Jakob Holik: Rags to Riches and Back Again [Reviewed]

[Beketov 9,025]

From poverty to riches and back again, the long journey forward of Jakob Holik

 

"With the Third Overall pick in the S47 VHLM Entry Draft, the Saskatoon Wild are proud to select…Jakob Holik!” -- Simon Valmount, Saskatoon GM

With those words a career was born and a future star was brought into the VHLM, but it is far from the entire story. My name is Jeremy Finch, VHLM biographer to legends, and I will be guiding you through the life and times of young Jakob Holik, drafted by the Saskatoon Wild in Season 47 and embarking on his new life journey as a VHLM player. The story does not start at the draft though, it starts much earlier. Holik has had a long and complicated journey to make it into the VHLM so sit back and enjoy.

 

Jakob Holik was born on November 15th, 1995 in Prague, Czech Republic. His father made a living as a butcher and his mother stayed at home to tend to Jakob and his two older brothers, Ivan and Marek. Life was tough for the Holik family in this time. Money was tight and Jakob was anything but an expected new member to the family. They were living in a rough part of the city and having trouble supporting the boys they already had. While the new VHLM rookie obviously can’t recall these early days, his family recalls them with sadness.

“There were days when I remember going to bed hungry. We lived based on how much our father could sell. Some weeks were good, others weren’t. It’s not easy to feed a family of five.” -- Ivan Holik, Brother

Amidst the poverty and roughness surrounding their life and neighbourhood, the Holik brothers made sure to find moments of happiness when they could. Often times this meant staying up late Saturday night and watching Hockey; a ritual for countless young men across the globe.

“We would just turn the TV on and get caught up in the game instead of worrying. We stopped thinking about if we’d have food the next night and instead thought about how the Canucks, Flyers, or Rangers were playing. We always liked watching the NHL instead of the local games, even if that meant staying up later. Actually, that might have been why we liked them.” -- Marek Holik, Brother

While his sons watched the game, Oleg Holik, Jakob’s father, usually sat in the corner on his computer. A butcher by day, Oleg’s true passion was coding. With the internet taking off, it was a huge time to be a web coder and Oleg wanted to be sure he was at the forefront. He could barely provide for his family as a butcher but knew he could get them a better life.

 

Jakob’s childhood Home

In late 1999, together with a family friend, Oleg finally achieved that better life he had been striving for. The holidays were more joyful than usual that year because, just 4 days prior to Christmas, Oleg got news that his program had been picked up. He had been designing a key security component in web based animation that had been bought by the macromedia corporation, which was eventually bought out by Adobe and turned into Adobe Flash. The deal net Oleg Holik and his family ten million dollars overnight.

“Oleg was the happiest man on the planet that night. I remember him running into the bedroom where I was reading and just screaming that he had finally done it. It took me a bit to even realize what he meant, when he fully explained it all I was stunned.” -- Nina Holik, Mother

With their new-found riches the family moved away from their neighbourhood and left the life they had behind. Oleg was no longer a butcher and times were good. Jakob Holik was only 4 at the time but he recalls an amazing amount of joy from the family.

“I don’t think I even fully understood what was happening, I just remember that everyone in my family was really happy and then all of a sudden the life I had known up to that point completely changed.” -- Jakob Holik

The family moved into a larger home in a better part of town but tried to keep their spending relatively in check. They didn’t want everything they had just acquired to disappear. Where they did splurge, was on their children. After growing up watching hockey their entire lives, the Holik boys could finally play it themselves. Ivan and Marek were put into the sport immediately given their ages but Jakob had to wait. A new ritual was added to the weekly schedule though. Hockey watching still came Saturday night, but Hockey playing, for the Holiks, took place every Saturday morning at the local rink.

“I remember being really excited to get on the ice myself. It was fun to watch my brothers every week but I knew at a young age that I wanted to be out there myself.” -- Jakob Holik

It was a long year for Jakob before he could have that wish. Upon turning five Jakob was enrolled in Initiation level hockey,. For the first time ever he wasn’t a spectator, he was a player. Jakob was starting his career as a Right Winger.

