WEBVTT - Ep 16: Peter Bondra - You Need to be Honest and Respectable 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.800 I do not believe we need to introduce my next guest, 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:05.240 Peter Bondra. Thank you so much for your time. It's 0:00:05.280 --> 0:00:07.400 such a pleasure and honor because I know you don't 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:09.920 do this too often, so thanks for finding your time. Well, 0:00:10.080 --> 0:00:11.799 thanks for having me. I'm really happy to be here. 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:18.759 It's pretty obvious that the power of the thought and 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:22.599 what we actually write down works extremely well. Everybody have 0:00:22.720 --> 0:00:26.160 to create their own pet work, addict or whatever it's 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:28.560 worked for them at that time. There was something which 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:32.680 is I was learning, um during that period, what I 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:35.519 can accomplish, and but I have to do. You have 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:37.360 to put your mind and it doesn't come just like 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:40.240 they have with it. What is the thing you appreciate 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:46.720 the multiple Slovaki, It's just it's it's my home. So 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:50.599 I mean, I appreciate all this, but you know, I 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.479 think the morning Slovaki. I appreciate my family and they 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:55.880 live here and when I come here and to see 0:00:56.280 --> 0:01:00.000 see them every year. When you start to do well, um, 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:01.840 say you are on top of the game, how do 0:01:01.880 --> 0:01:05.400 you manage the expectations? Finally you got a big countray 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:10.080 again and said, yes, I'm I'm happy. But now you 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:15.480 learned expectations are even higher. I do want to apologize 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:17.760 to our Slova listeners that we are doing this one 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:20.840 in English, but um, you know, Peter is such a 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:23.480 superstar in all around the world, so I thought, um, 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:25.119 we give it a goal in English, and I think 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.640 it's much more ntural for both of us. So UM, 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:31.240 I believe, Um, google Wikipedia, anything you need to know 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:33.399 about Peter, you can go ahead. There. We go straight 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:35.679 to the point that we were just discussing, which I 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:39.399 thought was amazing. So I'm going straight back to the point. 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:43.600 So you're saying ice hockey is basically an individual sport. 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:47.640 In a team sport, it is everybody. You know myself, 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.600 I need to prepare myself for a season and I 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.960 have to do my homework to have a good year. 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:56.639 So even it's a team sport, everybody has to start 0:01:57.600 --> 0:01:59.960 on your own. How you get ready, So for me 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:03.920 very important when I learned during my career I need 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:06.240 to gain a confidence and how I gained a confidence 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:09.400 is uh, for example, preparation for a season within the summer. 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:12.800 So before a season started, I look back and UM, 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:15.840 I asked myself, did I did everything what I need 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:18.480 to do? And when I say yes, yes, yes, then 0:02:18.520 --> 0:02:21.880 I know I'm ready. So how you maintain confidence, it's 0:02:22.280 --> 0:02:24.880 very important. It was for me. I I created segments 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:28.360 between the games. So each each game while you have 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:30.520 a period of two or three days of preparation for 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:33.880 the next game. So for me, was that segment very important. 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:35.960 To make sure I sleep, make sure I eat right, 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:39.639 make sure I train more than everybody else because expectation 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:42.200 for my role on the team was high. So I 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:45.200 need to perform when the game is um is come. 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:49.040 So this is for me. That's how I sort of 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:51.920 after my fourth first four years in national hockey, I 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:55.920 learned about myself, who I am, who I wanted to be. 0:02:56.280 --> 0:02:58.639 And after that and when you learn how to prepare 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:03.360 yourself for each game wasn't easy, but I think it was. 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:06.640 I created a good career for myself. How did you 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:09.480 learn this? Where you told to do that? Or is 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:12.520 something you found out for yourself? Naturally? There was more 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:18.080 naturally Obviously we all learn on mistakes easy way, no 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:22.040 matter what somebody else telling you. You always um uh 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:25.120 kind of sometimes stubborn because you think you know the best, 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:29.959 but it's not always worked that way. And um, that's 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:34.480 what I did. Um I give example, like I came 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:41.600 to leak before actually internet wasn't running and all satellites. 