Defenseman Rozsival dug his Olympic digs in Sochi
When Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival left for the Olympic Games, pictures of substandard accommodations in Sochi, Russia — from bedrooms to bathrooms — were all over the Internet.
‘‘It was two players in a room, an apartment. It was pretty nice,’’ said Rozsival, who played for the Czech Republic in the Olympics. ‘‘After all the bad things that had been said about the Russians not being ready for the Olympics, I think nobody expected anything. When we got there . . . everybody was pretty happy with what we had.
‘‘Everything was new. Everything was ready, and we had what we needed. I cannot say a bad thing about the Russians not being ready as far as the athletes. Everything was pretty much topclass.’’
Rozsival’s Czech Republic team went 2-3, losing to the United States 5-2 in the quarterfinals last Wednesday. The Americans never scored another goal.
‘‘After they eliminated us, I thought they were the team to beat because they were scoring and playing really well,’’ Rozsival said. ‘‘Obviously, the [1-0] loss to Canada kind of took everything out of them. They didn’t look like they had the same game.’’
Rozsival said he enjoyed his first Olympic experience.
‘‘As a team, we didn’t do as well as we hoped, but overall it was a good time — everything was wellorganized in Russia,’’ he said.
He returned to the States on Friday and decided to practice Monday.
‘‘It was a tough practice, for sure,’’ Rozsival said. ‘‘I was here [Sunday, watching his son practice], so I knew what I was getting into. It was tough. [But] I don’t regret it at all. I’ve been waking up at 5 a.m. the last couple of days. I kind of decided I’d get on the ice, get some sweat and be a little more tired [so I can get] a better night’s sleep.’’