Martin Kučera Interview

Over on the hokejportal.sk site their has been an interview posted with Ex-Capitals goalie Martin Kučera. The nervous netminder has recently returned to his homeland to skate for the team that he kicked off his hockey career with HC Skalica. During the interview he goes on about how much he loves Skalica , the fond memories he has of the place and how excited he is to play in their new arena. Kučera then says he can't wait to compare the different cultures he has experienced during his two year absence from Slovakia. It is all normal welcoming home interview type stuff with the standard answers that you would expect. The next question he faces asks him about his two years away, he has this to say about his time in Scotland. The only really interesting part of the whole interview....

" Were the two years you were away successful for you?

For one year I was in Scotland where I was playing in the highest standard British league. I had the opportunity to play against a hockey legend in Theo Fleury, a Canadian who was playing for Team Canada during the Nagano Olympic games. There were other players from the NHL in the league at that time so it was a good experience for me. The team I was on wasn't very good at all, we lost so many games and our back up goalie was very weak so I had to play to many games. I was so satisfied when I left, I was happy to go and play in the Romanian-Hungarian league. "

So there you go, it seems he wasn't to happy with his time in Scotland at the Capitals. Can't really blame him considering the amount of vulcanised rubber that flew past his head game after game. Jim Vickers offered no protection at all. Why did he ever wear the C??.
Kučera did though play a part in the Caps team sucking that season. Something that he fails to mention. I remember any shot out on the boards to his left hand side more times than not found a way past him and into the net. It happened so often. He very rarely challenged the oppositions shooter, preferring to sit back in his goals. It didn't take the other teams long to solve him, shoot early and hard and the chances were they would score. He was a shakey, nerve ridden goalie that everyone in the stands could clearly see. He didn't inspire any confidence in those around him but of course he doesn't want to tell his new employers all that, does he now?.