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.240 Um uh. My first game ever I saw in the 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:48.840 National Hocke League. I was in it, so I didn't 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:52.800 know anything but NHL. I was lucky. I just I 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:56.920 give I had I had the opportunity to go. I 0:03:56.920 --> 0:04:00.480 I took to my pocket and I said, hey, I cannot, 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:02.960 I cannot lose on this. I always come come back 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:06.600 by myself around my ticket, and I'll be back. My 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:10.600 mentality was, I didn't care if I had a knowledge 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:14.200 now about a n NHL, about how I supposed to 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:16.400 be ready or what I'm supposed to do. I'll be 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:18.359 under a lot of pressure. I don't know if I 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:22.440 be able to have a successful career. But because I 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:24.400 didn't know anything about it, I just went and I 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:28.280 tried to be my best, tried to learn as quick 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:32.960 I can start from my language. I didn't speak any English. 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:36.800 And uh, you go, and you have to be lucky 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:41.960 to be surrounded with good people and and and I was, 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:45.360 I'm pretty sure in your career you always somebody um 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:49.120 help you to make that big step, no matter who was. 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:54.160 Maybe parents, maybe your agent, maybe whoever. But and I 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:56.679 was lucky. I was surrounding good people. And I show 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.600 from day one when I arrived in d C. I 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.480 will to learn. I'm willing to adjust. I'm willing to 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:07.800 uh not necessarily to be be become American, but I'm 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:10.120 willing to learn about the game and try to be 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:12.920 my best. And when people see that, they will help you. 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:14.799 They will push you when you need And I obviously 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:20.400 I had some some I guess gaps in my career 0:05:20.440 --> 0:05:22.680 where I need that push, and I took advantage from it. 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:25.359 I never looked back. Who is that one person that 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:28.320 you refer to, well, from the beginning, it was my 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.120 teammate Mike de Blanka. Um he was he was there 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:34.080 ready for four years before I arrived in nine and 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:37.920 because I didn't speak any English, and Mike was there 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:42.880 to help me to uh to translate. Actually, for example, 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:44.960 you're sitting in the locker room and the coach have 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:49.520 a speech about the game tactics and um, I was 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.279 sitting the first couple of months of the in the 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:54.160 locker room of the season. I tried to pick up 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:57.720 something from his his awards, but that was a tough. 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:00.440 The coach just kind of point to Mike take care 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:02.760 of him, and Mike knew what to do and that 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:06.640 that was actually big help because to know what's the 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:08.640 game plan and what you have to do to be 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:11.039 successful in the game, make sure the team wins, you 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:16.240 have to adjust. And that was and then, um what 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:20.559 helped me just after four years kind of learned about 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:24.040 myself who I am and who I wanted to be 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:26.880 because NHL it's a tough sport and a lot of 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:30.240 games and there's need to be prepared, not just physically, 0:06:30.279 --> 0:06:33.720 mentally as well, and I tried to find we talk 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:36.719 about the confidence guidance. So I'll give you example what 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:38.839 I did. I know it was was crazy thing what 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:42.000 I did, but I I felt like if I put 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:44.039 my mind into it or something I want to be, 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:48.719 I can, I can I can accomplish And um that year. 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.359 I was in the league for four years and like 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:54.520 I said, I wasn't sure who I am in goal 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:59.000 scorer or or a player who makes some place or 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.520 offensive for the It's a player. I told myself. It 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:04.400 was a lackout year. So we start a little bit 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:06.360 later in the season. I think we started some time 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:11.560 in December. So I told myself. I the short season 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:16.720 was going to be how many games? Forty game season? 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.480 So I told myself, I want to score twenty goals. 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:24.120 This is my individual goal. And I did everything about 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.520 that just to make sure I can accomplish the goal. 