“It felt amazing to be out on the ice. I had waited so long for it to happen that when I was finally allowed to play I was profoundly excited.” -- Jakob Holik

Unfortunately for Jakob, that excitement did not translate to skill. At such a young age Jakob did not understand that having the best gear on the ice did not immediately make him the best player. His family’s money meant that he had brand new skates, a new helmet, new pads and a brand new stick but you cannot buy work ethic. Jakob did not seem to understand this.

 

Jakob in one of his early practices

“I remember Jakob’s early coaches coming to me after practice and asking if my son had some kind of attitude problem. I was confused and a bit insulted at first but then they explained that Jakob wasn’t practicing as hard as the other boys, or at all some days. He just didn’t get that money doesn’t buy talent.” -- Nina Holik, Mother

It would take Jakob a number more years and a lot more heartache before that message would sink in. On account of it, Jakob finished his two year stint in entry level with an abysmal 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points.

Unfortunately things did not turn around for Jakob as he grew up through the different levels of minor hockey. His belief that he was better than all the other boys, despite his level of play, was deeply ingrained. Through his next three levels Jakob only managed another 10 goals and 6 assists for 16 points; putting his minor career total at 20 points over the span of eight years.

“Looking back on it now, I know I was pretty terrible. I thought I was better than everyone there and didn’t see a need to practice. As all the other kids got better, I remained stagnant. I was a stupid kid to say the least.” -- Jakob Holik

Luckily for Jakob, his attitude was about to take a turn for the better. Upon turning 13 and entering the a new level the VHLM rookie received a gift from the hockey gods, a no-nonsense coach.

 

A 13 year old Jakob Holik entered the arena for his first practice with his new team and left a changed young man; not only in his position but in his attitude. Up to this point, everything had revolved around him. He had the best gear, the most money and, in his own head, the most talent out of anyone. All of that changed thanks to Oto Dusek.

“I hated Oto when he was my coach, I know I did because I was a little brat. I know now though that I wouldn’t be here, playing in the VHLM, if I had never known Oto. He kicked my ass into gear to say the least.” -- Jakob Holik

Oto Dusek knew he was working with relatively young kids but he also knew that he had them at the perfect age to change any major issues they had. Jakob quickly became his main goal of a child that needed work.

 

"Quite honestly, Jakob was a brat. He didn't recognize that fact at the time of course, but he was. He figured, regardless of how he played, he was better than everyone else because of the privileges that had been afforded to him in life." -- Oto Dusek, Coach

 

Oto's first attempts to break this arrogance failed miserably. His plan had been to make all players swap sticks to "get them out of their comfort zone" and get a feel for how different wood affected their shots.

 

"The real reason is less about comfort zone, and more about stubborn players. I've done it for years to get my well-off players to realize that gear doesn't equate to talent."  -- Oto Dusek, Coach

 

Young Jakob was less than thrilled by this decision. When it came time to swap sticks, he was assigned to take the oldest stick on the team from a boy who's parents couldn't afford anything better.

 

"I remember taking the stick and thinking it was garbage compared to mine so I snapped it over my knee. The kid who owned it began to cry, thinking he'd never be able to play if his parents couldn't afford another one. Instead I had to give him my stick for the day and sit out myself." -- Jakob Holik

 

After forcing the young player to sit out the entire practice, Oto approached him and decided to give Jakob something he never had from a coach before: honesty.

 

"I told him pretty bluntly: 'you aren't the best kid here, in fact you're not even close. Your gear is better and your heart is here but you can't keep thinking that you'll be better than everyone without trying because you won't.' I recall he skipped a few practices after that; just decided not to show up. I gave him a few weeks to cool off, figured he'd be back." --Oto Dusek, Coach

 

Jakob did come back, just as Oto had assumed he would. After skipping practice for two weeks Jakob appeared one morning with two sticks in hand. One was his high-end stick and one was a splintered old goalie stick that he had bought from a yard sale. He walked over to the child who's stick he had broken previously and gave him the brand new one.

