A promising Czech guy attracted serious attention of specialists in the distant 1995/96 season, when he played for the Vaygar club and became best player youth league.
Even then, many loudly prophesied a great future for the young athlete and wooed him in the NHL. The rookie draft Jan passed only in 2003 (at the age of 23), getting into the New York Rangers club system. However, he continued to perform in his native Czech Republic, without trying himself in North America.
Czech hockey fans (almost the entire population of the country) remembered Marek primarily for his performances for Ocelarzhi and Sparta Prague, but he is most famous winger received, speaking in Russia. Right here hockey world I recognized that Jan Marek, whom he will always remember. Perky, cheerful, driven.
He was loved and will be loved in Magnitogorsk, despite the harsh statements of the striker in the Czech press against the team and the city, which sometimes took place. After all, it was as a Metallurg player that Marek won the league title in 2007, scoring the decisive goal in the final match of the series. And in the 2008/2009 season, the Czech became the bronze medalist and the best sniper of the Continental Hockey League, taking part in everything else in the Champions Hockey League final.
Another final, triumphant for himself and for the national team, Marek played in Germany, where the world championship was held in 2010. We remember that match very well, because in the decisive battle the Czechs met with the Russians, defeating the team Vyacheslav Bykov with an account 2:1 .
In addition, Marek's career includes performances for CSKA Moscow and Atlant Mytishchi, to which he was invited by a compatriot Milos Rzhiga right under the playoff series. And after all, he joined the team very well, reached the decisive confrontation with Salavat together with the team, fought for the Gagarin Cup ... Well, why not stay, why? Alas, such is fate.
In the off-season, Atlant updated its roster by almost 90%. Ian did not stay in the club either, accepting the tempting offer of Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. Yes, and there were a lot of compatriot friends in the composition of the railway workers: Rachunek, Vasichek, Slovak Demitra. And you still can't believe that they life path was so short.
Jan, as well as all his teammates who died near Yaroslavl, we will remember the winners. The guys won their last tournament, which took place at the end of August in the capital of Latvia, demonstrating excellent hockey. And it was then that I, being a witness of the next victorious procession of Lokomotiv, finally understood: the team McCrimmon- one of the main contenders for the Gagarin Cup sample-2011/2012.
Who knew that literally in two weeks a terrible thing would happen ... no, you can’t even call it terrible. Just a monstrous tragedy will happen that will take the lives of great guys, husbands, fathers, athletes ... One of which was the Czech striker Jan Marek.
More recently, in July, Jan and his wife had a son who will never see his father again.
Championship.com expresses its sincere condolences to all relatives and friends of the hockey player. This heavy loss for everything sports world, for all of us.
We remember Jan. We won't forget.
Sorrow trembling pierces our body,
We can't believe, we don't want to...
And no matter how much time passes,
We will not let ourselves forget it.
We leave, the door closed tightly,
And he stayed forever
From the terrible pain our heart is compressed,
In an instant, no words are needed.
Jan Marek(Czech Jan Marek; December 31, 1979, Jindrichuv-Hradec - September 7, 2011, Tunoshna, Yaroslavl region) - Czech hockey player, winger.
Biography
In the 1995/96 season, playing for the Vaygar club from his native city, he was recognized as the best player in the Czech youth league. professional career started in the Zelezarni Trinec (now Ocelarzhi) club. In the 2002/03 season, Jan scored 62 points and scored 32 goals, becoming the best scorer in the extra league. He was then drafted by the New York Rangers in the eighth round, 243rd overall, in 2003. Despite this, Jan continued to play for Ocelarzhi. In the 2004/05 season, Marek was loaned to Sparta. As part of the Prague club, Marek took part in the Spengler Cup, but then returned to Ocelarzhi to play the playoffs.
In the 2005/06 season, Marek signed a contract with Sparta, after which he spent one season there. Then, during his performances for the Czech national team, the leadership of Magnitogorsk Metallurg drew attention to him, and, having become the champion of the Czech Republic with Sparta, Marek moved to the Ural club. At the same time, Jan was made an offer by the New York Rangers, but the proposed bilateral agreement and a small salary did not suit the Czech.