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:30.360 But what I did, um, you know those sticky pads. 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:32.520 I'm pretty sure you have them on the fridge, yellow, 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:36.560 different colors, pink. So I put number twenty on the 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:38.760 on the on a sticker, and I put everywhere on 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.800 the fridge, on the alarm clock, on the car, in 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:45.680 the bathroom. Any time of the during the day, I 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:49.160 look on that number, remind me what I tried to 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:52.440 accomplish the goal. And it's easy to say, this is 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:55.480 not about the goals, actually goals when you celebrate the goal. 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:57.880 This is about what I supposed to do, how I 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:02.520 supposed to do, and what I have to sacrifice to 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:06.720 do that. And obviously my family sacrifice because of that. 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:10.880 But that that at that time that I was. I'm 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:13.960 lucky and happy the family helped me to accomplish their goal. 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:18.679 So the season went on, I start, we start winning, 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:22.880 start scoring. So I put nineteen eighteen. It's just basically 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:25.360 after I would say two and a half months, I 0:08:25.480 --> 0:08:29.400 ran out of the numbers, so zero, but I stay 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:33.600 on that path. I means just work ethic, um, eating habits, 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:37.720 trained habits, just basically everything what the hockey um ask 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:44.520 you to do. So after a season, um, everything went well. Uh. 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:48.800 The guy who's who comes from middle of nowhere at 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:51.640 that time was Czechoslovaki and I was Slava Republic let 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:53.480 the league in the National Hockey League in goal. So 0:08:53.640 --> 0:08:56.240 that was just something which is I don't know how 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:59.880 I managed how I did, but just like I said, 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:02.560 if you want something bad enough, you'll get it. You 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:04.840 have it and you can accomplish. Well, you just said 0:09:05.040 --> 0:09:08.120 you don't know how you accomplished it. But it's pretty 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:10.360 obvious that the power of the thought and what we 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:13.600 actually write down works extremely well. And is that something 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.880 you would advise the young hockey players to write things 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:20.679 down and and really visualize them. Everybody have to create 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:24.040 their own pet and work addict or whatever it's worked 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:26.240 for them. At that time. There was something which is 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:30.439 I was learning, um during that period what I can 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:33.400 accomplish and but I have to you have to put 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:35.320 your mind and it doesn't come just like the hand. 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.599 We don't do whatever, but you have to it's a 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:42.559 it's a process. We talked about it actually with a 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:45.680 couple of days ago that people, especially with in today's 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:49.240 social media, they think, Um, for some reason people things 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:51.760 come easy to us, and that's not the case. You 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:55.000 work hard to make it look easy. No matter what 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:57.040 you do, you have to work hard. And you know, 0:09:57.120 --> 0:10:00.600 like I'm talking to my boys, play hockey, huh and um, 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:04.760 my first thing after we discussing game, talk about the game, 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:08.480 would just my son play, did you work hard? And 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:11.640 he said, if he doesn't give me a straight answer, 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:14.199 I know there was a gap or something. He wasn't 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:18.240 not necessarily cheating, but just didn't didn't give And because 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:21.760 you can control how hard you work and everything no 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:25.120 matter what project you're working, but you cannot control sometimes talent, 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:27.240 you know, it comes with that. But when you work hard, 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:30.000 I'm pretty sure at one point you're gonna get awarded. 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:33.400 And you know. So, so this is just sort of 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:36.559 message which is I would probably send to young kids 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:39.200 and just make sure you country what you're doing and 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:42.679 put your mind into it. And um, and for your kids, 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:44.920 you talked about if you talk about hockey players, what 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:48.760 my message would be education. This is more important than 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:51.360 anything else. I'm so glad you're saying this. This is 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:53.559 has to be a priority on that because I know 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.839 new era of the parents, hockey players, kids, they they 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:00.360 want to accomplish what you accomplish. Maybe what to stand 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:03.720 on trying to accomplished, but doesn't come right away. And 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:07.280 uh no, everybody is lucky like b R you know, 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:10.200 but sometimes you know, thanks, we have to have a 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:13.679 plan B and education. You're not gonna get lost anywhere 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:16.320 whatever you do on your next step in your life. 