hockey (congrats on the bronze medal, boys), movies (Die Hard still slaps) and mentally preparing myself for the ongoing season. And what to say about that, now that I've touched this topic? There's a lot of work in front of the whole team but I believe we can manage to show some progress. The morale in our team is stronger than ever, especially now after number of wins, including shutouts. Boys are fighting like lions, their performance is incredible and I would love to see it pay off.. In play-offs. However, keeping in touch with reality, we are facing the crucial leap forwards in the rebuild. We need to work on our depth and try to tighten our game. And also, we shouldn't allow opponents to have that many power plays. But I still feel like the future is really bright. I am rather optimistic and to our fans: We will fight till the end! Thank you for your time. Ondřej 523 words capped for week ending 01/19/2025

1. Hello there! To be honest, I am not that content with myself. I feel like there is so much I can do to improve, and the team thinks so, too. I tend to allow stupid amount of goal, which is not ideal. The team relies on me holding the back door shut. I need to get a grip. 2. Fuh, hard to pinpoint the exact game, there were several that went all south. I am not proud of these, not even a little bit. But I guess that the last game with Chicago was a nightmare. I allowed in 7 goals, which is just.. Unexcuseable. I should have cleared my head during the intermissions. Now I know I have to remain calm as much as possible. 3a. It has been awesome! I love it here! To be frank, I don't see much that should be changed in order to help newcomers in the league.. I feel like the system, websites and all are pretty coherent and makes sense. Plus, there are veterans who are eager to help you as a newbie, which is just lovely! 4. I love animals, dogs specifically. So I would run a "Phantom Dogs on Ice" event. Doggos would have bed sheets over them, they would run around the rink and then, we, the players, would submit our themed creations (like costumes, mini statues etc.) for public auction. The money gained would then be given to a doggo shelter. 5. Fuuuh, I would probably try to face spiders. Not that I have an arachnophobia, I actually adore them. It is just that.. I have a hard time picking spiders up. I would love to overcome this to be able to handle these gorgeous creatures. Even though they're not for cuddling and shouldn't be handled often, I know. 6. Depend on the beverage. But normally, I don't fill my cup more than halfway up. I feel like that's the absolute maximum necessary. Thanks for your questions!

1. I dunno, to be honest. I wasn't paying much attention, anyway, lul. But I am confident about our roster. 2. YES! WE WILL! And we'll FIGHT TILL THE END RAAHHHHHHH!!! 3. 666%. I'll make sure we will. 4. +-. I don't feel like it can say as much about the subjective player qualities as other stats. You're an amazing player but on a shitty team, and even if you score, you'll get a negative rating. I think that's kinda dull. 5. Watching hockey, drinking beer, playing videogames and making love, not war. 6. I AM NOT NOT, AT ALL!! No, seriously, it's so tiring.. I barely get to rest properly. I am excited about the fact that I have a free week now. Not about the Christmas thing itself. Kinda Grinchy, I know. But that's just me.

Answers shall come, if Metr finds more pages..

This is new reporter for Prague Sports 2 (or PS2) writing. I wanted to make an interview with our young goalie Ondrej Vencko but.. I couldn't get to him. At first, I thought he just went on a vacation but it seems that he has other business going on. I found a page that must have fallen from his diary. And I think it is important that I share it with you. Thank you for reading, - Metr Prazek "November 4 It is stupidly cold today. I have no clue how that is. But that's not important. It has finally come to tomorrow's meeting. The resolution of chain of events that started so innocently.. How in hell have I come to this? Everything was going so well. Career, friends, we all had fun.. Now, that idiot Ben has gone mad. He still thinks this 'fake drug trafficking' thing was a good idea.. What a load of horeshit. It has become fricking dangerous. He had troubles in Houston already. It almost ruined my career in the Minors. I warned him, he didn't listen. I would love him to stop but I am affraid it is too late for that.What's worse is that it has gone fucking international. First Houston, then Prague, followed by Vasteras and now Halifax. He keeps following me and has now dragged the person dearest to me into this.. Oh god. Pier 21.. This deal of his with some mofos called the 'Boat Gang'.. What on Earth will come next? Anyway, time to hit the road so I can prepare everything and get this over with. I just wish I had some people in front of me right now. Ben, I would love to tell you that I hate you with the most burning passion.. I hope that one day, I will be able to do so. .. Lauren, I beg you.. Hang on." 314 words capped for week ending 11/24/2024

1. Hey there! Well, it was a season full of surprises, we managed to pull off massive shockers against teams that should've just steamrolled over us. So I believe that Moscow can eihter dominate until the end or get upset in the first round. I'd say that they won't fall victim to the Curse, they will, however, fail in the next round. 2. He's at home, in his native country, on vacation.. What do you think? But he will get sober before the training camp, as his agent I promise this! 3. We're making the playoffs! No, like.. That would be the most awesome, epic result, if everything clicked the right way. But I feel like we're getting used to each other's game and becoming a contending team. If not for the cup, I believe we can wreck havoc in the playoffs for sure. 4. I hope it has been alright.. For any inconveniences caused by his alcoholic shenanigans I hereby apologize. 5. Oh man, don't even talk about that. It has been soooooo cold lately. And it's only going to get worse. I don't mind snow but freezing and cold wind is something I cannot withstand. Ew. 6. Music. Definitely. I got hooked on the idea of composing total bangers for tons of people to enjoy and/or to relate to! I love the energy and the ability of storytelling instruments have. You can express all kinds of emotions, feelings, opinions and moods. I love it! Thank you for the questions, they have been awesome!

When I first ever laced up my skates, I couldn't even imagine where I'd end up. And now I'm here in the VHL, the best league in the entire world. It is a huge honor to be part of this amazing experience, especially with a team from my homeland of Czech Republic, the Prague Phantoms. I did have to wait for my rookie experience a bit, as I dealt with some personal demons that held me back in my development. A lot of my teammates from the VHLE and VHLM are already kicking ass in here but I needed some 'extra time in the oven'. But that doesn't matter, as now I am finally here and my first season is already over. Man, what an experience it was. We, Phantoms are a rebuilding team, which means that I didn't really expect to go on and win a Continental cup in my rookie season, no matter how epic it would be and how blackout drunk I would've ended afterwards. Nevertheless, I think we pulled of an amazing season in terms of our team progress. This is further embraced by the fact that we managed to steal some big wins and both me and Amir recorded a shutout! We got used to each other in the locker room pretty quickly and we're also building up a strong chemistry on the ice. Guys are future MVPs for sure! I also gotta give a huge shoutout to aftermentioned Amir Redzic @Slav_Sloth who showed me how things work around here and what to expect from thr game. It was an honor to be this man's backup. And, with both of us having Slavic blood flowing in our veins, you can imagine that we had some wild celebrations following our shutouts. I'd also love to thank our GMs @Tetricide @Plate for giving me a chance, even though I caused some tough times for him for sure, referring to the time when I didn't even know if I'm ever going to start in the VHL. I am so glad and forever grateful that he didn't give up on me. He gave me tons of advices and even more motivation to be the best goalie I can be. As for the analytics, I think I did alright. In 10 games that I played, having 4 wins, 2 losses and 2 OT losses is all fine in my books. Of course, those losses make a bit of a stain on my resumé but.. Having .935 save percentage and 2.37 GAA alongside these game stats makes me really happy and content with myself. But, only future will tell how well things will go. I am ready to lock in and shut the net. Let's go, Phantoms! 453 words for week ending 11/24/24