The life of professional athletes is demanding both physically and mentally. Many of them suffer not only from injuries during and after their careers, but also from mental problems or addictions. Petr Míka, a former Czech hockey representative who played in the NHL for the New York Islanders, also openly talks about the dark chapter of his life.
Today, the 45-year-old former hockey player started out as a young talent in the national team of the Czech Republic under the age of 18, and also worked in the overseas junior team of the OHL.
“It is a huge experience for the next life. Even as a minor, a person gets across the ocean, without a family, parents cannot get in the car and come to him. I stayed with the locals without being able to say anything in English. We have to remember that at that time the internet was not developed, no Skype, I was cut off and had to fend for myself,” spoke in the Příklep show on the web sport.cz Mika.
A pupil of Slavia Prague, he was unable to establish himself overseas and returned to Prague before the end of the 1990s, where he played for his parent club. At the turn of the century, he was already overseas again, skating three times in NHL games for the New York Islanders, who drafted him in 1997 in the 4th round.
He left a more significant mark in the AHL, where he worked in three clubs – Lowell Lock Monsters, Springfield Falcons and Bridgeport Sound Tigers. It was 2002 when he left overseas and never returned there as a hockey player.
Three games and enough
During this period abroad, he also looked into the Czech national team. As part of the preparation for the WC in the Euro Hockey Tour, Voedna played 8 matches. After returning to his homeland, however, things went downhill with him.
“I had the goal of playing in the NHL, and later I realized that I set the goal wrong. I was about 14, maybe 15 years old when I decided to do it. I fulfilled all the partial steps that led to it, I struggled, I toiled, I went overseas. I jumped into the NHL three times and bye. It was an ill-defined goal. I was also there during a bad period when the Islanders didn’t have their own farm, but only shared it with the LA Kings,” stated Míka.
Petr Míka spoke openly about problems with alcohol. Source: bezfrazi.cz
“But I don’t think it was complacency. Towards the end, Lowell’s farm team was torn apart, and when that fell apart, they had a hard time throwing us around to other teams. I made my NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was great. At that time there were Jaromír Jágr, Jan Hrdina and Martin Straka, but also Jiří Šlégr and Josef Beránek. Jagr was my idol and I played against him. When I was sitting on the switchboard, I didn’t understand that this was reality.
We played the second game in Toronto, in the hockey mecca Air Canada Centre. I played the third duel against the later winner of the Stanley Cup, the New Jersey Devils, with Patrik Eliáš,” mentioned a native of Prague.
It all started in Havířov
The fact that his career is declining and that something is not right is evidenced by the fact that in the three years after his return from overseas, he replaced as many as seven extra-league clubs. He successively played for Slavia Praha, Havířov Panthers, Motor České Budějovice, HC Vítkovice, Ocelářov Třinec, Škoda Plzeň and HC Energie Karlovy Vary.
“Logically, everyone thought I was problematic. This is not normal. This reputation went with me,” said Míka.
“It started in Havířov. There were three of us in the hostel, a little hurt and upset that we were here and not somewhere else. So we went for a beer, then again,” said Míka.
“When I played in Vítkovice, we stayed a bit at Stodolná. I managed the training without any problems, but someone teased us that he saw us at night. It wasn’t good. But otherwise I wasn’t a troublemaker at all,” he reminded.
His drinking became unbearable, the situation worsened: “I liked the beer. Very much. I drank 17 beers in one evening and didn’t fall under the table. You’re not born an alcoholic, you become one.” With the passage of time, he realizes that if he hadn’t checked it, it would have turned out much worse.
“It is a serious topic. When it slips on someone, it can end fatally. It is essential that a person be as honest as possible with himself and admit it. The decision must come mainly from within,” explained Míka.
He didn’t get home, he had to sleep in the garden in the winter
He also described his hard memories in a blog on the site bezfrazi.cz. Alcohol was present among hockey players, and if he didn’t drink, he would be suspicious or strange, he wrote.
“It’s fun for a long time. A wonderful part of the life of a top hockey player. When there is a rep break, when someone has a baby, they go to party en masse. It never seemed strange to me, because alcohol is a completely normal part of everyday life in our society. Colleagues at work traditionally talk about who last drank where, radio presenters after the weekend find out who drank more.
Ads for alcohol are attractive. People simply get drunk here. It was the weekend, so we got drunk. We’re going out, we’re going to eat. At the same time, alcohol is a drug that has an extreme effect on health. For the body and personality. At the same time, however, it is generally tolerated and there is still an extremely high consumption tax on it, so just let the pints be filled,” writes the former Czech representative.
Petr Míka liked long sittings with beer and stamps in pubs. He did not like to leave the fun and admitted that he often returned only in the morning. Photo source: bezfrazi.cz
His surroundings indicated to him that he was overdoing it with the parties, which, thanks to the alcohol, ended well into the morning. Friends and immediate family said so, but he was woken up only by a message from a neighbor’s wife.
