Family time for Plekanec, Safarova

MONTREAL - The Czech Extraliga season might've been cancelled, but that doesn't mean Tomas Plekanec is simply putting his feet up.

Fatherly duties are keeping the 37-year-old former Canadiens forward and his better half, former WTA star, Lucie Safarova, extra busy on the homefront.
Just before Christmas, the couple welcomed a baby girl named Lea into the world so there's a real focus on tending to her right now.

"It's always about the same thing every day with Lea - eating, sleeping, napping, playing," said Plekanec, who registered 13 goals and 33 points in 50 games with HC Kometa Brno this season. "It's family time and we're just kind of staying all together."
Apparently, Plekanec and Safarova's four-month-old bundle of joy is a real daddy's girl.
The veteran centerman couldn't be happier to share that piece of information with the world.
"She smiles every time I look at her, which is good. She doesn't smile at anybody else but me," said Plekanec with a laugh while Safarova was in earshot. "Lucie knows it's true. I'm not lying. It's like 99 percent of the smiles are given to me and one percent to her."
Plekanec is also making sure that his young sons Matyas, 8, and Adam, 4, stay on top of their studies.
With classes being conducted online, he has the unique opportunity to see exactly what they're being taught day after day.
"The hardest part of this situation is the virtual school. The boys still have to finish their homework, and you have to push them to get it done. It's a big lifestyle change education-wise," mentioned Plekanec. "But I'm way more into it now, and it's fun to see what they're learning."
When he isn't hanging with Lea and the boys, the Kladno native is getting a true head start on his preparation for the 2020-21 campaign.
With the Czech Extraliga looking to resume activities in mid-September, Plekanec has some bonus training time ahead of him.
He'll be working out at home for the time being before ramping things up down the road.
"We're just using the bands and medicine balls, just kind of simple stuff that you can use at home. We don't have any weights or a squat rack or anything like that. I can work out using my bodyweight. I don't need the heavy stuff anymore at this stage," explained Plekanec. "So I'm basically starting my summer program soon, and I'll hopefully be on the ice a little bit earlier since the season finished in early March. Other than that, nothing really changes. I'll squeeze in another year and see how that goes."

It's safe to say that Plekanec and Safarova have a good time training together whenever they can.
Naturally, competitive spirits run high between the two former Olympians in the fitness department.
"I'm still first in the gym at home. I'm pushing her," cracked Plekanec. "Whatever we do, it's competitive. And guess who's winning all the time? I'm winning, of course."
Every day tasks reportedly also give rise to one-on-one challenges.
"We even have a competition with the dishwasher," joked Safarova. "And I'm losing all the time."

Praise for Andrei
News of Andrei Markov's retirement on April 16 made Plekanec reflect on their time together in Montreal.
And he clearly holds the Russian blueliner in especially high regard.
"He's one the best defensemen I ever played with. He made all the players around him much, much better, and made the team so much better. He was the best guy on the power play. Webby and Marky, those are probably the two best defensemen I ever played with throughout my career," praised Plekanec. "He was one of the best in any hockey situation."

Plekanec kidded that Markov was even less talkative than he was over the years, but he remains exceptionally proud to have called the Gagarin Cup (KHL) winner a teammate.
"Off the ice we all remember Marky, right? He wouldn't talk. He was worse than me, obviously. He didn't talk to anyone, he didn't smile, and he was always serious," joked Plekanec. "But he was always very fun with the guys in the room. He was a good guy."