Petr Nedvěd
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Centre/Left Wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 196 lb (89 kg/14 st 0 lb) |
| CZE Team F. teams |
HC Sparta Praha Vancouver Canucks St. Louis Blues New York Rangers Pittsburgh Penguins Phoenix Coyotes Philadelphia Flyers Edmonton Oilers |
| Nationality |  Canada & Czech Republic |
| Born | December 9, 1971 , Liberec, CS |
| NHL Draft | 2nd overall, 1990 Vancouver Canucks |
| Pro career | 1990 – present |
Petr Nedved (born on December 9, 1971 in Liberec, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech-Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent 15 seasons in the National Hockey League. He is currently a center for the hockey club HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga.
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[edit] Biography
Nedved was born Petr Nedvěd in Liberec, Czechoslovakia (now in the Czech Republic) to Jaroslav and Sona Nedvěd. He left Czechoslovakia as a refugee on January 2, 1989 at the age of 17 after playing in an international midget tournament in Calgary. Nedved was the star of the tournament, with 17 goals and nine assists. He decided to defect to Canada because of the limited opportunities in Czechoslovakia under communist rule, which was very strict regarding athletes leaving the country to pursue professional careers elsewhere. He did not tell his parents about the decision, and with $20 and the help of another Czech who defected, whom Nedved refuses to identify even today, he declared his defection at a Calgary police station. In an interview in the Newark Star Ledger, Nedved said that the "fear of regret" was the overriding reason to defect. For ten months until the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in the Velvet Revolution, Nedved's parents were forced to make calls imploring Nedved to come home.
Nedved married supermodel Veronika Vařeková in 2004. In early 2006, when playing for the Phoenix Coyotes, Nedved asked for a trade to an Eastern Conference team to be closer to Vařeková who worked primarily in New York City. However during the summer of 2006, Nedved and Vařeková separated. He has since moved back to the Czech Republic.
[edit] Playing career
After defection, Nedved played one season for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League and was drafted 2nd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft after scoring 145 points in 71 games. Expected to be an instant star in the NHL, his first two seasons were a disappointment, as he struggled offensively and earned a reputation for soft play. However, in 1992-93, he found his stride finishing with 38 goals and 71 points including a club record 15-game point-scoring streak, finally showing off his elite wristshot and high-end talent. Despite this, though, he struggled in the playoffs and earned the ire of Canuck fans when he asked his idol Wayne Gretzky for a game stick immediately following the team's ouster from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings, an action fans felt symbolized the lack of commitment to winning from a player who scored just 3 goals in 28 playoff games as a Canuck.
Prior to the 1993-94 season, Nedved became involved in a bitter contract dispute with the Canucks which resulted in a lengthy holdout. This would be the first of several instances over the course of his career which earned Nedved the reputation as a mercenary more interested in money than success. While holding out, Nedved obtained his Canadian citizenship, and represented Canada at the 1994 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. His situation was finally resolved just before the NHL trade deadline, when he was signed by the St. Louis Blues, with Craig Janney ultimately awarded to the Canucks as compensation (and then dealt back to the Blues for a package of players). Nedved performed well in St. Louis, scoring 20 points in just 19 games, but again struggled in the playoffs as the Blues were swept in the first round.
Nedved's stay in St. Louis would prove a short one, as he was dealt to the New York Rangers for the lockout-shortened 1994-95. It would prove to be a major disappointment, as he finished the year with just 23 points in 46 games.
For the 1995-96 season, Nedved was on the move again, this time dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a blockbuster trade. In Pittsburgh, Nedved would have the best years of his career on an offensive team featuring superstars Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Ron Francis. In his first year in Pittsburgh, he recorded career highs of 45 goals and 99 points, and also put his playoff demons behind him by scoring 20 points in helping the Penguins reach the conference finals. Included in that was a monumental goal against the Washington Capitals in a quadruple-overtime thriller, which at 79:15 of OT was at the time the longest NHL game in 60 years. In 1996-97, he enjoyed another solid year, finishing with 33 goals and 71 points.
However, Nedved would find himself in another major contract dispute, and miss the entire 1997-98 season, instead spending most of the year toiling for lower-level teams in the Czech Republic. He remained unsigned at the start of the 1998-99 campaign, instead starting suiting up with the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL. The situation would finally end two months into the season when he was dealt back to the New York Rangers in a deal involving Alexei Kovalev. The lengthy holdout would turn out to be a colossal blunder for Nedved, as he actually ended up with less money (once the millions of dollars he'd given up by missing a season were factored in) than had he accepted Pittsburgh's initial offer back in 1997, while at the same time he ended up missing an extended portion of the prime of his career and severely damaged his reputation around the league. [1]
Nedved's second stint in New York would be more successful than the first, and the six seasons he would spend with the Rangers would represent the most stable portion of his career. Although the team would struggle and miss the playoffs every year through this stretch, Nedved would be a consistent offensive performer, leading the Rangers in scoring twice and finishing second on another occasion. In 2000-01, playing with Jan Hlavac and Radek Dvorak - a trio dubbed the 'Czech Mates' - he had the second-best season of his career, finishing with 32 goals and 78 points.