“A person goes from one Christmas party to another, he is often not at home in the evening. At least that’s how I felt. Partying, seeing important people, chatting with friends, colleagues and somehow getting home, at least a little sane. Again and again in a few days. My neighbor and I were returning by taxi from one such party, and I had a bad feeling that my wife wouldn’t let me go home.” mentions Míka. His alcoholic intoxication began to significantly disrupt married life.
“Our debates about my evening schedule have gotten so heated lately that the next time I go somewhere, my wife leaves the keys in the door from the inside so I can’t unlock it and get in. I tell the neighbor and he offered to leave their conservatory open for me if I needed, and at worst I could sleep there. It was necessary,” he remembers.
He got to the point where he had to freeze in the garden at night. “I figured it out right away when I was unsuccessfully trying to unlock the house. But the neighbor forgot about me or I just didn’t find a way to open his winter garden. At least their gazebo came in handy for me, where I slept despite the winter. I saw my neighbor’s wife in the morning, I at least had tea made for me.”
Thanks to this night and the neighbor’s wife, a turning point came that may have saved his life. “She was the one who wrote me a message later that day that really hit me. She summed up in a few sentences everything that I have been hearing for some time from all sides – from my wife, parents and friends, who told me that I was probably overdoing it with the drinking. I myself subconsciously felt that it would slip away from me sometimes, but what…”
“When we blacken, we blacken. The main thing is that it’s fun. After all, everyone drinks. It was a wake up call. The moment when a person starts to think differently than before.”
He admitted that he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol in over 6 years and luckily for him he sobered up before he fully fell into his addiction.
In his career, Míka changed many clubs, besides overseas he also tried his luck abroad. He was in the German DEL, tried Austria and HC Slovan Bratislava, for which he played 4 duels in the regular part of the extra league and 4 duels in the play-offs in the 2005/2006 season.
The Dark Ice: Petr Míka’s Tale of Triumph and Turmoil
Ah, the life of a professional athlete! It’s a bit like being handed the keys to a Ferrari—with the caveat that you have to constantly dodge potholes, roadkill, and the occasional speeding ticket. And speaking of wild rides, let’s dive into the life of Petr Míka, a former Czech hockey player who took his fair share of turns… and some wrong ones.
A Journey of Youth and Dreams
Picture this: a young Petr Míka, just a sprightly lad, flying across the ocean to chase his NHL dreams, the wind tousling his hair and the scent of adventure wafting in the breeze. But let’s remember, back then, there was no Internet. No texting, no video calls. Just him and his charm trying to survive in a land where “hello” and “goodbye” might as well have been Greek.
“I was cut off and had to fend for myself,” he recalls, which sounds less like a motivational speech and more like a Survivor episode gone awry.
From Minor to Major: A Brief NHL Fling
After switching teams like most of us switch socks, Míka finally made it to the NHL—three games and then poof! Gone like my will to go to the gym after a long week. He described his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins as “great.” Yes, the same Penguins that made players look good while making their opponents feel like used chewing gum on the sidewalk.
The Slippery Slope of Stardom
As many athletes do, after his brief taste of the big league, Míka’s career spiraled. He bounced around clubs like a ping pong ball in a drunken frat house. Change was in the air, and unfortunately, it was not just the fresh air of opportunity but the stale scent of binge drinking. He candidly admitted, “I liked the beer. Very much.”
Apparently, he wasn’t just turning down his teammates’ offers for a drink—he was turning up for the challenge. Twelve, fifteen, seventeen beers in a night? That’s a magic number that would send most of us to oblivion. But hey, he had the constitution of a grizzly bear! Every cloud has a silver lining… except when the cloud’s dripping with vodka and regret.
The Wake-Up Call
With great power comes great responsibility—or at least you’d think. Míka found himself in a garden, not to smell the roses but to freeze his tail off because his lovely partner effectively put him on a lockout. “I had to sleep in the garden in the winter… but I saw my neighbor’s wife in the morning, and I at least had tea made for me.” Oh yes, nothing says “I’ve hit rock bottom” like waking up in a neighbor’s conservatory and being served tea like a good morning after a long night of reckless abandon.
Turning the Page
It was the message from the neighbor’s wife that slapped him out of his haze—a wake-up call that might have saved his life. “When we blacken, we blacken. The main thing is that it’s fun,” he acknowledges. And after six years of sobriety, one can only hope that he exchanged the partying for something a tad more respectable.
The Final Hit
Petr Míka’s life is a powerful reminder that the brighter the lights, the darker the shadows. The aspect of struggling with addiction, particularly in sports where drinking is as common as post-match injuries, offers a sobering reflection on the price of glory. However, as Míka illustrates, acknowledging the problem is half the battle, and seeking help can lead to redemption without the haze of regret following every step.
Conclusion
Let’s raise a glass—filled with something non-alcoholic this time—to Petr Míka. Not just for his tales of woe and wisdom, but for showing us that life after sports can still be a thrilling adventure, but with less crackle and more crack open of cold, refreshing iceless water. Because let’s face it; if he can confront the demons, then so can you. Or at least you can try not to wake up in your neighbor’s winter garden after a night out.
For more riveting tales and perhaps a guide on how not to end up in your neighbor’s garden, stay tuned!
