Former Premier League goalkeeper Petr Cech will make his return to UK ice hockey after signing for NIHL 2 South side Haringey Huskies.
The ex-Chelsea and Arsenal shot-stopper retired from football at the end of the 2018/19 season.
During his 20 years in the professional game, Cech won all major domestic honours and also a number of personal accolades, including four Premier League Golden Glove awards.
To this day, he holds the record for the most clean sheets in the Premier League, with 202 from his 443 top-flight appearances.
Petr Cech’s ice hockey history
After hanging up his gloves, Cech – an ice hockey player in his youth – joined Guildford Phoenix in October 2019 and helped them to the treble during the 2021/22 season.
Spells at Chelmsford Chieftains and Oxford City Stars followed for Cech.
It was during his time in Chelmsford that the 43-year-old was first a team-mate of James Pentecost, who is currently a player-coach at Haringey.
During the 2023 off-season, Cech featured for Elite League side Belfast Giants in a charity match. He went on to join the club on loan as emergency cover in November of that year.
In his initial loan spell, Cech’s only appearance came in a 5–1 win over Glasgow Clan, where he made one save during a five-minute cameo. He went on to enjoy two further loan spells at the Giants.
Cech will now link up with a Haringey side competing in the NIHL 2 South, and will join their line-up once international clearance has been granted.
‘His elite winning mentality will be huge’
“I was contacted by Pents [James Pentecost] about the possibility of joining Huskies, and after further discussions about the future and the goals of the organisation and the team, I decided to be part of the journey,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to helping the team reach their goals.”
Huskies general manager and coach Lee Mercer said: “He’s a top-class ice hockey goalie with valuable experience on the ice with the Belfast Giants, as well as a cabinet full of major football honours.
“We’re confident he is going to raise standards across the entire club. His elite winning mentality will be huge for our young squad and give us a rock-solid foundation at the back.
“With Naomi [Healey] out long-term, we also need to fill that gap with someone who can push Dylan [Phillips] and give him the chance to rest when needed, bringing real depth, energy and competition to the squad.”
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