In the 2006/07 season, he became the champion of Russia as part of Metallurg Magnitogorsk, scoring the championship goal in the decisive match of the final series with Ak Bars. In the 2008/2009 season, he became the bronze medalist and the best sniper of the Continental Hockey League, and also participated in the finals of the Champions Hockey League.
Member of the KHL All-Star Game (2009).
In the 2010/2011 season, he played in the KHL for CSKA and Atlant. The 2011/2012 season was going to be spent at Lokomotiv.
For the Czech national team, Marek played 36 games in which he scored 18 points.
He died along with the Lokomotiv team on September 7, 2011 during takeoff from the Yaroslavl airport.
On August 28, 2012, the sweater lifting ceremony took place Jan Marek under the arches of the Metallurg Arena in Magnitogorsk.
Jan Marek is a professional Czech hockey player who tragically died in Yaroslavl. This player will forever remain in the hearts of Russian and Czech fans. He has come a long way from a beginner to a star of Russian and Czech hockey.
The beginning of the sports path
Jan Marek was born on December 31, 1979 in Jindrichuv Hradec. Hockey began to play in the local hockey school. Yang began to successfully act as a striker. In the 1995-1996 season. this hockey player became the best player among juniors. Jan Marek started his professional career at the Zelezarni Trinec club, which was later renamed the Ocelarzhi team. The striker's talent was revealed in the 2002-2003 season. The hockey player showed a quality game and, following the results of the tournament, became top scorer Czech championship. Jan was selected by the New York Rangers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Despite this, he remained to play for his native Czech club. Season 2004-2005 this striker spent on loan in the Sparta team. For this club, he played at the Spengler Cup. At the end of the season, Jan Marek returned to Ocelarji to help that club in the play-off series. In 2005, Marek signed a one-year contract with Sparta.
Career in Russia
Marek, playing for the Czech national team on international tournaments, showed himself well, and he was noticed by the breeders of the Metallurg club from the glorious city of Magnitogorsk. At the end of the season, in which the Sparta club became the champion of the extraleague, this talented striker moved to Magnitogorsk. Jan Marek, a hockey player who had no equal, became interested in the New York Rangers club. But this team offered him a two-way contract, according to which he could be sent to the second reserve team at any time for a small salary by the standards of the NHL. Marek and his agent were not satisfied with these conditions. Together with the Ural team Yan in the 2006-2007 season. became the champion of Russia. IN final game against Kazan "Ak Bars" Marek scored the winning goal. The following year, he became the top scorer in the KHL, and the Metallurgists from Magnitogorsk won bronze medals. This striker was one of the main stars of the KHL All-Star Game.
Continuing a career
Marek decided to leave Metallurg, and in the 2010-2011 season. he played in CSKA and Atlanta. The player was invited by the Lokomotiv team from Yaroslavl. The club brought together star players and talented youth. In addition, Jan's compatriots Vashichek and Rachunek played in this team. He was also on good terms with Slovak Pavol Demitra. Many hockey experts considered the Yaroslavl team to be the championship favorite after pre-season tournament. In Latvia, Lokomotiv confidently outplayed everyone and became the favorite of the tournament.
International career
Jan Marek has played at 4 world championships in his career. For the first time he took part in this tournament in 2007. The Czech national team finished 7th in the championship. Despite the failure, Marek's game was highly appreciated by hockey experts. He played 6 games and scored 5 points. The following year, the Czech national team at the World Cup again faced a failure. The team took only 6th place. Yang scored 3 points in 5 games. In 2010, the Czech national team brought a strong and complete squad to the World Cup. As a result, the team won gold medals at the end of the tournament, defeating the Russian team in the final. Jan scored 3 goals in 9 games. In 2011, the Czech team won bronze. Jan Marek has become a true leader of his team. He scored 3 points in 9 games. This world championship was unexpectedly the last in his career...
Unfulfilled departure from Lokomotiv
Jan Marek's agent claimed that he wanted to leave the Yaroslavl team, but the leadership of the Lokomotiv club managed to persuade the player to stay in the team. A lucrative contract was concluded with him, the coach and the fans hoped for him. Marek wanted to leave Russia, as his long-awaited first child was born. The family lived in the Czech Republic, he missed them very much. The wife did not want to move to Russia with the child. Jan did not like to fly, but he understood that this was an integral part of his profession. Before his death, he called up an agent and talked about the upcoming game.
