Josef Melichar
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| Position | Defenseman |
| Shoots | Left |
| Nickname | Joe |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 222 lb (101 kg) |
| NHL Team | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Nationality |  Czech Republic |
| Born | January 20, 1979, Ceske Budejovice, Czechoslovakia |
| NHL Draft | 71st overall, 1997 Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Pro Career | 2000(NHL) – present |
Josef Melichar IV (Born on January 20, 1979 in Ceske Budejovice, Czechoslovakia) is an NHL defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is the longest-tenured Penguin, and he is one of the team's three draft picks from the 1990s who still remain in the organization, along with Rob Scuderi and Ryan Malone.
[edit] Playing career
Melichar was drafted in the 3rd round (71st overall) by the Penguins in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He played two junior seasons with the Tri-City Americans of the Canadian Hockey League from 1997 to 1999, and was nominated for the WHL's top defenseman award in 1998. The award would go to future Penguins teammate and frequent defense partner Michal Rozsival.
Melichar's first pro season was spent with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League in their inaugural 1999-00 season. He was the only member of the team to play in all 80 games.
Melichar made his NHL debut as a 21-year-old in October 2000, and played in 18 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins were stacked with Czech players that season, with Melichar being one of eleven to suit up for the team. He was sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and participated in their long playoff run, which ended with a loss in the 2001 Calder Cup finals.
He became a permanent fixture on Pittsburgh's blueline in 2001-02, with a strong rookie season that ended prematurely with a shoulder injury. The Sporting News named him the Penguins' unsung hero in their 2002 yearbook. After being rewarded with a one-way contract, Melichar only played eight games in the 2002-03 season due to reaggravation of the shoulder injury.
After several shoulder surgeries, Melichar came prepared for training camp in 2003, only to injure the same shoulder yet again. However, the injury was not as severe as expected, and he was able to play in all 82 games in the 2003-04 season. He also scored his first NHL goal that season (in his 137th NHL game).
After playing for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Republic during the 2004-05 NHL lockout, he signed a multi-year contract with Pittsburgh on August 15, 2005. He was named an alternate captain for the 2005-06 Penguins on March 11, 2006. Melichar finished the season with 3 goals and 12 assists for a career high 15 points in 72 games.
Melichar is currently in his sixth season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has been partnered on the top defensive pairing with Sergei Gonchar. He is generally ragged on by Pittsburgh fans due to his tendencies to make mistakes in his own end. Despite his shortcomings, he is second on the team in blocked shots and has maintained a strong plus-minus rating throughout the season, while playing against opposing teams' top players.
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1997-98 | Tri-City Americans | Western Hockey League | 67 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 152 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1998-99 | Tri-City Americans | Western Hockey League | 65 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 125 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | ||
| 1999-00 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | American Hockey League | 80 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 126 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2000-01 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | American Hockey League | 46 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 69 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 2000-01 | Pittsburgh Penguins | National Hockey League | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2001-02 | Pittsburgh Penguins | National Hockey League | 60 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 68 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2002-03 | Pittsburgh Penguins | National Hockey League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2003-04 | Pittsburgh Penguins | National Hockey League | 82 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 62 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2004-05 | HC Sparta Praha | Czech League | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2005-06 | Pittsburgh Penguins | National Hockey League | 72 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 66 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2006-07 | Pittsburgh Penguins | National Hockey League | 42 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 26 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 6th Season | Career | NHL | 282 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 245 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
Stats as of January 13, 2007.
