Hertl treasures being in Prague with Sharks for 2022 NHL Global Series

PRAGUE -- Tomas Hertl skated out to the middle of the ice, a tiny human wrapped in his arms. The kid was bedecked in a teal San Jose Sharks jersey with "Daddy" written out across his back. They talked to teammates on the ice as the Sharks concluded their first practice at O2 Arena here, but mostly they basked -- in the cheers, in the skate, in the fact that father and son got to share a moment that would surely clink into place as a treasured, core memory.

"To get family and my son the experience here with me, nothing is more special than family," Hertl said. "They can live the moment with me. For my wife and parents to see me with my son on the ice, special moment."
It was even more so, given that the San Jose center hadn't seen his son, Tobias, in three weeks. His family had remained back in Prague while Tomas started work on this season, and this trip back home marked a reunion with his city, with his family, with an arena where he played once upon a time.
Those feelings only increased Friday when Hertl took the ice with the Sharks against the Nashville Predators for the 2022 NHL Global Series, opening the NHL season with the first of back-to-back games at O2 Arena. The teams play here again Saturday (2 p.m. ET; NHLN, BSSO, NBCSCA).
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"It's crazy for our family," said Tomas' brother, Jaroslav. "It's perfect. Lots of people for tomorrow's game to come see. Grandmother, big family -- it's 35 people. It's great."
Jaroslav, too, was holding a toddler, Tobias' cousin, Tadeas. The kids were dressed like twins, in black hats and black pants with their teal Sharks jerseys, with Tobias' reading "Hertl."
Both brothers played hockey growing up, one a dynamic forward, one a bruising defenseman -- "big and tough defense," in Jaroslav's words. While Jaroslav -- a teammate of Predators forward Matt Duchene long ago with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League -- topped out at two games for Slavia Praha in the Czech League, he watched his brother soar.
When asked if they butted heads as kids, Jaroslav smiled wide.
"Lot of fights, every time [I won]," said Jaroslav, 32. "I am bigger. I am older."
Tomas, too, played for Slavia Praha, in 2011-13, before making the jump to the Sharks. Which means that O2 Arena, where he will now play as a vaunted member of an NHL team, was once his home rink. He last played at the rink in 2015 during the IIHF World Championship.
"Now it will be with the Sharks after 10 years, when I last played for Slavia in Prague in the arena and I think it'll be incredible," said Hertl, 28. "I will feel like I bring my memory of when I started. I can tell the guys I used to, like, sit over here when I was 18, started playing pro hockey. I had no beard on my face, still baby-faced."
He imagined his family doing the same, sitting there with their memories, recalling how they used to watch Hertl playing for Slavia, recalling how back then it was all a dream.
Now it is his reality.

"He was a young boy, playing for Slavia. Now, for San Jose he's here," Jaroslav said. "It's crazy."
And this time, instead of a relative or two in the stands, one friend or parent, Hertl's whole world is seeing him, in his native city, on ice that once belonged to him.
"It will be cool, all the family can see me together in the same time," Hertl said. "It's always just my parents or my uncle in town or just like separately or my brother and but now it will be like everybody and some friends."
That includes Hertl's best friend, Jakub Krejcik. The pair played for Slavia Praha together for two seasons before Hertl left for the NHL and Krejcik started a career that saw him bounce around the Czech League, the Kontinental Hockey League, to Sweden and to Finland. He is now, by chance, back in Prague, playing for Sparta Praha, the team that now plays at O2 Arena. He will be there Saturday.
"It's pretty special for him, but even for us to watch him experience what he's experiencing," Sharks coach David Quinn said of Hertl. "The sport means so much to this country and their star players are heroes. You couldn't ask for a better role model, not only as a hockey player but as a person. In the short time I've gotten to know him, he really is a special person. It was awesome to watch him bring his son out there.
"You can see the excitement building, leading up to this trip and now that we're here, it's fun to watch."
While in Prague, Hertl has gotten the chance to show his teammates his city, to give them advice on where to tour and where to eat and where to shop. He took them to dinner Wednesday, the team's day off, where they got a demonstration on how to pour a proper Czech beer.
And then he got to show off his arena, his people, his fans.
"It was awesome," Hertl said. "I've never practiced with a lot of people like that and it was just a great feeling. You're coming home after 10 years … and you're playing for the Sharks. There were so many kids cheering and cheering for us. It was absolutely great."
He wasn't the only one who appreciated it. His teammates got to bask in that glow too, the glow of a beautiful moment for a well-regarded teammate, a glow that they believe will only get bigger and brighter when it turns from practice to a real game.
"We seem to be a close-knit group, and no one is more respected or liked than Tomas," Quinn said. "Obviously it's a new season. It's the opening of the season for the National Hockey League. It's our opener. So there's a level of excitement unlike the other games that you play throughout the season.
"I think playing in Tomas' hometown and being able to watch how excited he is certainly should provide a little bit of extra motivation for our guys."