Chelsea legend Petr Cech makes his ice Hockey debut

Petr Cech played for Chelsea and Arsenal before retiring from football

In a thrilling 5-1 victory over Glasgow Clan, Petr Cech, a legendary player of Chelsea, made his ice hockey introduction with Belfast Giants, an Elite League team.

Coach Adam Keefe brought on the former Blues goalie with 4:43 remaining in the game after the defending triple winners had already secured a 5-1 victory. The 6,000-person crowd began yelling, "We Want Cech," and Keefe obliged, letting the Champions League winner walk onto the rink to thunderous applause.

Cech is currently on a loan from Oxford City Stars, an outfit that plays in the National Ice Hockey League, a lower league than the Elite League, to Belfast Giants. Prior to this, he was a custodian with Guildford Phoenix and Chelmsford Chieftains, a position that is comparable to a custodian in football.

Cech hopes to do well with the Giants against the Nottingham Panthers tomorrow at 4 PM UK time, sporting his new avatar.

It's admirable how Petr Cech switched from football to ice hockey. After joining the Guildford Phoenix in October 2019, he accepted his position in the Division 2 National Ice Hockey League as a goalie.

As a memorial to Dominik Hasek, Cech wore the number 39 shirt. He had an incredible debut and won man-of-the-match. He transferred to Chelmsford Chieftains in November 2022 after having a treble-winning season with Guildford Phoenix in 2021–2022, in June 2023, he joined Oxford City Stars.

Cech participated in a charity game for the Belfast Giants during the 2023 off-season, helping to raise £65,000 for ice hockey in Ukraine. He later signed a short loan with Belfast Giants in November 2023 to serve as emergency cover.

In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Cech discussed his early love of ice hockey and the financial struggles that drove him to focus on football.