Luděk Čajka (3 November 1963 – 14 February 1990) was a
Czechoslovak professional
ice hockey defenceman.
Čajka was drafted 115th overall by the
New York Rangers in the
1987 NHL Entry Draft
The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was the 25th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, and was the first draft held in the United States. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into pr ...
but never played in North America. He played in the
Czechoslovak League for TJ Gottwaldov,
HC Dukla Jihlava and
HC Zlín (formerly Gottwaldov). He also represented Czechoslovakia in the
1987 World Ice Hockey Championships
The 1987 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 52nd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was also the 63rd European Championships. Teams representing 28 countries participated in four levels of competition.
In the ...
, winning a bronze medal.
On 6 January 1990, Čajka suffered severe spinal injuries after colliding with Anton Bartanus of VSŽ Košice and crashing into the boards in an
icing situation during Zlín's game against
VSŽ Košice.
The injury left Čajka paralyzed and in a coma where he died on 14 February 1990. Zlín's stadium was renamed
Zimní stadion Luďka Čajky
Zimní stadion Luďka Čajky is an indoor sporting arena located in Zlín, Czech Republic. The capacity of the arena is 7,000 people and was built in 1957. It was named after Zlín hockey player Ludek Čajka, who was fatally wounded during a gam ...
in his honour.
His death led to the development of automatic, or "no-touch" icing where the violation is called automatically once the puck crosses the goal line.
References
External links
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1963 births
1990 deaths
Czech ice hockey defencemen
Czechoslovak ice hockey defencemen
HC Dukla Jihlava players
PSG Berani Zlín players
Ice hockey players who died while playing
New York Rangers draft picks
People from Český Těšín
Sport deaths in Czechoslovakia
Sport deaths in Slovakia
Sportspeople from the Moravian-Silesian Region
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