Hockey goalkeeper and former representative Patrik Bartošák will try to restart his career in the first league Vsetín after the affairs. The club announced on its website that it has allowed the 31-year-old goalkeeper, whose previous engagement ended in extra-league Hradec Králové or Třinec due to breach of duties or lifestyle, to train for the time being.
Participant of the 2019 World Championship and two Olympic tournaments last caught for Hradec Králové. Last November, East Bohemia terminated his contract due to a serious breach of contractual obligations. In February, he agreed to play in Slovakia with Spišská Nova Vsí, but refused to undergo the mandatory entrance medical examination. That’s why he didn’t get the job.
Now he was given a chance by Vsetín, who is currently leading the incomplete table of the first league. The club allowed Bartošák to train with the A-team. “He will prepare for Lapača for a few weeks, after which a decision will be made about his further direction,” said Wallachian coach Jiří Weintritt.
“We were in contact with Patrik already in the summer. Now, after careful consideration, we have decided to give him the opportunity to train within our club. Patrik is 31 years old, he is aware of his past, on the other hand, he is a very high-quality goalkeeper who he is highly motivated and is aware of his last chance in top hockey,” he added.
Bartošák, a pupil of Kopřivnice, ended up in Třinec in the 2019/20 season, at that time he solved mental problems with alcohol. At the end of January 2020, he returned to hockey and headed to the second league Swedish MODO Hockey. Then he worked in Finland, in the KHL, again in Finland and in Hradec Králové.
He thanked Vsetín for the chance. “In the past, I made mistakes that almost cost me my career. I had to realize what is important to me in life. Besides my family, it’s hockey that I love and that I don’t want to give up,” said Bartošák.
“I realized that if I want to play sports at a professional level, I have to change a lot of things from the ground up. I hit rock bottom, but I want to prove to everyone, including myself, that I still have it in me. I will do everything to save my career and convince everyone that I can be useful,” he added.
Club manager Petr Neumann pointed out that any violation of club rules will mean “the end of his possibility to return to hockey, which I also believe he perceives” for Bartošák.