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:19.400 Plus it takes actually the pressure away from the from 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:22.040 your performance because you know, okay, you give your best, 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:23.880 but at the end of the day, if it doesn't work, hey, 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.200 I can still do a million other things. And I 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:29.240 think that's something we have in common that after we 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:32.240 retired because of the education, it just gives us so 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:36.240 many opportunities to do pretty much what whatever we decided 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.360 to put our mind into. Yeah, there's no limit. I 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:42.000 told my kids, you study all your life. I will 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:44.520 pay for it. So and if you don't take advantage, 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:47.640 then I don't know what you can do because material 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:50.920 stuff it's not as important what you've given this this 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:55.680 But no, but the education is there for all the life. Um. 0:11:55.760 --> 0:11:58.439 This podcast is called the Real DNA and that means 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.040 we talk about the the and the values that we have. 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:04.160 What are the ones that you appreciate actually in other 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:06.160 people that you have around here? So I just mentioned 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:08.599 hard work. It's just several times this is going to 0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:13.280 be number one in my case. But um, well honestly, 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:15.680 I think that's just uh, you need to be honest, 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:20.439 you uh and they're respectable. Um. In my case, I mean, 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:22.960 whoever I talked to, I have to be um, you know, 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:26.480 um kind of respectable to people. Make sure that people 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:29.440 have a feel they know me. My job actually with 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:32.640 Washington Capitalists meeting read a lot of people and I 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:34.880 have to maybe have an only a couple of minutes 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:38.240 time to meet somebody. I need to show my personality 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.680 who I am right away. Make sure that moment for 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:45.040 the guy whoever meet me, and that uh time, it's um, 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:49.520 you know, enjoyable, maybe rememberable, remember for his uh um 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:53.439 at that moment. So yeah, this is sort of little 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:56.640 things like that goes a long way, and I think 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.400 that people will like you, give you a safe respect back. 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:19.640 Just please compare being a player to being a GM. 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.439 What's more difficult because people in my position they don't 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:24.200 want to believe me that actually doing TV it's much 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:27.120 harder than being a player. So please say it from 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:30.520 your perspective. What was your experience like I did? I 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:32.880 was GM for Team Slovakia for four years and the 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:36.560 Olympics UM two thousand tenements. Who was We had a 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.880 great tournament and as a player, I can go up there, 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:43.360 I can maybe control part of that or make some 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:46.160 changes right away. But when you're sitting on the top, 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:49.960 there's nothing you can do, nothing you can do. I 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:52.760 cannot believe that I learned about myself who I am. 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:55.400 I started screaming. I was yelling on their free or 0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:58.920 just but from distance. I was in a special box. 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:02.280 But I was so nervous. I don't know. Um, I 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:04.920 think I uh, it's much easier to play the game. 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:07.040 I can tell you that. Oh, so you're saying it's 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:09.280 much easier to Yes, Yes, that's what I'm saying. So okay, 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:13.520 I thank you for confirming my my idea here. I 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:15.400 know you came a little bit prepares. Tell me a 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.760 little bit about what you were just about to tell 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:22.280 me right before we started to record. Oh, well, this 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:25.360 is my old notes. Um. I sometimes I do like 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:29.040 a motivation speeches, not as much. This is not what 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:31.480 I tried to make a little bit, but I got 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:34.400 some stuff writing now I saved them. So this way, 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:37.560 this way when I'm gonna like today, I brought my notes. 