In a thrilling 5-1 victory over Glasgow Clan, Petr Cech, a legendary player of Chelsea, made his ice hockey introduction with Belfast Giants, an Elite League team.
Coach Adam Keefe brought on the former Blues goalie with 4:43 remaining in the game after the defending triple winners had already secured a 5-1 victory. The 6,000-person crowd began yelling, “We Want Cech,” and Keefe obliged, letting the Champions League winner walk onto the rink to thunderous applause.
Here he comes! | #EIHL
Petr Čech makes professional hockey debut with the @BelfastGiants. 💪 pic.twitter.com/u0kaSRRTjO
— Elite Ice Hockey League | #EIHL (@officialEIHL) November 25, 2023
Cech is currently on a loan from Oxford City Stars, an outfit that plays in the National Ice Hockey League, a lower league than the Elite League, to Belfast Giants. Prior to this, he was a custodian with Guildford Phoenix and Chelmsford Chieftains, a position that is comparable to a custodian in football.
Cech hopes to do well with the Giants against the Nottingham Panthers tomorrow at 4 PM UK time, sporting his new avatar.
It’s admirable how Petr Cech switched from football to ice hockey. After joining the Guildford Phoenix in October 2019, he accepted his position in the Division 2 National Ice Hockey League as a goalie.
As a memorial to Dominik Hasek, Cech wore the number 39 shirt. He had an incredible debut and won man-of-the-match. He transferred to Chelmsford Chieftains in November 2022 after having a treble-winning season with Guildford Phoenix in 2021–2022, in June 2023, he joined Oxford City Stars.