Personal life
Yan met his wife, Lucy, while still at school. They were in the same class. Also in primary school she was nice to him. But Jan Marek could confess his feelings to her only in Last year study. On July 2, 2011, the hockey player had a son, who was named Jan in honor of his father. Marek was the happiest person in the world! He constantly showed his partners ultrasound pictures. Jan, after the birth of the child, was worried that he did not see him at all. But he decided to play a little more in Russia, and then return home to become an exemplary father for his son.
Tragedy in Yaroslavl
After the victory in Latvia, no one could have imagined that in 2 weeks, on September 7, terrible tragedy, which will take the lives of talented athletes, fathers, decent people. Hockey team Lokomotiv flew to Minsk on a Yak-42D airliner. The aircraft skidded off the runway during takeoff. The takeoff was made from the ground. The flight lasted only a few minutes, after which the airliner crashed into the ground and exploded. Only the aircraft engineer survived in this catastrophe... All the hockey players died, including Jan Marek. The cause of death of the players has long been clarified by experts. During the investigation, it was revealed that the tragedy occurred due to pilot error. Jan Marek, whose funeral took place in his hometown, will forever remain in the history of the Czech and Russian hockey. The funeral was attended a large number of people who included relatives, fans and athletes. Marek's father, together with his grandson, goes to his grave every day.
memory of an athlete
In memory of hockey player Jan Marek, an athlete's sweater was raised under the arches of the arena in Magnitogorsk. Hockey player left the team "Metallurg" not in in a better mood: he had conflicts with the players and the coaching staff. He spoke about this in an interview in his homeland. In Magnitogorsk, Yan is still loved and remembered for his filigree game and virtuoso goals. For local young hockey players, Marek became a real idol.
Jan Marek, whose biography was tragically cut short, was remembered by everyone as good athlete, husband and father. The career of this hockey player was worthily marked by glorious victories in major tournaments.
I never made friends among hockey players. There are those whom I know, who know me, for whose sports success I worry. I set up torrents for someone, someone said hello to me, leaving for another team, and for one Canadian goalkeeper middle class I even went to visit, but did not get there. I think all this applies to friends, but not to Friends.
When CSKA signed Jan Marek, I was seriously upset. I knew little about him, and his hockey achievements were blocked by a trail of scandalous stories that stretched from Magnitogorsk. Somewhere I had a fight with someone, I was in conflict with someone - probably, no one wants such guys in their team.
Strangers should be treated with caution, but Marek turned out to be a good guy at the first meeting. He helped Časlava and Pilarž to get equipment, talked to the servicemen on “you”. We are recording an interview for the club site, I ask you to say to the camera "CSKA will always be the first." takes the initiative and transforms it into something like "Always be ahead in the Moscow region." Good guy. Let's get acquainted.
Problems started right away - injury, terrible start of the whole team. There was a special demand from Marek as a leader, and he somehow uncharacteristically for a hockey player took everything to heart.
Suddenly I felt very ashamed in front of him. For making it all work out. For an audience of 500 people at home matches. I experienced similar feelings after Shupler's resignation. I didn't fire him, but it's very inconvenient. In a losing streak, I found a few seconds after some game to find some simple words of encouragement for Marek. Well, you know, "play your hockey, try hard, luck will come." Like in those American movies where the school team of losers suddenly transforms and wins the state championship. For Jan, these words suddenly turned out to be important, and he himself shared his experiences with me. He said that for such money you need to get into an empty net. That he was tired of not being able to complete the game task. It seems that he was seriously upset by his transition. In the end, he once said that it was not he who made a mistake with the team, but CSKA made a mistake with him.
And then there was the story from the interview " Soviet sport» about the level of Jan Stastny's game. With the whole team, then Marek refused to speak, and Shtastny shook his hand, but the sediment remained. Suddenly, we found out that the leaders of CSKA decided to leave Marek in reserve for the match with Spartak on Khodynka as a punishment. We decided to go up to Nemchinov and tell him everything that Ian was talking about. As a result, Sergei Lvovich again summoned him to an audience on the day of the derby, but instead game task just talked heart to heart and presented a bottle of wine from Igor Larionov. And in the second minute of the meeting, Marek took the puck from the Spartak player and gave a jeweler assist to the same Stastny, whom he squeezed in his arms in a couple of seconds in a way that players from the Czech Second League do not squeeze.
