The secret professional Ice Hockey career of football goalkeeping GOAT Petr Cech

Former Chelsea goalkeeper and Premier League legend Petr Cech has recently joined the Belfast Giants on loan as a goalkeeper, but not in football.

Instead, Cech has signed for the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) as a goaltender after switching to the sport in 2019.

According to theguardian.com, Giants coach Adam Keefe said: "Petr is a highly decorated athlete who knows what it takes to perform at the highest level, so his support during this loan period will be invaluable."

Cech has joined the team on an emergency loan and has Giants shoes to fill, with Belfast winning the championship last season for the record seventh time.

For Cech, joining the reigning champions shouldn't be a problem, having experienced winning everything in his football career.

The football legend made nearly 600 appearances in his career, playing for English giants Chelsea and Arsenal.

Cech moved to England from Rennes in 2004 and became one of the first signings of Chelsea's Roman Abramovich era, winning tons of trophies.

During his time at Chelsea, Cech won four Premier League trophies, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League, and the Europa League.

Cech played the final four years with Arsenal, winning two Community Shields and one FA Cup in 2017 before finishing his career in 2019.

His exploits as a goalkeeper earned him one of the first inductions into the Premier League Hall of Fame, having the record for clean sheets (202) and the single-season clean sheet record (24 in 35 matches).

Cech has completed everything he possibly can in football, but when he retired in 2019, the Premier League legend started his career in ice hockey as a goaltender.

In October 2019, Cech signed for the Guildford Phoenix of the NIHL Division Two South (tier four), playing two seasons for them, with one cancelled due to Covid.

Over two seasons for the Phoenix, Cech made 18 appearances, having six shutouts and a save percentage of .934 in his first season and .930 in his final season.

His excellent performances for Guildford earned him a transfer to tier three side Chelmsford Chieftains in 2022, making 11 appearances before joining the Oxford City Stars this year.

The step up from tier three to the champions of the UK's elite league seems like a step too far, but Cech already has links to the Belfast franchise, playing for them in their Ukraine charity game a couple of months back.

Belfast won the league, playoffs, and Challenge Cup last season, but after two losses in a row, who better than bringing in a goalkeeper/tender who knows how to keep a puck or ball out of the goal?