Czech out this quick English study
Flames’ Rittich picking up on NHL’s nuances
BOSTON • For Calgar y Flames backup netminder David Rittich, it seems that playing the game is the easiest aspect of the National Hockey League.
But learning a different language, trying to speak and understand on-ice chirps, the dressing room talk, dealing with the media, and general day-to-day minutia of being a professional hockey player in North America, not so easy.
Asking simple questions like “Which door is the players’ entrance?” or “What time is practice?” has been the biggest adjustment for the native of Jihlava, Czech Republic. Rewind to the summer of 2016, when Rittich signed with the Flames as a 23-yearold wildcard out of the Czech Extraliga.
“At that point, he couldn’t speak a lick of English,” said Flames goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet.
Yet, so intent was he on being able to live out his childhood dream of playing in the NHL, Rittich insisted on doing his first interview with the Flames himself. In English. With zero help. The scene is almost comical. A four-way speaker phone call was set up among Sigalet, assistant GM Brad Pascal, Rittich and Rittich’s agent.
“He tried. You had to give him credit — he wanted to do the interview in English. But it would have taken a few hours so the ( agent) helped with that,” Sigalet said with a chuckle.
“You can just tell that he had character, the character of a guy you’d want in your organization. He learned the language so quickly. He didn’t care if he embarrassed himself doing it. He wanted to learn the language and embed himself in the team.”
Rittich finds himself as the starting goaltender in Tuesday’s clash at TD Garden against the Boston Bruins, a decision which was in the works before Mike Smith suffered a lower body/groin injury in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the New York Islanders.
Smith’s injury — which hasn’t been officially an- nounced yet — doesn’t appear to be as serious as originally thought when he was helped off the ice on Sunday with 1.1 seconds left in the third period.
But it means the 25- yearold Flames backup could see plenty of action while Smith, Calgary’s No. 1, takes time to heal. Yet, recalling that interview, even he has to chuckle.
“I didn’t speak English,” he recalled following Monday’s short practice at Warrior Ice Arena, the Bruins’ practice facility. “So, it was me, my agent Robert, Jordan and I don’t know who else was there. I try to speak English but I didn’t have any clue what was going on. So I just asked my agent and he just translated. It was, like, all translated through my agent. It was pretty funny, if I am thinking about it. But it’s way better right now.”
Rittich explains how important it is to be a good teammate.
“You want to talk to the guys,” said the 6- f oot- 3, 202- pounder. “You want to have fun. You want to make fun. You don’t want to stand in the corner, watching the guys. They can talk about something and you can understand and in one second, they ask you, ‘ What do you think about that?’ And you’re like, ‘ Uhh. Ahh.’ That’s it. You know? Right now, they can ask me about something and I can answer. ... I think I’m getting better every day.”
With the potential of playing more comes more face time on Sportsnet, TSN, FlamesTV and other television outlets as well as the questions and requests of online and print journalists.
And it’s something he’s getting better at. WAY better.
After facing 32 shots in a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 8, part of Calgary’s current six-game road trip, Rittich is now 5-1-2 with a 2.20 goals against average and .927 save percentage.
“The biggest thing is I want to learn, I want to play, I want to stay here. That’s maybe why I learn pretty quick.”