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.640 I'm not sure what's there from what year, but I 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:41.960 have him here in the case I have to look 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.880 at refresh my memory. Yes, tell me something about that 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:46.960 confidence that I saw that I thought it was a 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:50.640 very interesting confidence, very important to anybody, like if you 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:52.760 want to be successful. I mean I give you example, 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:55.840 like actually I did um a couple of things with 0:14:56.040 --> 0:14:58.760 I was a gem of Team Slovakia. So I've been 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:01.400 talking to a lot of players would be come and uh, 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:06.640 and I learned this kind of European players, UM, don't 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:10.000 have that confidence. I felt like they just they go 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:13.280 play and they are not sure what's going to happen 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:17.080 out from the game. If you ask me I'm going 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:18.640 to play a game, I know I'm gonna win, I 0:15:18.640 --> 0:15:21.840 can tell you. Or so for example, I ask you, UM, 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:25.840 give your name, Yarrow. Are you going to score a 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:32.040 goal tonight? You're gonna win the game. Those guys usually 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:34.360 there's no confidence gonna say, well, I will try, I 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:37.320 maybe I will be lucky. Yeah, but you know that. 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:40.040 But if you ask me if I'm gonna score a game, 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:41.880 I'm gonna win a game. I said, I look at 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:44.040 you a new eyes, and I'm gonna say I will 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:47.280 score and I will be winning the game. So this 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:50.400 is different, but it's based on on a lot of 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:52.520 hard work. This is not just you can say it, 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:57.320 but you have to believe, uh, you're gonna win the 0:15:57.360 --> 0:16:01.040 game when you go to play. Because even for for us, 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:04.120 we're gonna play Russia or Team Canada. I'm pretty sure 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:09.880 then Chara or Maryan Hossa or whoever, or myself, I'm 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:13.640 not gonna say they are good. No, I'm good as them, 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:15.200 and I'm even better and I know I'm going to 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:18.200 be winning that game. So stuff like that is very 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:21.600 important when you go to the game, especially sometimes even 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:25.400 from coaches. I worked with some coaches from Slovakian coaches, 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:28.720 and I know we're gonna have a tough game. And 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:34.040 and I sometimes the energy from the coach first couple 0:16:34.040 --> 0:16:39.040 of sentences, even he maybe doesn't believe because it's um 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:44.840 whoever grets killing you Crosby Wedgkin. You know you need 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:49.000 to be a believer. And do you think it's something 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:52.320 we gained in America that it's impossible to learn in 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:54.880 New York, Because that's one of the reasons I went there, 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:57.080 and I don't think I would have ever gotten the 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:00.160 confidence if I stayed in Slovakia. Actually, well, when you 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:04.240 around people like the team provide a lot of services 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:10.520 you just you should take advantage from, for example, nutritions, psychiatrists, 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:16.520 you gain something and then you start um kind of 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:19.320 learning some new things, you try some new drinks, and 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:23.480 on the end of the day it's working. And you're 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:27.480 probably right because the culture when I play in the 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:30.920 National Hockey League for seventeen years, like I said, our 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:34.320 goal was every year to win a cup and nothing less. 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:40.880 So I mean why I should go to season telling uh, 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:45.600 coach telling ourselves we just want to be second or third. 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:50.240 I don't understand this or or eight for example, and 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:56.080 in some cases national team Slovaki national team. UM tell 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:58.440 me though, because I think there is a fine line 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:02.240 between being confident, confident and saying right, I'm going to 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:04.320 win this game or this match, but at the same 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:07.840 time being humbled and respecting the opponent, because I think 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:10.200 that sometimes can be a little bit tricky. Of course, 0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:12.080 and especially I can I can I can see on 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:14.800 the young guys, Um, they don't have a media sort 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:18.480 of experience and saying right time, right things. It's very important. 