It didn’t take long for the initial melancholy that struck Pavel Zacha to turn to excitement.
Like any athlete fortunate enough to dig their roots into one locale for a significant stretch of time, Zacha had to soak in the news that the Devils — the NHL club that drafted him and carried him in their lineup for six full seasons — were dealing him away.
But if there was a destination that was going to assuage some of those travel woes, it was going to be Boston.
Even from afar, Zacha was one of many NHLers who heard tales of the culture and accountability cultivated in Boston’s locker room.
The opportunity to stake alongside the likes of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand was a tantalizing proposition, coupled with the fact that the Bruins boasted a bevy of fellow Czech skaters, headlined by the likes of David Pastrnak, David Krejci (eventually) and, of course, Jakub Zboril - his childhood friend from Brno, Czechia.
"When I heard the call that I was traded, it was hard a little bit because I played there so long, I've never been traded," Zacha told BostonSportsJournal.com. "But the guys here made it so easy for me coming in. … I haven't had a Czech guy on a team in seven years — (Patrik) Elias was retired the one year before I played and so it's gonna be great, especially in the tough times during the season when it's up and down. But I came here a couple of weeks earlier and talking to Bergy and those guys, it made it really easy to transition for me and getting comfortable on our team.”
To make things even easier, Zacha and his girlfriend weren’t going to spend most of their summer piling up boxes - given that their off-season residence was an apartment in South Boston.
In some respects, Zboril went through the inverse of Zacha’s reaction to the summertime deal.
Of course, Zboril’s excitement resonated through his phone call with Zacha back in July when he first heard word that a trade was in the works.
Zboril, already looking to build momentum toward a new season while recovering from knee surgery, found his spirits lifted at the prospect of reuniting on the ice with a teammate and friend that he first met when he was just four years old.
But then, for at least a fleeting moment, Zboril’s joy churned into a pit in his stomach.
After all, it was Zacha’s Southie apartment that Zboril was renting out during the 2021-22 NHL season.
“My first reaction was I was really happy," Zboril said. "Then it hit me because he was renting me his apartment all last season. So then I was like, 'Shit — I have to look for a new one.'"
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Even though both Zboril and Zacha vaguely remember their first on-ice meetings in Brno when they were four years old, the foundations of their friendship first began when both attended the same camp in the summer up in Prague.
“We met off the ice and we instantly like became best friends there," Zacha said. “Off the ice, he was always a really nice and humble guy and we’ve been helping each other out since we first know each other.”
Even at an early age, both Zboril and Zacha set themselves apart from the competition — with Zacha’s offensive talents often causing headaches for just about any team matched up against him.
“He was a special player back then, Zboril said of Zacha. “Growing up, he was always the guy you'd have to look for on the ice, just don't let him touch the puck, basically. I think we always had one guy who had to play him wherever he was on the ice, just so he couldn't score any goals against us."
While Zacha and Zboril soon became fast friends, it wasn’t until a few years later that they became regular teammates - with the Zachas relocating in order to give Pavel the opportunity to play for powerhouse HC Kometa Brno along with Zboril.
Jakub Zboril (left) and Pavel Zacha (right) became fast friends - both on and off the ice.
As a result, Zacha and Zboril were around each other daily, playing for Kometa Brno while also attending the same school.
As expected, a team anchored by both Zboril and Zacha established itself as a juggernaut - winning four league championships during the duo’s four years together.
“We had over 1000 days without losing a game," Zboril said. "So that was awesome.”
On the ice, both Zacha and Zboril were unrivaled against the rest of their field.
It was a different storry off the ice, especially when matched up against teachers and other school staff.
"When the parents get called to school, it's not the best, Zacha said. “We were (in the principal's office) pretty often, more there than then with a hockey world."
"I just remember one time in the fifth grade, (Zacha) did something in school and he had to go to the principal's office," Zboril added, laughing. "So they made him apologize to the teacher for being a bad guy. And his father (also named Pavel) gave him a flower and chocolates (to apologize). He got those from his father at school and he goes, "I'll give her the chocolates, but the flower? Never!"
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As both Zboril and Zacha continued to set their sights toward pro hockey, their paths diverged.
Following their success together at Brno, Zacha eventually joined Bili Tygri Liberec - a team comprised of fellow top prospects two or three years older than Zacha, while Zboril stuck with Kometa Brno.
In order to further raise their profile, both Zacha and Zboril eventually made the jump overseas and joined the junior hockey ranks in Canada - with Zboril skating for the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) and Zacha playing for the Sarnia Sting (OHL).
With Zboril in Quebec and Zacha in Ontario, their meetings were scarce during their respective tenures in the CHL.
But both Czech products made the most of their sojourn across the Atlantic — finding themselves on the stage at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015, with an offensive force in Zacha taken sixth overall by the Devils, and a two-way blueliner in Zboril going just seven selections later by Boston.
"I think being there at the same age, we never thought we would make it to the draft together and then being there, both getting drafted in the first round was — we never ever talked about it growing up together," Zacha said. "When it was coming closer when he played in Quebec and I played in the OHL, we started talking about a little bit more. We knew that it was going to be an exciting day but also how hard it was going to be to make it. But we enjoyed it — being in Florida, too. It was the first time my family came to the U.S. and that's what they thought the U.S. was, just palm trees and everything."
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Seven years later, both Zacha and Zboril’s journey through the pro ranks has presented plenty of twists and turns.
Even though Zacha’s solid two-way game and hard shot have allowed him to develop into a dependable middle-six asset, his lack of tangible production (180 points in 387 games) — at least when weighed against the high-end offensive potential he showcased in Sarnia — eventually prompted the Devils to deal the restricted free agent to Boston.
Zboril’s road to an NHL lineup featured an even more daunting climb, with injuries, a slower development curve and pressure put upon him by having his name linked to such a fateful NHL Draft stalling Zboril’s efforts to finally break through.
But even after his most recent sterling showcase with Boston in the winter of 2021 was cut short by way of a torn ACL, Zboril's drive and happy-go-lucky attitude didn't wane — a development that came as little surprise to Zacha.
"I think everyone has their own journey and how they make it,” Zacha said of Zboril. “You can see this year, especially after an injury like that — he has a lot of motivation. We talked about it a lot in the summer too and just seeing how ready he came to the camp and how hungry he is to be on the main team and not just making the team, but also making a difference playing here. It's something impressive and I know he always had the thing in his head that pushed him and especially I think with the injury, it was like, 'Okay, I'm gonna show people what I'm here to do' and I think he's been showing it so far."
More challenges will present themselves to both Zacha and Zboril in the days/weeks/months ahead — as is the case for just about every NHLer who has to navigate the peaks and valleys of a long season. But for both Zacha and Zboril — having a childhood friend across the room sure makes things easier when the going gets tough.
... even if Zboril had to find a new apartment this fall.
"It's just something else,” Zboril said of playing with Zacha. “You get out of the locker room and you don't have to think about hockey so much. You have this one special person and you can just tell everything you want to and he's not gonna filter it out. You can talk about anything. So if something bothers you or you're not happy with something or if you're actually happy and you want to say that, too — it's really nice to have that one person you can go to."
