No place like home: Reunion with Stars, trip to Olympics highlight special year for Radek Faksa

The concept of “home” has been a constant theme and topic of discussion throughout the course of history.

It’s been the focus of many popular songs, including “Home” that helped Phillip Phillips win the 11^th season of American Idol. Or maybe the Daughtry or Michael Buble editions are more your speed? And lest we forget the holiday favorite “(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays” by Perry Como.

The theme of home has also carried over to the silver screen, from Dorothy’s famous “There’s no place like home” line in The Wizard of Oz, to E.T.’s desire to “phone home.”

If you take a stroll through any home décor store, you’ll find a plethora of wall signs, doormats and throw pillows emphasizing the comfort and importance of a humble abode.

But how does one define home? It varies widely depending on who you ask. For some, it’s a physical address. For others, maybe it’s being in the presence of a significant other or a pet. Some sports fanatics may even consider their favorite team’s venue a home of sorts.

For most, though, home is a compiled list of people, places and things that grows as they do. Just ask Radek Faksa.

After spending the first nine seasons of his NHL career playing for the Dallas Stars, the veteran center was traded to St. Louis in the 2024 offseason. But following a one-year stint in the Gateway City, Faksa chose to go back to the Lone Star State on a three-year contract this past summer.

To put it plainly, he returned home.

“To be honest, I feel like we never left,” Faksa said back on Feb. 2. “It’s funny because a few days ago, we played in St. Louis and I went out for dinner beside the place we were living at all season. You have all the memories and the offseason felt long, but now I look back and it kind of feels like it never happened. It was kind of like a dream.”

And though Faksa played just 77 games (including playoffs) in a Blues jersey, the experience was an eye-opening one that helped add to his hockey repertoire.

“I gained new friends and learned something else because I had never been in another organization,” Faksa said. “I experienced something new and it opened my eyes a little, too. Having been here for such a long time, it just felt like the same routine and stereotypes. I feel like coming back after being somewhere else, I got a new energy and appreciate being here even more. I’ve got more excitement and I’m happy to be back.”

Of course, moving to new places and finding new homes has been somewhat customary in Faksa’s journey to the NHL. He was born in Vitkov in the Czech Republic in 1994. He grew up playing youth hockey in Opava, but financial burdens eventually forced him to pivot. Faksa received an offer to play for HC Ocelari Trinec and moved about an hour away from his family at the young age of 11. He lived in a hotel room by himself during the season and quickly learned how to live independently.

Six years later, he made the overseas move to Ontario at age 17 to pursue his NHL dreams. Following a 67-point campaign in his first season with the Kitchener Rangers (OHL), he was drafted 13^th overall by the Stars in the 2012 NHL Draft. After two more seasons in Kitchener and even a short stint in Sudbury with the Wolves, Faksa was called up to Cedar Park to begin his professional hockey career with the Texas Stars in the AHL. He was a core piece of the Calder Cup champion team in 2014, and after 68 games at the AHL level, he made the jump to Dallas and never looked back.

Talk about hopping from home to home. As a result, the move back to Dallas brings a unique sense of comfort and contentment for both Faksa and his wife and two children.

“My daughter has no idea because she’s too young,” the 32-year-old said with a laugh. “But my little guy, it was kind of hard to explain to him that we were coming back and that he gets to cheer for Dallas again. He’s excited to be back and he loves Dallas Stars hockey. My whole family loves Dallas and it’s one of the best cities in the world to raise a family. I can’t be selfish anymore and think just about myself because I’ve got two kids, so I have to look at what’s best for them as well.”

The move has been a beneficial one both off and on the ice. Faksa has played in all but one game this season, posting two goals and 15 assists in 56 contests. Eight of those helpers have been 5-on-5 primary assists, good enough for fifth on the team. His 75 hits also rank fifth, while his 54.0 percent faceoff win rate sits third-best. Faksa leads all Stars forwards in shorthanded average time on ice at 2:08 and has three shorthanded points (one goal, two assists) to show for it.

His 694 career games in a Stars jersey rank 12^th in Dallas history, and he has provided exactly what every team hopes to get from a fourth-line center: a big body that can win faceoffs, kill penalties and provide a physical edge when needed.

And in the weeks ahead, he’ll get the chance to provide a similar edge to Team Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Faksa made his NHL debut a little less than two years after the 2014 Winter Olympics, which turned out to be the last games NHL players participated in until this year. Only a small percentage of players are lucky enough to not only put together a 12-year career in the NHL, but still be playing at a productive and effective enough level to warrant consideration for the best-on-best tournament.

It’s no stretch to say that the NHL’s dozen-year Olympic hiatus could have jeopardized Faksa’s chances of ever representing his home country on the biggest stage. While he has represented Czechia on eight other occasions including the World Championships and even the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the Olympics are the mountaintop of international competition.

That made the call from Team Czechia all the more special.

“Not really surprised because friends and family are texting you after reading newspapers and rumors and stuff like that,” Faksa said when asked about being named to the team. “You never know, but I was hoping for that call. I couldn’t go for the last two Olympics, so it’s probably my first and last chance to get there. It will be exciting and Milan is such a beautiful city. It’s the best players in the world representing their countries. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Some of Faksa’s earliest hockey memories include watching his home country win a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. NHL greats like Jaromir Jagr, Milan Hejduk and Dominik Hasek helped the Czech Olympic team navigate a tough road that included wins against the United States, Canada and Russia on its way to the top of the podium.

To this day, it remains the Czech’s only gold-winning team in Olympic history. But over the next two weeks, Faksa and the rest of Team Czechia will have a chance to add to the legacy. His wife, children and family will be in attendance to soak in the once in a lifetime moment with him as Czechia open up preliminary round play against Canada on Thursday.

“I would say it’s on the same level as winning the Stanley Cup,” Faksa said of the possibility of winning an Olympic gold. “I know how important it is for all of the people in Czech and it’s what I was watching while growing up. When the Czechs won the Olympics in 1998, it was probably the biggest thing ever.

“I have good memories of the Olympics as a child, so it’s a dream for me to play in them.”

It’s a dream that he turned into a reality through two-plus decades of hard work, large sacrifices and plenty of newfound homes along the way.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Josh Clark is a writer for DallasStars.com. Follow him on X @Josh_Clark02.