Znojmo, South Moravia, April 27 (CTK) – Ice hockey star Jaromir Jagr will not play the world championship in Russia for the Czech national team because he feels tired, the team’s manager Slavomir Lener told journalists yesterday.
Lener said the 44-year-old forward Jagr felt physically and mentally exhausted after his team, Florida Panthers, did not advance from the first round of the NHL playoffs.
He said Jagr felt very sorry that he would not come.
The Czech team is now training in Znojmo where it plays a Euro Hockey Tour game against Sweden tonight.
Jagr said after the world championship last year that he would not play with the national team anymore. He made such statements even before, but the coaches and other players persuaded him to join the team.
For various reasons, all the other Czech players from NHL teams that did not advance from the 1st playoff round said on Tuesday or Wednesday that they would not play at the forthcoming championship.
Czech goalkeeper Michal Neuvirth (Philadelphia Flyers) did not pass a medical of his club, his agent said. His teammates Jakub Voracek and Radko Gudas would not play in Russia for health reasons either.
Jiri Hudler will stay in America because of his contract, Lener said.
Czech national coach Vladimir Vujtek will have four NHL players in the team – defender Michal Jordan (Carolina Hurricanes) and forwards Tomas Plekanec (Montreal Canadiens), Jiri Sekac (Arizona Coyotes) and David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins). The world championship will open on May 6 and be held in Moscow and St Petersburg.
