Alexandr Novotny - Fighting for Something

[Patrik Tallinder 1,087]

Every sport has their superstars. Continued success is a difficult thing in sports, and those who are able to achieve it are celebrated endlessly by the cities and countries they represent; These players become almost greater-than-life figures to the people they inspire. However, none of them started as global superstars or household names. Every story begins on the same blank sheet of paper, and it is up to the author to make the most of each and every page. Today, we look at the promising first few pages of what could be an unforgettable story of hard work and success, but only time will tell how the rest of its pages unfold. 

 

During Season 74, just blocks away from the Prague Phantoms arena, a boy by the name of Alexandr Novotny was born. From the very beginning, Alexandr gravitated toward the booming cheers coming from that building, the sounds of which never ceased to reach his home during playoff time. The boy's family was not poor; They were more than able to make ends meet, but they did not have the kind of money to go to multiple games a season. Thus, he would watch the games on TV with his father and his sister, imitating every subtle movement from his favourite Phantom, Thomas Landry II. The glimmering reflection of the TV broadcasts never left his eyes, and the cutting sounds of skate blades across the ice never left his ears. It would not take long for Alexandr to ask his parents to sign him up for minor hockey.

 

The Novotnys were a family that adored the winter. The father, Jakub, played hockey growing up, and it made sense that he wanted to share this passion with his children. He, along with Alexandr and his sister, Adela, would watch every Prague Phantoms game and play hockey out in the driveway. He also coached some of their minor hockey teams, choosing ultimately to step away from coaching after they got a bit older. However, his support remained unwavering. The mother, Anna, loved to ski. While she learned to love hockey as well, she relished being on the slopes and sharing that experience with the rest of her family. While the Novotnys were primarily a hockey family, they had a lot of fun skiing trips growing up as well. 

 

In his early days of minor hockey, Alexandr enjoyed much success. He was a passionate and hard-working kid who quickly found a knack for skating technique, where his edgework far surpassed his peers. He made high-level teams with relative ease, and seemed to hardly ever leave the rink. However, the young Czech was not doing particularly well academically during this time, as he took much less interest in his studying than his on-ice performance. 

 

When Alexandr turned 16, a catalytic event would change the course of his life and force him to re-evaluate his values and priorities as a whole. His girlfriend at the time, Maria, became pregnant with his child. Only 17 years old herself, this news completely flipped both of their lives upside down. For Alexandr specifically, he had taken a lackadaisical approach to his life thus far, not working towards anything that would resemble a future career. Since he had put such little effort into school, the only path the young man saw fit was to push all of his chips in to become a professional hockey player. He had dreamt about it before, but he had never wholeheartedly decided on it as a career path. Now that he had something - or someone, rather - to work for, he knew that his on-ice success would be instrumental in providing a quality childhood for his kid.

 

Upon the end of the S90 season, the streets of Prague were densely populated with parading Phantoms fans, celebrating their long-awaited Continental Cup victory. The distant sounds of the parade could be heard through the walls of the very same hospital where Alexandr was born; and also where his newborn daughter, Eliska, was then born. The cheering never stopped in the city throughout Eliska's entire stay at the hospital, but it was noted by Maria that the white noise it produced helped her fall asleep. Alexandr looked into his daughter's eyes, as he listened to the masses roar on outside. In that moment, he felt the pride of Prague as a city, and more importantly, he felt the love of his daughter. He then knew that he needed to make it to the VHL and make both his city and his family proud. The now second-youngest Novotny wasted no time getting to work.

 

Working tirelessly to take care of Eliska and hone his craft, Alexandr had finally found purpose in his life. He was driven like never before, and it produced rapid improvements in his game on the ice. After almost a year with this new mindset, he tried out for the Czechia U18 team. It was a pace he had never experienced before, but his work ethic impressed the coaches. The last round of cuts was complete, and Novotny found his name at the very bottom of the list; He made it, but barely. This was bittersweet for the boy, as he was grateful to have made it, but he had expected more from his relentless work over the many months since his daughter was born. However, he did not let the bad taste stay in his mouth for long, as he got to work once again.

 

The U18 tournament first introduced Alexandr Novotny on the world stage. While it was not an easy feat making the team, he quickly found chemistry with his defense partner, Artur Voracek. The two quickly earned themselves more and more ice time, shutting down the other team's top players and sending the puck back up the other way. Novotny proved to be the more offensively gifted of the two, as he racked up assists throughout the tournament. While ultimately the team succumbed to Finland in the gold medal game, Alexandr was named MVP of Czechia's U18 team. It was from there that scouts began taking a liking to his game and awaiting his next move.

 

Nowadays, Alexandr is one of the VHLM's top prospects to keep an eye on, as he could truly fall anywhere in the draft. He is still very raw in talent, but is also rapidly improving and motivated to get better every single day. He hopes to one day make it to the VHL to provide a stable environment for his daughter as she grows up, and to make his city proud of the player and person he has become.