Hlozek Still Coming to Terms with Finals Defeat

[Bojovnik 487]

PRAGUE (HockeyCZ.cz, June 16, 2022) – It is summertime in the Czech Republic. In Prague, the streets are alive with activity all through the evening, and the same can be said for the small villages where many city residents have their summer cottages.

 

Roughly 200 kilometers from Prague lies the village of Topolna, practically on the border with Slovakia. The village became known as a hockey hotbed thanks to the exploits of Jiri Hlozek, the famous coach of the Czech national team, and his son, Jan Hlozek.

 

Hlozek Jr. has gone on to become one of the Czech Republic’s finest hockey exports. The skilled blueliner has been one of the premier players in the Victory Hockey League for the past six years, first entering the league with the Riga Reign before truly stepping into the spotlight as a member of the Los Angeles Stars.

 

During his time in California, he earned the nickname “Hollywood Hlozek”, a term that has been trademarked and used for the sale of branded items, and this moniker has stuck despite him having made the move to the Russian capital last offseason.

 

With the Moscow Menace, Hlozek had arguably his best season in the VHL to date. Although he was one point short of matching his career best of 89 (registered in S82 with LA), Hlozek anchored Moscow’s second pairing and was a key powerplay contributor.

 

The Menace went all the way to the Continental Cup Final, with series victories over the Prague Phantoms and Riga Reign, before facing off against the Seattle Bears in the winner-take-all climax.

 

For the Menace, it wasn’t to be. Despite taking a 3-2 series lead with a convincing victory in Game 5, the Bears rallied back to take Game 6 in overtime before sneaking a 3-2 victory in Game 7 to lift the title.

 

“It still hurts, and it’s going to hurt all offseason,” Hlozek told HockeyCZ from his home in Topolna.

 

Hlozek was in the box for both of Seattle’s powerplay goals in the second period that brought the NA Champions back into the game after the Russian side held a 2-0 victory through 20 minutes. The blueliner, who averaged a minor penalty per game in the postseason, said that he looks back in horror at Game 7.

 

“It was truly unacceptable. Of course, you always feel bad when the opponent scores twice while you were in the box. But to do that twice in Game 7 of the final. It sucks. I thought the refereeing wasn’t great throughout the entire postseason, but to get called twice like that and have them score both times on the powerplay is sickening. I still feel awful about it,” Hlozek said.

 

One of the major factors that led to the Bears’ eventual victory was their ability to shut down Moscow’s potent second line following Game 2. In the remaining five games of the series, Hlozek, who was averaging well over a point per game, only registered on the scoreboard once.

 

“Hockey’s a strange game. I know that you have to be consistent to win, and Seattle made the adjustments that completely shut our line down. I know I have a responsibility to produce for my team, and to fail to produce when the team needed it, is something that I look back on with regret. For sure, it’s motivation for next season,” he said.

 

The Menace go into S84 with a strong roster on paper. They have managed to keep together the majority of their core, despite the recent loss of Duncan Idaho, who was traded to the D.C. Dragons earlier this week.

 

Hlozek said that the confidence was there that the Moscow Menace, who have now lost in the Continental Cup Finals four years in a row, can finally get over the line.

 

“There’s still a lot of turnover in this league. Contending teams don’t stick around for long, so for the Menace to get to the finals for four years in a row is really an achievement. We have amazing goaltending, and amazing depth. We know that we are still in a really good place to be in the running next season, and we have to take the lessons of this past season when we got so close, to ensure that we finally get our hands on the Continental Cup this time next year,” he remarked.

 

Rumours are abound that this could be Hlozek’s final season in the VHL. The veteran blueliner already has two VHLM and six VHL seasons under his belt, and rumblings from the Topolna native’s camp appear to suggest that he is looking forward to following in his father’s footsteps into coaching.

 

“It’s way too early to even be thinking or commenting on that at this stage. Of course, it’s no secret that I eventually want to coach alongside my dad, but for now, I’m 100% focused on winning the Continental Cup with the Moscow Menace, and nothing is going to get between me and this goal,” he said.

 

Even so, it’s still possible to speak about Jan Hlozek’s legacy. As one of the premier Czech players to have ever laced them up in the VHL, Hlozek has often been a figure outside of the spotlight. He has often been the second pairing defenceman behind stars such as Linus Zetterstrom, Tui Sova, and now in Moscow, Hard Markinson.

 

Despite that, Hlozek has always done his work quietly. And when we say work, we mean registering 437 points in 432 regular season games in hockey’s top flight.

 

“It’s not my job to decide what my legacy is. I’ve always tried to do my best for my family, my team, and my country. For me, winning the World Junior Championship with Team Europe was my proudest achievement to date, although I know that winning the Continental Cup would eclipse this. I hope that people look back on what I did at the ice and respect me as a guy that put in the effort every night. I don’t care if I’m not considered among the greats or as a candidate for the Hall of Fame. I want to be an inspiration to show what you can do when you work hard,” Hlozek concluded.

 

 

Jaroslav Bednarek

 

(Two week claim as over 1000 words)

[Bojovnik 487]

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