Va Va Vokoun!

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000

By Lucas Aykroyd

Nashville is where you find hot country stars like Shania Twain, Tanya Tucker and Faith Hill. In keeping with that, Tomas Vokoun has been playing some beautiful hockey for the Predators this year. The Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic native started 15 consecutive games in goal from 31 October to 30 November, a franchise record. During that span, the 6-0, 197-pound netminder posted a 2.51 GAA and .909 save percentage, achieving his third career shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks. That win, his seventh of 2000-01, put him ahead of his pace last season, when he only reached that mark on 2 February. Now just one of four Predators remaining from the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft, Vokoun is happy he was picked up from Montreal, who drafted him 226th overall in 1994. EuroReport recently spoke with the Poldi Kladno graduate, sidelined with a groin strain during a road trip to Vancouver.

EuroReport: How is your injury doing right now?

Tomas Vokoun: It’s just a mild strain, but it was still a little bit tight in practice, and we want to be careful so that it doesn’t get worse. It’s better to miss a couple of games than to go out and play and miss a lot more if you make it worse. I’m hoping to be back soon.

EuroReport: How do you feel about your play so far this year?

Vokoun: I think we had a pretty good start, and I played a lot of games last month. I feel good. It’s a lot easier when you know you’re going to have a chance to play every night, and even if you make a mistake every night, you go back in.

EuroReport: How would you describe your relationship with Mike Dunham?

Vokoun: This is our third year playing together, and I don’t remember that we’ve had any problems in the last two years. It’s like everybody: we are both competitors, but at the same time, we’re on the same team. I think it’s a healthy competition, and it’s good for the team. Our relationship is perfectly fine in all aspects.

EuroReport: What’s the most challenging aspect of playing goal for an expansion team?

Vokoun: The first couple of years, we gave up a lot of shots. It was a little bit tougher then. I lost a few games the last few years 1-0 or something like that. But on the other hand, I think it’s good because you get better every night and you play under constant pressure. You can’t give up too many goals because you know you’re not going to win. We play a lot of tight games with close finishes, and I think it’s actually better for you in the long run when you don’t play behind a team like St. Louis or New Jersey, who give up 15 shots and maybe three or four scoring chances.

EuroReport: You’ve come a long way since losing 9-5 to Philadelphia in your first NHL game with the Montreal Canadiens in 1997. What are your memories of that night?

Vokoun: It was a tough experience. Obviously we got beat pretty badly. But like they say, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Don’t get me wrong, when it’s your dream to get to the NHL and when something like this happens when you get there, it’s very tough to deal with. But overall, it was good for me, because I learned I wasn’t good enough yet. My shape wasn’t good enough. I was overweight. So I realized that night that if I wanted to play in the NHL, I had to change my habits. I had to work harder.

EuroReport: What did you learn from the time you spent in Milwaukee over the last two seasons?

Vokoun: I think I only played about 14 or 15 games there in total. The first year, I started there and played six or games, and then people got hurt here, so I was called up. The second year, I was struggling at the beginning. Like they always say, the second season is the toughest one. The road wasn’t easy, and as a young guy, it’s very hard to be a backup. I was 23 then, and it’s not easy when you lose a couple of games and then only play once every two weeks. But all the time you’re learning something new. There’s nothing wrong with going down if you’re struggling and can get through it by playing. If you’re not experienced, maybe an older guy would know what to do. But I wasn’t experienced, and it’s very hard to just overcome stuff like that in practice. I was working as hard as I possibly could, but it wasn’t working and I had lost my focus a little bit. In Milwaukee, I got my game back and then I came back and played well here.

EuroReport: And now, is it strange for you to be playing hockey in the southern United States?

Vokoun: Not really. You know, we have great fans and it’s coming along great. When I got picked up in the expansion draft, I didn’t know what to expect. But the main thing for me was to play in the NHL, no matter who gave me the chance. Nashville is a great town. I can’t say one bad thing about that city. You always have to find a place that fits you. I’ve been very happy so far.

EuroReport: Let’s talk about some of your fellow Czech goalies. Why do you think Roman Cechmanek is having such a good rookie season with the Flyers?

Vokoun: Obviously, he’s an older guy at 30, with some experience under his belt. He’s playing for a very good defensive team, too. He’s a big guy and he’s got all the aspects of the game under control. He knows what to do even when things don’t go well. Sometimes these things are hard to recognize, you know, because some goalies play great but they don’t play for as good of a team and it doesn’t show in their statistics. It’s all relative.

EuroReport: How much of an idol was Dominik Hasek for you when you were growing up?

Vokoun: I always looked up to him. I watched him when I was a little guy, when he played for the national team and in the Czech League. He was always the best player we had, along with Jaromir Jagr. He was the guy who could make the biggest difference. He was unbelievable. I remember when he won the Czech League cup, and his team wasn’t even close to being one of the best teams in the league, but they would win because he was there. That’s the kind of guy who deserves his money!

EuroReport: You became a father in the off-season. How has that changed your outlook on life?

Vokoun: Oh, so much! It’s something different. You can never think how it’s going to feel until you actually become a father. It’s unbelievable. It puts your life in perspective: what’s important and what’s just your job. There are much more important things in life than hockey. You can’t put it in words. You have to become a father to know how it feels.

EuroReport: I guess so! [laughs]

Vokoun: [laughs]

EuroReport: Have you thought about what you’d like to do when your hockey career is over?

Vokoun: I’m 24, so I’ve got a little bit of time! You always wonder about what would be interesting. In the later stages of my career, I’ll start to look around.

EuroReport: Finally, what do you think the key to this team making the playoffs will be?

Vokoun: We’ve got to outwork teams every night. It’s going to be very tough, especially in our conference. Every team around us is winning so much. We can’t kid ourselves and think we’re going to win the last 20 games in a row. We’re not that kind of team. The most important thing for us is to play one game at a time and not worry about the standings. All you can ask for is 100 percent effort.