 

"I recall going up to Oto after that, my yard sale stick in hand, and telling him that I was ready to learn if he was ready to teach me. He seemed a little confused by the position change but came to accepted it. I needed a change of scenery if I wanted to really change and playing net seemed like it would do the trick. Things changed pretty quickly after that day." -- Jakob Holik

 

With a proper attitude it didn't take Jakob long to pick up the game properly. He was a natural in net much more than on offence and also knew that he had to actually work if he wanted to be better. If he wasn't in practice with Oto, he was on the backyard rink facing shots from his brothers or from a tennis ball canon he had I'm a pussy. up to fire pucks.

 

One of Jakob’s early practices in net 

 

Oto taught him how to read plays so he wouldn’t get caught out of position. He also taught Jakob the importance of knowing when to cover up instead of trying to force a play. For the first time ever Jakob was realizing his potential as a player and he had Oto to thank for it.

 

"Oto certainly never made things easy on me. He knew I had potential but could easily fall back into complacency so he kept on me hard. I was the first one on the ice and the last one off, I ran drills more than anyone else. He pushed me because he knew I could be something great." -- Jakob Holik

 

Eventually Jakob tried out for the triple A team and was surprised to make the cut. It's at this point that Jakob realized he could truly make something out of this. Scouts were beginning to come to the games and a career in hockey seemed possible.

 

"I never actually told Jakob when scouts were coming. I always knew, they'd inform me in advance, but I didn't want him to try and show off for them. Somehow though, he always seemed to have his best games." -- Oto Dusek, Coach

 

It was three years since Jakob had first met Oto. He was 16 years old and the scouts were on watch for the young talent. He never played hockey for the school teams, although he could have made them easily enough. Instead he wanted to focus where the scouts for focusing.

 

In three years being coached by Oto, Jakob amassed a respectable 98 wins in 126 games. His save percentage was in the high .800’s with a respectable 3.4 GAA. Jakob didn’t have the best individual stats in the world but he knew how to win and scouts were taking notice. His life was about to change, but not in the way he expected.

 

"I remember the day as if it was yesterday. April 26th. The WHL draft was set to take place a few days later and I had teams showing a lot of interest in taking me by round 4. My parents were on vacation in the UK but were supposed to be coming back the next day to watch the draft with me. Not a lot of Europeans get drafted in the CHL and they wanted to be there with me. That was the plan at least." -- Jakob Holik

 

In a tragic mugging gone wrong, Jakob's father was stabbed three times and bled out on the sidewalk of London. His mother got away from the altercation relatively unharmed. After the attack the assailant fled the scene and left her be. They caught him a few blocks away but the damage had already been done.

 

"I got the call around 3pm. My mother was hysteric and wasn't making a lot of sense, I knew something was wrong immediately. It took a few minutes of coaxing to get it out of her though. I remember dropping the phone and forgetting how to move, how to breath. I was completely stunned." -- Jakob Holik

 

Jakob's brothers were back from University at the time but both were out. He quickly called them and said to get back home but didn't say why. It's only when they arrived that he told them what had happened.

 

All three boys were devastated. They didn't know what to do with themselves and for a few days just sat dazed and helpless. Their mother was in even worse shape.

 

"Mom was basically comatose. We couldn't get her out of bed, we couldn't get her to eat. It's like she was a ghost. We only technically lost our father that day but it was as if they were both gone." -- Ivan Holik, Brother

 

April 30th, the day of the WHL draft, was supposed to be the happiest day of Jakob Holik's life. Instead, he spent it at his father's funeral, trying to hold together the pieces of a family torn apart.

 

The WHL draft was meant to be the best day of young Jakob’s life 

 

"It was hard on all of us but i think it was hardest on Jakob. Not only was he the youngest but he was torn. The draft day was supposed to be an amazing experience for him to share with us, instead we was there to help us bury our father. He never mentioned the draft but I know it must have been on his mind." -- Marek Holik, Brother

 

That day, as Jakob buried his father, his name was announced by the Calgary Hitmen in the 4th round. He wasn't in attendance to accept his jersey and he didn't answer his phone when the team called. He was officially a WHL player but felt no joy about it.

