Riga’s Hlozek Discusses Life After Hockey

[Bojovnik 487]

PRAGUE, October 15 (CZLife) - Jan Hlozek of the Riga Reign may only be in his third VHL season, and in what some may say would be the prime of his career, but that hasn’t stopped the Czech blueliner from taking steps to set himself up for life after hockey.

 

By all accounts, the life of a professional athlete is far removed from that of the general public. For a start, your skills are, to a certain extent, temporary. Once a player reaches the age of 35, their marketable assets are almost out the window and they have to move into other spheres to make a living.

 

That’s not to say that hockey players don’t get a headstart when it comes to life after hockey. For a start, smart financial investing and the ability to rein in spending during their professional careers mean that many players are able to take it easy after they hang up the skates.

 

However, other players have a penchant for the flashy lifestyle. They spend their substantial pay checks and are left with almost nothing when they do finally decide to leave the game.

 

The Riga Reign are having yet another disappointing VHL season, with the team from the Latvian capital on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff push.

 

Despite the internal turmoil at the team, and the lack of results, Hlozek cut a relaxed figure as he spoke with us at CZLife to touch on themes outside of hockey.

 

“I think making yourself a marketable asset off the ice is just as important as making yourself a marketable asset on the ice,” Hlozek said.

 

Since making his name in Riga, Hlozek has looked to invest in numerous projects and brands as a means of diversifying his portfolio.

 

“I’ve got involved with some manufacturing companies, some tech companies, some fashion companies. I’ve got a great team of people around me and it’s great to be able to be involved in some of these projects. I always want to stay on top of the latest trends, and doing things like this helps me stay in touch with what’s current and what’s making money,” the Riga Reign’s #14 said.

 

When it comes to fashion, Hlozek is co-owner of Latvian streetwear brand BLTC, whose items touch on the themes of industrial decay and the post-Soviet malaise.

 

The Czech defenceman also has several holdings in fintech companies based in neighboring Estonia, which is seen to be one of Europe’s great hubs of innovative technologies.

 

Despite having this detailed portfolio, which could in theory leave Hlozek with more money than he could ever dream to make on the ice, the hockey star said that he was always looking for more opportunities.

 

“I’d love to own a restaurant in Prague, in Brno. Not just a place where it has my name on the wall, but a place that I can truly be proud of, that makes innovative food, uses innovative techniques, gets into the Michelin Star book. That’s one of the things that I’m working really hard to make happen at the moment,” Hlozek said.

 

Hlozek’s father Jiri was one of the Czech Republic’s greatest ever players. He made his career with the legendary Vsetin and Bratislava teams in the 1960s and 1970s, and he was part of the legendary Slovan Bratislava team that became the first team based in Slovakia to win the Czechoslovak Federal League.

 

In retirement, Jiri Hlozek became a coach and led Vsetin to their run of unparalleled success in the Czech Extraliga in the 1990s.

 

“For my dad, hockey is everything. He couldn’t imagine life without being at the rink for eight hours a day. Despite how much of an icon he is for Czech hockey, he still gives all the kids his time, helps out, cleans up. For him it’s his whole life. I guess I’m different in that way,” Hlozek Jr. says.

 

Jan Hlozek has spent much of his professional career outside of the Czech Republic, chasing opportunities in the VHL. He spent one year in Saskatoon, one in Miami, and is now in his third season in Riga.

 

For the young blueliner who is scoring at almost a point-per-game clip this season, hockey may not be the be all and end all in life.

 

“I guess I’m trying to see what I can do outside of hockey. I don’t really want to go into coaching like my dad, because I would always be compared with him. At least when we play now, he was a forward, I’m a defenceman. No-one really tries to compare us and I can do my own thing. I would never be as good of a coach as my father is, and I want him to have his legacy untarnished by whatever I would try and do,” Hlozek Jr. says.

 

But what other options does Jan Hlozek have? Does he take the route that many former players have and make appearances on TV as pundits?

 

“I’m not a huge fan of that type of work. For me, it seems super fake to have these guys out there in terrible suits on TV criticizing the guys that are on the ice. Sure, maybe the money is nice, and I guess it’s kind of cool to just be able to sit down and talk about hockey, but that’s not really what I’m interested in,” Hlozek remarked.

 

Taking the traditional career trajectory of VHL players into account, Jan Hlozek’s career will, in the near future, begin to go onto the downswing.

 

For the Topolna native, creating a range of opportunities and possibilities for himself outside of the game seems to be the right move in setting himself up for life after hockey. But the question remains. Does this mean that his attention isn’t fully on the season at hand?

 

“Of course I’m fully committed to what we’re doing in Riga. I mean, I can’t let my teammates down like that. I come to the rink every day and I give my all for this team. What I do in my spare time is my own business. I want to win now. I’ve said that,” he concluded.

 

[Bojovnik 487]

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