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:21.199 We all made the mistakes. I made the mistakes. I 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:24.920 learned from it. But obviously, no matter what you're saying, 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:28.359 you always respect your opponent. Uh. You know. At the 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:31.240 same time, when you when you go up there and 0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:34.880 start playing, you need to go with confidence. So even 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:37.640 when you win, you always try to find when you're 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:42.880 commenting opponent because uh, they might have a bad day, 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:46.800 good day, whatever. But what I'm saying, they always when 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:48.920 you when you have to kind of appreciate it. How 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.280 hard do you want and you give a kind of 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:56.640 I would say, positive feedback to uh, to your opponent. 0:18:57.400 --> 0:18:59.760 Tell me one thing that I struggled with throughout my 0:18:59.800 --> 0:19:02.480 care year. When you start to do well, um, say 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:03.919 you are on top of the game, how do you 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:08.520 manage the expectations and not lose that appreciation that you 0:19:08.600 --> 0:19:11.080 just said that? Okay, I actually had to work really 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:13.480 hard for that, because to me, what happened was that 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:15.960 it started kind of started to become a routine that 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:18.440 everyone was ex expecting me to be in the quarter semis, 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:21.399 and I lost that joy and the appreciation that I 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:23.080 actually want to imagine it was like, oh, yeah, you 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:26.760 should win. Imagine well it's yeah, and my case, your 0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:30.120 case was that, but in my case, okay, for example, 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:34.280 you sign a contract for two three years, four years 0:19:34.320 --> 0:19:38.000 period and finally you get a big contract and he said, yes, 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:43.719 I'm I'm happy. But now you learn the expectations are 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:47.359 even higher and you have to uh perform, you have 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:52.399 to do even more. There starts coming leadership to the 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:57.000 play and you need to be if you felt you 0:19:57.400 --> 0:19:59.760 all said, then now you you put you put you 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:02.960 off to the next level. When if your performance even 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:08.280 and uh and preparation and expectations are high from the coaches, 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:12.360 from ownership of the team, so you have to give 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:14.720 it more and that you push yourself to as far 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:17.640 as you can and you learn then everything is possible 0:20:17.800 --> 0:20:21.639 and so you were given harder always comes back to 0:20:21.680 --> 0:20:24.000 the hard work. And I'm so glad you're you're saying this. 0:20:24.720 --> 0:20:27.280 Now let's go a little bit back to Slovakia, because 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:29.800 I'm so proud that we've got on our podcast, I 0:20:29.840 --> 0:20:35.560 have to say our Slovakian superhero because of let's go 0:20:35.640 --> 0:20:38.200 to the moment where I don't know if you actually realize, 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:41.000 but we are very similar because you guys were the 0:20:41.040 --> 0:20:44.360 reason why we did so well. A few months later, 0:20:44.440 --> 0:20:48.320 we even had our dresses made based on your hockey 0:20:48.400 --> 0:20:53.720 dresses and that was the whole motivation behind that. So um, 0:20:53.760 --> 0:20:56.680 I'm not gonna say the matches that you guys, games 0:20:56.720 --> 0:20:58.360 that you had to win and all that. I want 0:20:58.359 --> 0:21:02.560 to go to that point finals the puk is on 0:21:02.600 --> 0:21:05.679 your hockey stick, what are you thinking in that moment? 0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:08.480 To be honest, I don't feel this moment. I felt 0:21:08.480 --> 0:21:12.160 the moment more when the Russia tied the game laid 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:16.720 on the third period. I never felt that way. I was. So, 0:21:17.960 --> 0:21:20.800 let's let's see this. This is more instinct. There's no 0:21:20.840 --> 0:21:23.000 way I can aim. I can This is just the 0:21:23.359 --> 0:21:26.920 instinct which is you you have as an athlete, and 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:29.359 some of them, some of the players are have a 0:21:29.400 --> 0:21:32.000 better instinct or you know. To me, we just came 0:21:32.040 --> 0:21:34.320 in the right time and I just took advantage from 0:21:34.320 --> 0:21:40.680 the shot and maybe and that goal what I didn't score, 0:21:40.760 --> 0:21:43.760 we score as a team. We really that was for us. 0:21:44.200 --> 0:21:47.080 We did everything that we could do, and through a tournament, 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:51.199 we got together as a team as a group and 0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:53.960 we all believe we're gonna win it. And that's I felt. 0:21:53.960 --> 0:21:56.720 That came from my stick. But there was a team 0:21:56.720 --> 0:22:00.680 goal and talk about that feeling whether Russia tie the game, 0:22:00.920 --> 0:22:03.680 I this is. I never had that same feeling ever. 0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:08.320 I felt. I had my legs and the cement I 0:22:08.400 --> 0:22:12.680 was that was so heavy. I was nervous from my stomach. 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:15.600 I didn't know what to say. I started walking on 0:22:15.640 --> 0:22:19.200 the bench up and forth and tried tried to tell everybody, 0:22:19.320 --> 0:22:22.320 which is, I don't think I I believe that I 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:26.200 could what I was saying. I told everybody, Hey, if 0:22:26.240 --> 0:22:29.680 somebody told us before the game, four or five minutes 0:22:29.760 --> 0:22:32.800 left in the game, we are tied. If somebody told 0:22:32.840 --> 0:22:36.920