Tomas Plekanec Joins Jaromir Jagr In Front Office Of Hometown Kladno Team

Tomáš Plekanec is honored for playing in his 1000th NHL game on Oct. 17, 2018 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. © Jean-Yves Ahern-Imagn Images

The day after the team played its final game home game of the season on Sunday, Czech Extraliga club Rytíři Kladno announced that one of its own would be joining its front office. Tomáš Plekanec was introduced as the team’s new sports director – a role that is roughly similar to a director of hockey operations on an NHL team.

Plekanec retired as a player in Nov. 2023 and was immediately named as an assistant coach for the Czech national team. He will continue in that role in addition to his new position with the Kladno club.

“After the end of my playing career, I continued to follow the Knights and kept my fingers crossed for them,” said Plekanec. “I would like to see our team play at the top and I will try to help Kladno hockey achieve some success again.”

Kladno finished 13th out of 14 Extraliga teams this season, but that is the team’s highest finish since 2012-13 when it finished seventh. Since then, the Knights have either faced relegation or played in the second tier of Czech hockey. Although Kladno has never won a national championship, the team played in the top tier of Czechoslovak or Czech hockey from 1955 to 2014.

In January, Tomáš Drastil became the club’s new majority owner, reducing Jaromíř Jágr’s ownership share to 20 percent.

“When I see the passion and listen to Tomáš Drastil’s vision and plans, it can be achieved,” Plekanec continued. “That’s why I didn’t hesitate to accept his offer. It’s great to be back with the club.”

In
the team’s second-to-last game of the Czech Extraliga regular
season, and last game at home before
a sell-out crowd of 5,200,
Rytíři Kladno lost 5-0 to
visiting HC Vítkovice
Ridera on
Sunday,
which
mathematically eliminated
Kladno from playoff contention.

thehockeynews.comDid Jaromír Jágr Play His Last Career Game On Sunday? Maybe Not, Some SayIn the team’s second-to-last game of the Czech Extraliga regular season, and last game at home before a sell-out crowd of 5,200, Rytíři Kladno lost 5-0 to visiting HC Vítkovice Ridera on Sunday, which mathematically eliminated Kladno from playoff contention.

Plekanec will run the club’s hockey operations along with GM Jágr – who may or may not continue to play for the team – and sports manager Jiří Berger.

“The work of this trio will focus not only on strengthening the squad for next season, but also on longer-term conceptual development, said Drastil. “The goal is to return Kladno hockey to the level it historically belongs to as soon as possible and to put together a competitive team that can contend in the Extraliga. We had long discussions with Tomáš Plekanec and sat down to exchange opinions. I am very pleased that he accepted my job offer.”

Like Jágr, Plekanec was born and raised in Kladno, and played his youth and junior hockey with the local club. Before embarking on his lengthy NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens and, very briefly, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Plekanec also played his first two full pro seasons in Kladno from 2000 to 2002.

After playing in his 1001st NHL regular-season game in Oct. 2018, Plekanec returned to Kladno. He retired due to health reasons nine games into the 2023-24 season.

Back in
October, Montreal
Canadiens right winger Juraj Slafkovský
heaped heavy criticism on the Slovak Ice Hockey Association and
Hockey Slovakia fired back, dismissing the remarks as “ill-considered
statements of a young player.”

thehockeynews.comHockey Slovakia President Miroslav Šatan: ‘The Door To The National Team Is Still Open to Juraj Slafkovský’Back in October, Montreal Canadiens right winger Juraj Slafkovský heaped heavy criticism on the Slovak Ice Hockey Association and Hockey Slovakia fired back, dismissing the remarks as “ill-considered statements of a young player.”