Suffering through a disappointing 2003-04 season, Nedved was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline. Although Edmonton failed to make the playoffs, Nedved scored 15 points in 16 games as the team went on a late-season surge.
Nedved signed with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2004 and spent the 2004–05 NHL lockout with Sparta Praha in the Czech Republic. Returning to NHL action in 2005-06 with the Coyotes, he struggled badly, scoring just 2 goals and 11 points in 25 games. He was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers, where his play improved somewhat and he scored a further 14 points in 28 games, and returned to the NHL playoffs for the first time since 1997.
The 2006-07 season again started poorly for Nedved, and he was placed on waivers on October 18 following a 9-1 blowout to the Buffalo Sabres, and assigned to the AHL for the first time in his career. After bouncing between the NHL and AHL for the next two months, Nedved was claimed on re-entry waivers by the Edmonton Oilers, who hoped he could provide the same sort of spark he did when acquired in 2004. However, he continuted to struggle in Edmonton and finished the season with just 2 goals and 12 points in 40 games between Edmonton and Philadelphia.
As a on July 19th, 2007, Nedved signed a one-year contract with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga.[1]
[edit] Transactions
- June 16, 1990- Vancouver Canucks 1st round draft choice, 2nd overall in the 1990 NHL entry draft.
- March 6, 1994- Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues.
- July 24, 1994- Traded by the St. Louis Blues to the New York Rangers in exchange for Doug Lidster and Esa Tikkanen.
- August 31, 1995- Traded by the New York Rangers, along with Sergei Zubov, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Ulf Samuelsson and Luc Robitaille.
- November 25, 1998- Traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Sean Pronger and Chris Tamer, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Alexei Kovalev and Harry York.
- March 3, 2004- Traded by the New York Rangers, along with Jussi Markkanen, to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Stephen Valiquette, Dwight Helminen, Edmonton's 2004 2nd round compensatory choice and future considerations.
- August 26, 2004- Signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.
- January 20, 2006- Traded by the Phoenix Coyotes, along with Phoenix's 2006 4th round draft choice, to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Dennis Seidenberg and Philadelphia's 2006 4th round draft choice.
- January 2, 2007- Claimed off Waivers by the Edmonton Oilers from the Philadelphia Flyers.
- July 17, 2007- Signed a one-year contract with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga, leaving the NHL.
[edit] Awards
- 1989-90: Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy Rookie of the Year (WHL)
- 1989-90: Rookie of the Year (CHL)
- 1993-94: Silver Medal (XVII Olympic Winter Games)
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1989-90 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 71 | 65 | 80 | 145 | 80 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 2 | ||
| 1990-91 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 61 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1991-92 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 77 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 36 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 1992-93 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 84 | 38 | 33 | 71 | 96 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1993-94 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 19 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1994-95 | New York Rangers | NHL | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1995-96 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 80 | 45 | 54 | 99 | 68 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 16 | ||
| 1996-97 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 74 | 33 | 38 | 71 | 66 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 1997-98 | Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1997-98 | HC Sparta Praha | CzRep | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 52 | ||
| 1998-99 | New York Rangers | NHL | 56 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 50 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1998-99 | Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 13 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 32 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1999-00 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 24 | 44 | 68 | 40 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2000-01 | New York Rangers | NHL | 79 | 32 | 46 | 78 | 54 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2001-02 | New York Rangers | NHL | 78 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 36 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2002-03 | New York Rangers | NHL | 78 | 27 | 31 | 58 | 64 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2003-04 | New York Rangers | NHL | 65 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 42 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2003-04 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 16 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2004-05 | HC Sparta Praha | CzRep | 46 | 22 | 13 | 35 | 44 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 2005-06 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 25 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 34 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2005-06 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 28 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2006-07 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 14 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2006-07 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 21 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2006-07 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| NHL Totals | 982 | 310 | 407 | 717 | 708 | 71 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 64 | ||||
[edit] International play
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Ice hockey | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | 1994 Lillehammer | Ice hockey | |
Played for Canada in:
- 1994 - XVII Olympic Winter Games (Silver)
[edit] International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | Canada | Nat-Tm | 17 | 19 | 12 | 31 | 16 |
| 1994 | Canada | Olym. | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 1996 | Czech Rep | WCH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
[edit] References
- ^ Associated Press (2007). Czech forward Petr Nedved leaves NHL to play for Czech club on 1-year deal. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
[edit] External links
- Petr Nedvěd's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Petr Nedvěd's biography at Legends of Hockey
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