 

"In the back of my mind I knew I had been drafted. I didn't know what round or what team but I knew I had been. There had been too much interest in me for anything else to have happened. What I wasn't sure about was if I would ever step onto the ice in a WHL jersey, or even ever again." -- Jakob Holik

 

The Hitmen tried to contact Jakob several times over the next few days and reports started coming in about the mysterious draft choice that appeared unwilling to play. The news made it sound as if he was perhaps out partying or otherwise unable to answer his phone. In reality, he knew the team was calling and just didn't want to answer the phone.

 

Jakob spent two weeks weighing his options. He wanted to play, but something was holding him back. 

 

"I think he felt guilty about what happened to dad. If he hadn't have been playing hockey that weekend, he was supposed to be in London with them. It certainly would have made no difference, and he knows that now, but at the time I think he believed that he could have done something if only he had been there. He blamed the sport for our dad getting killed." -- Marek Holik, Brother

 

Things unfortunately went from bad to worse for the family. While they still had the riches their father had provided, as well as a hefty amount from life insurance, they also had a mother on the edge of a mental breakdown,

 

In order to try and mask her pain, Nina Holik took to drinking heavily. Regardless of time of day, or who saw her doing it, she always had a drink in her hand. Over time, the alcohol lost its ability to make her forget so she turned to drugs and gambling.

 

"I'm not proud of what I did. I just wanted to make the pain go away and it was doing it. Cocaine, Heroine, Meth; I was willing to take anything if I thought it would help. I know it wasn't easy on the boys, I just didn't care at the time." -- Nina Holik, Mother

 

It was only a matter of time before Nina's destructive habits ate away at the family's savings. She sold the house, her car, everything they owned. They were back to square one, as if everything their father had worked on simply disappeared.

 

Marek and Ivan were back in school, doing their best to pay their way while Nina slowly chipped away at their trust funds. Jakob, on the other hand, was still at home; trying to cope with a mother he couldn't stand to look at anymore.

 

It had been 2 months since the draft and he hadn't contacted the Hitmen. In fact, they had stopped contacting him. Needing a way out, a way to escape the life he was being pushed back into, he called the club and explained the situation to the General Manager who was happy to finally hear from his 4th round pick.

 

"As soon as they said they were still interested I jumped on a plane and left for Calgary. I didn't care what I was leaving behind, I didn't care about any reservations I had previously, I just knew that I had to get away. Hockey became my escape from reality." -- Jakob Holik

 

Jakob believed his mother was throwing her own life away and his brothers were in their own world. He was alone and was acting like it. He had a spot on a WHL team and was happy with that, so long as he kept his mind on hockey and nothing else.

 

He swapped between living in hotels on the road and living in a beat up van he had paid $300 for while in Calgary. He wasn't getting paid enough to buy a place of his own and wasn't about to invite his mother to Calgary with him.

 

Jakob’s “home” during his days in Calgary

 

"We didn't hear from him for months, I think it was Christmas before I got a call and even then he refused to come home and see us. He wanted to be alone, even if he was impoverished. We saw him play when we could but the games weren't broadcast in Europe much, if at all.”  -- Ivan Holik, Brother

 

Plagued with personal problems and worries about his family, Jakob didn't quite live up to the expectations the Hitmen placed on him. He spent two seasons with the team, playing in 124 games but never managing to get his Save Percentage back up above .850 or his GAA below 3.00. His stats were far below his personal expectations and capabilities, and even further below what the team was expecting out of him.

 

At 18 years old and with the possibility of being drafted into the NHL looming, the Hitmen traded Jakob to the Tri-City Americans. For the first time, he had to move cities without having the choice and also had to, yet again, leave a country he was getting to know.

 

"Quite frankly, I was terrified when I was traded. New teammates, new country, new expectations. On top of that, I knew I had to play better than I had been playing. I knew that I'd never make it to the pros if I didn't shape up." -- Jakob Holik

 

 

 

Moving to Washington to play for the Americans was a huge step for Jakob; his team was depending on him to have a good season and he knew the pressure was on if he wanted to be drafted into the NHL. Expectations were high but he wasn’t sure if he could handle it.