Do you think this is a story with a happy ending? No, we lost again without will. In life, there is little place for a fairy tale.
But behind the black stripe, there should still be a white one. A series of defeats gave way to a series of victories, the most valuable of which was over Dynamo Moscow. Cord tells the truth: “People don’t like other people’s failures,” but everyone wants to be involved in victory. After such a victory, I did not have the opportunity to approach Marek. He just scored the decisive goal, with which Fetisov congratulated him. Yes, and there was no such desire - I'm not a psychologist and not his agent, I just found a couple of words of support. I was quietly standing somewhere in the corner of a huge army locker room, when they gently pushed me in the side and, in a well-known Russian language with a Czech dialect, known to any hockey fan, they said: “This day does not mean anything. Thank you for those days, friend.
You've probably already followed storyline and realized that the miracle and magical transformation of the team did not happen. That's right, we were far from the playoffs all the way and right before the deadline we had a leaderboard sell-off. Marek went to Mytishchi.
In the first matches, something worked out for him, and then everything became somehow sad. They wrote about the injury, but he simply did not qualify for the squad in terms of sports performance. Imperceptibly played 4 games with Severstal, on March 8 I played 10 minutes with SKA, for which I managed to earn “minus 3”. And soon the score in the series SKA - Atlant became 3:1, and, in general, it was all over.
I was tempted to call or write a couple of warm words, but I did not overestimate my role in Marek's life and decided not to touch him during the playoffs. On March 16, I almost choked at dinner with surprise: Marek called me himself.
Hi Hi. My wife is defending her diploma in Prague, studying to be a journalist. She was told that since her husband plays for the Red Army, then let her write a diploma about his history, about matches with the LTC, about Tarasov. Nothing found on the Internet. Will you help?
I myself imagined the volume of texts about the history of CSKA on the Internet and undertook to help. But that was not the point. I told him my favorite story, which has always helped me find inner reserves and believe in myself:
Sasha Suglobov ended up in CSKA in the 2007/2008 season, when the squad was stronger than ever. It was difficult for him to prove himself, he was after a serious injury and played in the 4th link, and he was already looking for a replacement for next year- as far as I remember, they were supposed to exchange him at Severstal for the current player of Magnitogorsk. CSKA advanced to the playoffs from 3rd place, but ended up with Ak Bars. I remember the first match with a score of 0:6, morally killed by Petya Schastlivy and a meeting with Sergey Kushchenko late at night. CSKA entered the second match as last Stand– especially since it could very well be the last home fight of the season. By the middle of the second period, we were losing 1:5, Kasutin missed from the first throw, and Bykov began to shuffle the links. Suglobov was in the first team, and then ... And then hockey happened, which I have never seen again in my life. The beaten CSKA returned to the game with the experienced Ak Bars, and Suglobov equalized the score in the minority, who scored a hat-trick! Rosneft promises to demolish LDS CSKA and build new stadium, but at that moment, I thought he would naturally collapse from what was happening in the stands. This match changed Suglobov's army career. He spent 3 more seasons in CSKA, became a favorite of the public, and no one asked in the stands “Why do we keep this meat?” That match, by the way, lost, 5:6.
To be a champion, you need to plow every shift of every match, - I said to Marek, - but even one match can change everything. First of all, how you treat yourself.
We said goodbye, and at 18:50, 10 minutes before the start of the match, I suddenly received a text message: “Now I understand what you said. Thank you. I went to my match."
In that game, SKA quickly took the lead. And then Marek equalized. He spent the most time on the ice, and Atlant won. In the sixth game, the Atlanteans won 2-1 at home - both goals were scored by Marek. In Game 7, of course, he was on the ice the second the Mytishchi knocked St. Petersburg out of the playoffs.
Then there was a series with Lokomotiv, in which the link Marek - Bulis - Irgl already sparkled with might and main. And then there was the final with Salavat Yulaev, where Marek was generally the main player of his team and eventually became its top scorer in this series. He is in the fifth
equalized the match in Ufa because he knew that one match decides everything.
