Pavol Regenda recently signed a contract extension with the San
Jose Sharks, but apparently he could have signed a more lucrative deal elsewhere. The 25-year-old Slovak right winger signed a two-way
deal worth $775,000 US if he plays in the NHL or $350,000 in the AHL, with a guarantee of $400,000, as per PuckPedia.
Shortly
before signing, he appeared on a
Slovak podcast(P)opičí
Biznis,
where he spoke about why he chose not to play in Russia. He also spoke about the trade that moved him from the beach in
San Diego to San Jose, living on an AHL salary in a major U.S. city,
and the trouble with attracting NHL players to the Slovak national
team.
The
translations are from written versions that appeared in a
recent Hokej.cz
article written by Dominik Dubovči.
“There were various offers from Europe,” Regenda said. “Even
from Russia, but I wouldn’t go there right now. I know what it’s
like for the guys who are there now. And I don't want to be a dick,
because people automatically take it that you support the war and go
to work for blood money.
“Meanwhile, my teammate, who just went to Russia, has a million
dollars net for the season! If a Slovak received such an offer, 99.9%
of people would leave their families at home and go. But if you go
there as a hockey player, you automatically support the war.”
“Sports and politics are not related at all, but I know that there
are guys out there who get threats and hate messages. So I said no to
Russia. There will be offers from the KHL in the future. Maybe when
the war’s over, I might go there.”
Martin Pospíšil after Olympic qualifiers: “It was never anything against the players” from the KHL Martin Pospíšil was calm and reflective after Slovakia’s 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan on Sunday in Bratislava, which qualified the team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Regenda was acquired by San Jose in a trade with the Anaheim
Ducks on Jan. 22 in exchange for Justin Bailey. In the podcast,
Regenda recounted that experience and, while doing so, oddly compared San Jose to his hometown of Michalovce, a town of
35,000 in eastern Slovakia near the Ukrainian border.
“Right after training in the gym, the general manager told me that
I’d been traded. I don’t like changes, but I had to pack up and
get on a plane within an hour. It was quite a shock, I played a game
that very day! It was challenging. I went from the most beautiful
city in America to San Jose. A new environment… It’s like
comparing Bratislava and Michalovce. The sea was further away, there
wasn’t much to do, while San Diego was excellent in this regard.
But I was doing well in hockey after the trade. Plus, we were much
higher in the standings.”
Regenda explained what it’s like living in a major U.S. city with
an AHL salary.
“I had 90,000 after taxes, and 23,000 of that went towards rent.
Everyone in Europe thinks that if we play in America, we’re
automatically rich, but the expenses are massive. In Slovakia, for
example, I can buy food for a week for 60 euros (approx $70 US or $95
CDN). In the USA, you spend twice, three times that much. I prefer to
cook at home, I don’t like going out to eat very often, but some
guys were in restaurants all the time. That’s $100 right away.”
Pavol Regenda: “I think I can play in the NHL and I know what I have to do to be there” With his flowing sandy-blond hair, Pavol Regenda looks like he could be a surfer and seems quite at home in Southern California after two hockey seasons there.
Regenda also spoke about the Slovak national team. At the Olympic
qualifyers last August, Regenda
played on an effective line with Martin and Kristián
Pospišil – part of a balanced
attack on a Slovak team that included Tomáš
Tatar, Adam Sýkora and Šimon Nemec.
At the recent IIHF World Championship, however, no full-time NHL
players went and, with 19 career games, Regenda was by far the most
NHL-experienced player on the team. Slovakia failed
to qualify for the quarterfinals and the team received plenty of
criticism at home.
“The young guys –
Slafkovský, Nemec,
Černák
– don’t want to go to the World Championships because, in my
opinion, they’re pissed off with the whole system, how it works in
Slovakia…
“You come to the national
team and you look like an idiot in front of people. One person says
that you don’t
even try, another person's
(betting) ticket
is ruined…
“Nothing works in Slovakia,
so
why should sports
work?”
Photo © Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images: Anaheim Ducks forward Pavol Regenda (40) passes the puck from behind the net against the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 NHL season.
Hockey 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.”
Read the full article here