 

“After dad died I honestly felt lost in hockey. I was physically there and playing okay but not to the expectations that I had for myself or my team had for me.” -- Jakob Holik

 

Jakob went on to have an average season with the Americans, missing the playoffs with a record below .500 but managing a GAA of 2.50. His draft stock wasn’t through the roof but team had shown interest in the later rounds and he was excited at the possibility of being drafted into the NHL. Unfortunately for Jakob, things came crashing down yet again and another disappointing draft loomed on the horizon.

 

The first 4 rounds of the NHL draft came and went without any team showing an interest in him. As the picks went by, and the rounds dragged on, Jakob became less excited and more disappointed.

 

“By the end of the 6th round I knew I wasn’t going to be taken. Teams were passing on their picks rather than taking me. It’s at that point that I just decided to cut my losses and leave. I wasn’t getting an NHL jersey that day.” -- Jakob Holik

 

Jakob’s agent was less than pleased with the news that his prospect would be leaving the draft by choice and not staying until he end. He tried to stop his client from leaving but Jakob had his mind made up. He fired his agent on the spot rather than put up with him.

 

“I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. He would have rather I rotted away in the AHL than ever had a career. Honestly, best decision I ever made.” -- Jakob Holik

 

The reason for it being a good decision is a relatively simple one; it allowed him to meet Alexander Beketov. The VHL Hall of Famer and former player turned agent took Jakob under his wing quickly after the draft, pointing him instead in a different direction.

 

“I met with Jakob soon after the NHL draft. He was looking for a new agent and I needed a new client. At first he was apprehensive; knowing that the NHL had been a minor part of my career, but we talked for awhile and he decided that the VHL may be the best course of action for him.” -- Alexander Beketov, Agent

 

So far, Beketov’s experience has not driven Jakob wrong. The young goaltender has been drafted into the VHLM and has his eyes set solely on the VHL.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, I still want to win a Stanley Cup. Any young player’s goal is the NHL but why does it have to be the only goal? I have my eyes set on the Continental Cup and a spot next to my agent in the Hall of Fame.” -- Jakob Holik

 

Jakob has been working his hardest to get that Hall of Fame spot. Right now he sits near the top of his draft class in practice hours and doesn’t plan to stop for anyone. Goaltender’s are the position with the most pressure placed on their shoulders but Jakob knows that he can live up to it.

 

“The kind of player I was in Juniors isn’t enough and I know that. I don’t want to have those kind of stats, I want to be better.” -- Jakob Holik

 

It’s impossible to say right now if Jakob is set for stardom, but he’s definitely on a track to the VHL and doesn’t plan on stopping.

 

“I’m doing what I love for a living and am finally enjoying doing it again, how many people can say that? It hasn’t been an easy life and I didn’t take the most direct route to get here, but I’m here to stay. I want to see my name in those record books.” -- Jakob Holik

Edited January 16, 2016 by Beketov

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Overview: 5/5 - Great account, very detailed! I like how you used a ton of quotes, it gives it much more of a documentary feel, rather than just a boring retelling of events. keeps it fresh and moving

 

Grammar: 3/3 - I may have missed something in this sea of words, but i didn't really find anything. One thing was thins:

 

The deal net Oleg Holik and his family ten million dollars overnight.

 

i think it should be 'netted', not totally sure. Honestly thats all i found

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Titles, pictures, heading, the whole sha-bang. only complaint is the constant switch from bold to normal text. it messes with me a little, makes it a little harder to follow

 

 

Over 1000 Words? 1/1 only 4329, I'm disappointed 

 

Overall: 10/10

 

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[DollarAndADream 3,356]

This biography is beyond amazing.

[Beketov 9,025]

59 minutes ago, DollarAndADream said:

This biography is beyond amazing.

3 bios over the span of 8 players, I think I was due for a good one haha