We warmly communicated all this time, I personally supported him, although in the same series with Lokomotiv I was rooting for Yaroslavl. Finally, I finished my diploma, and Jan was the season, and we met again.
We stood on the porch of the LDS CSKA and squinted from the April sun. It was still fresh, but we were both light. Marek said that he would hardly remain in Atlanta, that he would like to play for Sparta, and he praised the young army hockey players, who won the Kharlamov Cup a week later. Finally, he asked how much my services cost. I refused money.
I did what I love myself and what was interesting to myself. How can I get money for this? And then, let you have at least something good to remember about the season at this club.
He suddenly turned away and began to look directly at the blinding sun. I then understood what he was thinking. He thought about his wife Lucia, whom he fell in love with in the first grade of school, and confessed this only in the 11th. I thought about what even today you can bring good news to a person just like that, without spiritual and material investments, simply because someone wishes you well.
All my family in front of you now has dluh, Vladimir. It's like a debt, but different. I don't know how it would be in Russian. Just know that we are always there. When you are in Prague, be sure to visit, - said Marek and retired to the exit of the sports complex, where puddles in the sun became like golden rivers.
I was not going to Prague, but I immediately felt that I would go there. As well as the fact that I have a friend whose existence I did not believe all this time.
Life is not cinema or theater. Bad news does not catch us in the center of the stage in the beams of spotlights, disturbing music does not play, and even the screen does not go black after them. I found out about the Lokomotiv disaster in fast food - I got a call from an always calm close friend who almost sobbed. I ran to work, and I don’t want to remember the next day, but I will always remember.
This year we have quite a problem - there is no snow, the tourists are disappointed. For a long time this has not happened in the Czech Republic, - a customs officer at the Prague airport complained to me.
I was calm - tomorrow New Year, but in a couple of days a very difficult trip awaits me in every sense.
To Jindrichuv Hradec, one had to travel from Prague by two trains – national and regional. From the window of the first one one could see neat villages and ancient small settlements with chapels, as well as manicured fields and forests; there was even a tree growing farm. The sun was shining brightly, people at the stations were smiling.
The regional train had only 40 seats, and some of its stations were right in the middle of a white field. Outside the window were abandoned villages, swamps and rickety forests. The sky was filled with leaden clouds. Jindrichuv was his last destination. At the station, I was met by a Good Night, White Pride sticker, where for some reason the silhouette in felt boots and earflaps suffered. Once I was in the city of Staiti in southern Italy. Its population is 335 people, and I thought: here it is, the edge of the universe. Now I began to doubt. At the suggestion to speak in English, German and Russian, passers-by quickened their pace. At the station somehow we were able to call a taxi. The driver was young and energetic, but foreign languages knew only Slovak. I had to take the trouble to explain where I should be taken, because the Czech “hrzhbitov” is not at all like the Russian “cemetery”.
There was no one at the cemetery - neither the administration, nor the watchman, nor visitors. I miraculously stumbled upon two hard workers who were repairing something, who knew a couple of words in German and decided to take me to the grave of Jan Marek. I saw a photo in "ru_hockey" with a cross standing apart from everyone else, but I had to see something else.
His grave was right on the edge of the road, under a tree. A modest cross, club and flowers. Candles were burning - December 31 would have been Marek's birthday, apparently, locals came to visit him. A squally wind was blowing, a terrible rain was pouring down, turning all the paths of the cemetery into mud rivers. Something trembled inside me when I first saw the cross. It was as if I saw an old acquaintance and wanted to tell him a lot. I did what I wanted and had to do. I came to him. We didn't say goodbye, we saw each other.
I got wet to the skin. The clouds parted, and in the blue January sky, as if teasingly, the sun shone. We hurried to the station, far ahead could be seen the historical part of the gloomy city with tiled roofs. When I was getting on the train, I saw passers-by taking pictures of a plane flying high in the sky. Still, because planes never fly here.
Our fate is to spend a lot of time on trifles, to go astray a thousand times and go into the wrong steppe. Despite such a difficult situation, let's be a little more attentive to others. Among them, there are probably your old and new friends who will brighten up the rest of the little things in life.
