For three decades, Zdenek Matejovsky has been a familiar face in the Center Bell press gallery, providing european outlets with coverage of the Montreal Canadiens. But behind the seasoned journalist-who speaks seven languages and has interviewed countless NHL stars-lies a remarkable personal story of escape from Communist Czechoslovakia. This is the story of a daring flight to freedom and the unlikely path that led Matejovsky to a decades-long career in sports journalism.
Zdenek Matejovsky is a familiar face to everyone in the Centre Bell press gallery. The freelance journalist speaks seven languages and has covered the NHL for European media for three decades, interviewing countless players along the way. But the most compelling story, one many of his colleagues don’t know, is his own.
Published
Though largely unknown to Quebec audiences, Matejovsky is arguably the most globally-recognized journalist covering the Canadiens, with his reports appearing in Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria.
But the story he shares over coffee in Brossard one November afternoon centers on his childhood. Growing up in Sedlice, a small town in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s, meant living under the shadow of Communist rule.
The 66-year-old recalls frequent trips to the border of East Germany, roughly 25 miles from his family home. The “Iron Curtain”—lines of electrified barbed wire stretching for hundreds of miles—completely sealed off passage.
“If you tried to jump the fence, they would shoot at you. At best, they would arrest you. That was communism at its worst. I grew to hate it so much,” he said.
Matejovsky could only dream of a life on the other side…
The Escape
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Zdenek Matejovsky grew up a “rebel,” constantly devising escape plans with friends that never progressed beyond the idea stage.
In Communist Czechoslovakia, adults could apply for permission to travel to other Communist countries. As soon as he turned 18, Matejovsky took advantage of the opportunity, requesting permission from the government to travel to Tunisia. To his surprise, the request was approved.
I still don’t know how they let me go. Everyone was surprised because only elderly people were allowed to travel.
Zdenek Matejovský
During the trip, a friend suggested defecting. Matejovsky doubted the timing, but the idea stuck.
He then “applied” for a trip to Cyprus, and again, his request was granted. There, he sought political asylum at the U.S. embassy, but needed his passport—which the tour guide had carefully confiscated from all members of the Czechoslovakian tourist group.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE
Zdenek Matejovský
Matejovsky didn’t give up. Back home, he learned of a possible trip to Cuba. “The pilots had to stop in Montreal to refuel the plane. For an hour, they let people out,” he explained.
The then 21-year-old quickly booked a vacation to Cuba, with the intention of seeking asylum during the Montreal layover. His application was approved again, thanks to a clean record.
He told his parents and brother he was going on a two-week vacation… but his plan was far different.
I said goodbye to them, but in my heart, I knew I wasn’t going to come back and that I might never see them again in my life. When you do that, you burn your bridges behind you. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to return.
Zdenek Matejovský
“I Was Afraid”
At Prague Airport, before boarding the plane to Cuba, Matejovsky met a young man slightly older than himself, who offered him a seat next to him for the flight. Things were going smoothly until the man pulled a Czech-English dictionary out of his pocket mid-flight.
“Tell me words,” the man asked.
“Why? They speak Spanish in Cuba, don’t they?” Matejovsky replied, suspicious.
“Because I want to defect in Montreal, stay there. I’m not joking.”
“Well, not me.”
“I was afraid,” the journalist remembers. “I thought he was an agent, a policeman.”
Matejovsky remained wary of his companion until the last second, when, upon arriving in Montreal, the man approached a police officer to request political asylum. “At that moment, I thought, oh my God, he’s serious! I’m going too!”
The two new friends were immediately taken to a private room by a Canadian officer, who collected their luggage and explained the next steps.
Walking down the long corridor toward the taxi waiting for him outside the airport, Matejovsky realized he had done it—he had escaped. “Oh my God, I did it! I did it!” he exclaimed, raising a fist in the air.
On his first night in Montreal, Zdenek Matejovsky had just two dollars in his pockets—the two dollars the Czechoslovakian government had agreed to sell to travelers to buy a coffee during the Montreal layover. He recalls passing a homeless man who had more money in his cup…
A New Career
Zdenek Matejovsky immigrated to Canada in 1980. He quickly found work at a German restaurant, leveraging his fluency in Czech, German, Russian, Slovak, Polish, and English—French was added to the list later.
Matejovsky reunited with his parents a few years later. The government initially allowed his father to come to Montreal alone, to avoid the entire family defecting. The following year, his mother and brother joined him for a visit.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE
Zdenek Matejovský
Over the years, Matejovsky traveled extensively. It was during a trip to Egypt that he took his first step toward a career in media. A Czech journalist from the newspaper Práce contacted him, and Matejovsky agreed to send the paper articles about hockey from Canada.
The first game Matejovsky covered as a journalist at the Forum was on December 2, 1995. Hockey fans remember the game vividly—it was Patrick Roy’s last in a Canadiens uniform.
“I thought, wow, this is crazy, I’m going to write a story about this. The station managers were happy. I called my father and asked if he was seeing my article, and he said yes!” he recalled with enthusiasm.
The next day, I woke up and Patrick Roy had been traded to Colorado [for Czech player] Martin Ručinský. It was like it was all planned!
Zdenek Matejovský
After that, Matejovsky acquired a small camera, which he used to film interviews with European players. To deliver the footage to Czech TV Nova, he would give the cassette to an acquaintance who worked for the Czech airline. “My father would wait at the airport to pick up the videos and bring them to the station,” he recounts as if it were commonplace.
Slafkovský’s Arrival
After more than 40 years in Canada, Zdenek Matejovsky has built a career, a family, and a life. Today, he works for television stations in Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria.
After every Canadiens game, the journalist seeks out Juraj Slafkovský for comment. “When he was drafted, I was thrilled to have a good Slovak player here,” Matejovsky noted.
When the Canadiens play on the road, Matejovsky travels with them to meet other European players. He has developed strong relationships with several players over the years, including Tomas Plekanec and Teemu Selänne.
Today, Zdenek Matejovsky considers Canada “home.” “I feel good here,” he says with a smile.
“Not long ago, I was sitting at home looking at a ceramic tile on my floor. I told my wife, wow, I arrived here with $2 in my pocket. I couldn’t have afforded this tile then. Now, I have a house.”
