The Belfast Giants have fannounced the stunning capture of former Premier League and Champions League winning goalkeeper Petr Cech on a short-term injury cover contract.
The Czech native, who was a hero for Chelsea and Arsenal across a 20-year career that saw him win four Premier Leagues, five FA Cups and the Champions League, now plays ice hockey in the English third division, the NIHL 1, for the Oxford City Stars.
But Cech will don a teal jersey for this weekend at least after signing a temporary injury cover contract with the Giants which will make him eligible to feature in their games against the Sheffield Steelers and Manchester Storm on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
“We’re very appreciative of the support of both the Oxford City Stars and Petr himself,” said Giants head coach Adam Keefe of 124-time capped Czech football international.
“Petr is a highly decorated athlete, who knows what it takes to perform at the highest level, so his support during this loan period will be invaluable.”
In five games with the Stars this season, Cech has conceded an average of 4.8 goals per game and has stopped 90.8 per cent of the shots he has faced, racking up a 1-4-0 record along the way.
It will be the second time the 41-year-old has represented the Giants having played for them in April’s Hockey Can’t Stop Tour game against Ukrainian side Dnipro Kherson as a way of earning money for the Ukrainian Hockey Dream.
On that occasion, Cech made 15 saves and looked sharp in the exhibition, making a few key saves, but if called upon this week – which seems unlikely, and that he will instead take on the role of back-up – he will find the standard much higher.
Muddying the waters is the fact that it is unclear who Cech has arrived as injury cover for, which has not been specified by the Giants.
Back-up netminder Jackson Whistle has been on the sidelines in recent weeks, but it was believed he is nearing a return and it is unclear whether Cech can even be used as injury cover for the British netminder given it is not obvious whether he is homegrown or an import.
Under Elite League rules, a player can only count as homegrown if they played at least two years of junior hockey in the United Kingdom but, since Cech did not start playing hockey until after his footballing career and has only played in England, it is unclear what his status is classed as.
Regular starter Tyler Beskorowany is not understood to be carrying an injury, while Andrew Dickson is also counted as homegrown and therefore it is also unclear whether he can be replaced by Cech.
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