09.11.2017 - Luke Fisher

Reicheberg: I like Prague... so I wanted to play here

Forward ALEXANDER REICHENBERG joined Sparta Prague this summer after spending his entire career in Norway before. Now with the team on an international break and Reichenberg playing with Team Norway, we caught up with him about the season and life at Sparta so far.

"I had some offers in previous years in Sweden and places, but I wanted to stay in Norway to make the national team. After I made the World Championships, I wanted to go abroad," revealed the Norwegian international. "Sparta came in pretty early, I didn´t think for long! I knew I had to do it because I played against Sparta in the CHL, and I liked the team and the city."

"It´s definitely faster here, and you have a much higher average level of player here. The skilled Czech guys are really good," said the 25-year old. "The biggest difference is here you have four good lines, in Norway the fourth line is usually junior players who get a few shifts here and there. Here the teams have much bigger and stronger squads."

What about life away from home, in Prague? "It´s nice, I don´t go into the centre too often as there are too many tourists!" he joked. "But I love the city, I´ve been here before on hockey camps when I was younger, and came with my hockey school, we always played in Czech Republic. I like the whole country so I wanted to play here."

However, there´s one thing Alexander missed from his homeland. "The food!" he explains. "The dumplings and ducks are something I´m not used to. I miss my Norwegian food, like meatballs and some good fish." And the language? "My Czech isn´t very good, it´s just hockey Czech so far. I can say some thing, but couldn´t order anything downtown for sure!"

In addition to the Extraliga, there´s of course another special thing on forward´s mind this season. "For sure the Olympics. Of course I want to do well at Sparta but the Olympics are always in your mind," he says. "I have to battle hard with the national team now, in the next tournament December, with Sparta in our league, and hope I´m picked."

Looking to the Extraliga resuming, Reichenberg says “We’re on a better road in the last two games, but we have to win some games. Of course, you want to show the new coach that you earn your ice time because he’s not the guy who brought you to the team.”

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