Tomas Vokoun
Tomas Vokoun
Tomáš Vokounis a retired Czech professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey Leaguefor the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he was originally drafted in the ninth round, 226th overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft...
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth2 July 1976
CityKarlovy Vary, Czech Republic
fun tough
Shootouts are fun if you win, but tough if you lose.
breaks consistent establish good playing relax tough win
It's tough to establish yourself. You just can't relax for a second. ... We've been playing well. Sometimes you get good breaks at home, but to win on a consistent basis, you have to be doing the right things, not just getting lucky.
coming deal dishes door european fight good learning plays puck shots toughest traffic
For European goalies coming over here the toughest thing is learning how to play the puck and deal with the traffic. You often have to fight through the traffic to see the puck. Those things you have to learn. Every European is usually good on breakaways and back door plays because we are so used to it. There are not as many shots back in Europe but (there are) a lot of back door dishes and plays around the net.
area desperate gets kings seem tough win
It should be something that gets addressed, but it doesn't seem like it is. It's tough to win when you take so many penalties. The Kings were desperate and they were better than us in every area of the game.
curable fine perfectly playoffs six timing tough worry
They said it's perfectly curable and I should be fine in six months. It's tough timing for the playoffs for me. But that's something you don't worry about when you think about your health.
against hard nearly playing practice practicing tough
That's just the way shootouts are. It's kind of hard to get used to shootouts right now. We aren't practicing them because we are playing nearly every day. It's tough to get used to breakaways when you don't practice against them.
best czech europe everybody goal grow kid natural player playing practice realize remember saves since style trying watched
I've watched him play since I was 7-years-old. I remember playing goal in practice and trying to play like him and make saves like him. Then you grow up and realize that everybody is different. Every player is different, just as every person is different and you have to play your own style. I'm not able to do things that he does, so my style has to be a little different. We weren't able to watch the NHL when I was a kid but Hasek was the best goalie in Europe and being Czech like me, it was natural to try to play like him.
cancel danger decision friend front immediate life lost national
It was the right decision to cancel our other game, especially being his friend from our national team. You put life in front of everything because he was in immediate danger and he could've lost his life.
against detroit expect win
It was an embarrassing effort. We got outplayed and outscored. If you expect to play like that and win against Detroit that's impossible.
chance
Things went their way. I think they scored on every chance they had.
crucial good team work
Crucial breakdowns to a good team is not going to work. We had opportunities but it didn't work out.
difference satisfying third
There's such a big difference between third and fourth. It's satisfying to come up with a medal.
care hockey people points seem watch
People seem to care about points ? how many points we have and how we finish. I don't play hockey to watch the standings. I play hockey to win.
blocks defense guys helps playing pressure taken veteran
Brendan Witt is playing great. He blocks shots. He is also a leader. With him in the lineup the whole defense has the pressure taken off of them. We have a lot of young guys and a veteran like Brendan helps them play better.