Alena Mills - Women's hockey captain

She stood by the historical successes of Czech women's hockey. National team captain Alena Mills fell in love with hockey in her youth, as a teenager she traveled overseas for it and graduated from a prestigious university there. What did the American environment give her in life? How does she view the public's prejudices against women's hockey and do you think the salary conditions for players will change?

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You decided to move to the United States of America when you were fifteen. You studied in high school and then in college, playing hockey. What did this time give you?

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It made me the person I am today. Every experience on this journey, every coach, teacher, or teammate has influenced me in some way and passed something on to my life. I met a lot of great people who I can't thank enough for what they did for me. To be more specific, it was an eye-opener. Even in high school, I had classmates from all over the world. I learned to understand foreign cultures and mature faster. I had the opportunity to get to know American life up close. Thanks to the university, I combined high-level sports with education and earned a degree from Brown University. This whole system taught me how to work well with time, how to plan, and even how to work under pressure.

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How do you personally see the advantages of the American system, which allows students to have an education as well as a sports career and does not force teenagers to choose between one or the other?

The answer is actually in your question. The American system allows athletes not to compromise between sports and education. A student or athlete gets the opportunity to improve in both directions and get four more years to make decisions. I would say that the American education system realizes the importance of sports for young people and in local society, athletes with a diploma are preferred in companies where recruiters realize their contribution to society.

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You could choose which path to take after graduating. You chose hockey. When we look at the differences between men's and women's hockey, there is a significant salary difference. Is it that women play mainly for the love of the sport, while men may have different interests, such as money, fame?

I can't answer for all female hockey players, everyone's motivation is probably somewhere else. But I can see that everyone who plays hockey simply loves it, there's that love factor for the sport. I can imagine that in some cases love is stronger than career, because women only make a full living from hockey in rare cases. Girls often sacrifice many years for the sport, when they barely survive and make a living from a job that doesn't fulfill them, just so they can continue playing with the vision of a better tomorrow. I truly live hockey every minute, I constantly watch videos, I try to be inspired and find a way to improve myself, to constantly move forward. I know that nothing will fall into my lap, so I go for it.

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Since women do not really secure themselves through hockey, they are looking for ways to apply themselves after their careers. The American environment and university education helped you with this. Do you already have a plan for what you will do after your career?

I have been toying with the question of my future after my career for a long time, which is why I am very happy that I met Robert Sovík, the former captain of junior Sparta. In his organization, which helps Czech athletes transfer and establish themselves at American universities, I help with these processes around hockey. We have developed a great friendship and I would like to continue to participate in the growth of this company. Since Robert also studied at an American university, we have a lot in common and I can ideally use what I learned at school in his company. At the same time, I have learned so many new things about hockey in recent years that I would like to pass on to women's hockey in the Czech Republic. So I can imagine that my life will revolve around hockey even after my active playing career ends.

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What specifically does your help to other female hockey players with moving overseas consist of?

My job at USA Sport & Study involves working with a larger team to find the most suitable university for a given young player, both academically and athletically. We try to combine quality hockey conditions for the development of her sports career with a field she would enjoy studying, so that she has the best possible chance of pursuing one or the other at the highest level in the future. Once we have chosen a suitable place, we prepare her for a successful transfer and establishment. We prepare her for tests, work on her English, communicate with the university and coaches, and handle the necessary paperwork.

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Will earnings in women's hockey change in the future? How long might it take?

Will it change? Definitely! But if we were to consider whether earnings in women's hockey will ever reach those of men, I don't think so anymore. Men's hockey is extremely attractive to fans, not only internationally, but especially overseas and in quality European leagues or Russia. It would be great if several quality competitions were created in Europe that would give women acceptable financial conditions. Competition between leagues could arise and thus better salary conditions. But how long that could last is up in the stars.

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How difficult is it for your teammates on the national team who, for example, did not study in America and do not have time to develop a side career besides training? What are their options?

Most of the teammates are studying either high school or college, some have gone to play abroad, where they either make a living or work. There is absolutely no opportunity to develop a career outside of hockey, most of the players have only limited opportunities due to frequent training, so they do jobs that they don't enjoy and definitely won't want to do after their career.

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After your time in America, you also played in Russia. How big a change was it for you in terms of hockey conditions at that time? How uncomfortable was it?

That was 2013 and the move was crazy. At university we had a clear program for the whole semester, in terms of school and even for the whole year in terms of matches and training. In St. Petersburg, everything was sewn up with a hot needle and the plans were for a week in advance at most. The quality of the environment, facilities, coaches and their training methods were much worse than at an American university. As for the environment, in America we could choose what skates we would wear, what stick we would play with. In Russia there was one team sponsor, so there was no choice, even if it didn't suit half of the team. At university we had the opportunity to go to the ice or the gym almost anytime, which was not common in Russia in 2013. Overall, it was definitely a step back at the time. But luckily things improved later.

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You are the captain of the national team. With your mentality and resilience to pressure, you are definitely a leader, and in terms of your approach, you have something that many male hockey players would like. Has it always been in you, or did someone inspire you?

I don't know if anyone directly inspired me. But I've always approached hockey by trying to be the best version of myself. Some might see that as an empty phrase, but that's how it really works for me. I've had a high bar set since I was a kid. When I know that I've given my all in preparation and that I'm at a certain physical and mental peak, I won't theoretically regret it if a match or my entire career doesn't go well, because I gave it my all. I also enjoy hockey extremely, so from my perspective, it can't be described as a sacrifice. I do it to the fullest and with love.

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Do you follow the NHL? Do you have any male hockey role models?

When I have time, I like to watch NHL games. When I was younger, I was a fan of the Colorado Avalanche, so it was Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Peter Forsberg and Patrik Roy who won the Stanley Cup in 2001. Then Pavel Datsyuk from the Detroit Red Wings was my favorite for a long time. Now I don't have any specific favorites, I just enjoy watching quality hockey at the highest level. Sometimes my coach will tell me to take a closer look at one player's shooting technique or another's skating, so I'll watch the game and pay attention whenever that player is on the ice.

Could it work the other way around? What could female hockey players bring to the male world of hockey, for example in terms of approach to the game itself?

The first thing that comes to mind is dedication. I think women have to sacrifice a lot more to be able to play hockey and maybe even make a living from it. I don't want to stereotype, I'm definitely not saying that hockey players don't have to make sacrifices, I'm just speaking in general. So when you see a high-level female hockey player in a quality club, it must be clear to you that the girl is going to the maximum and has sacrificed a lot for the game.

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You've certainly encountered prejudice. What message do you have for those who say hockey is a man's sport?

To give us a chance! The fans cannot expect women's hockey to be as fast as the one they are used to, for example, from the men's world championship. We don't have that much testosterone. But spectators can find their beauty in it and what they enjoy about women's hockey. Today it is normal to watch women's tennis or MMA, so why can't the public get used to women's hockey? Prejudices against our sport have been and probably will continue to be, but the important thing is that they are decreasing, while the number of fans is increasing.

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What is your biggest hockey dream?

I would really like the future generation of Czech female hockey players to be able to play women's hockey in the Czech Republic under quality conditions. So that the public doesn't look at them with disdain and disgust and ask them "Do you really play hockey? Isn't that your brother's equipment?" But rather ask who you're playing against and wish you luck.

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