PHOENIX - Jiri Hudler grew up as a fan of Roman Horak.
Roman Horak grew up as a fan of Jiri Hudler.
Confused yet?
Long before he became teammates and now linemates with Roman Horak Jr. on the Calgary Flames, Hudler recalls watching his father -- Roman Horak Sr. -- dipsy-doodle around defencemen in the Czech Extraliga.
"The hands on him were incredible," Hudler marvelled prior to Monday's showdown with the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena. "Obviously, (Horak Jr.) got his hockey sense from him and his hands. I'm happy that Roman has made it all the way here. His dad was a great player. When I was a kid, I was looking at his father as a really good player back home."
Horak Jr. is proud of his pops, but he also idolized a different generation of Czech snipers as a youngster.
