Translations by Tomas Jandik
Petr Sykora: Pittsburgh? It's over! (Interview with AHA daily) - 16-Jul-09
http://www.ahaonline.cz/cz/sport/38334/hokejista-petr-sykora-vyhral-stanley-cup,-ale-misto-velkych-oslav-v-zamori-dela:-rodeo-v-brne!/

Pittsburgh? It’s over!

He helped Pittsburgh to win the Stanley Cup. To prevent a goal, he let his leg to be broken by a puck. Despite that, Petr Sykora will be leaving the club. Why? Human grudge is to blame. The current coach Dan Bylsma doesn’t like him.

Q: Could you continue in Pittsburgh?

A: No. My agent talked to the management, and I won’t be back. When the coach does not want Sykora, nothing can be done.

Q: Could you say what happened between you and coach Bylsma that got you scratched?

A: It’s never a good thing when you are coached by a former teammate. On top of that, he used to be a player who drifted around as a fourth-liner. I was younger than him, played on the top line, scored goals, was the little star. Now the roles got reversed, and from the first moment I had a feeling that he let me ‘eat it.’ I honestly say that I have not had liked him even as a teammate. Which does not happen to me often…

Q: Do you regret that there is no way back?

A: Incredibly. I think I had two excellent years there, scored 59 goals, and persuaded the previous coach Therrien about my qualities. But this is business, nobody cares about feelings. I’m pissed off; but on the other hand, it gives me more fuel to prove they had made a mistake.

Q: How much longer do you want to play in the NHL?

A: I don’t want to cling to a roster spot at any cost, to sit on a bench as a fourth-liner. But I do have two, three years in me to score 25-30 goals per season. Though I won’t be hanging around the NHL until forty, that’s for sure.

Tomas Jandik is the resident Czech on LetsGoPens.com and is a man who unifies all the goodies of the American dream - meaning, of course, being a Pitt graduate, a Razorback, and a Penguins fan.

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