Václav Nedomanský (born 14 March 1944) is a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
former
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. Nedomanský is best known as the first Czech hockey player to
defect
A defect is a physical, functional, or aesthetic attribute of a product or service that exhibits that the product or service failed to meet one of the desired specifications. Defect, defects or defected may also refer to:
Examples
* Angular defec ...
to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
to play.
He was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
in 2019. He is also a member of the
International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the Inter ...
(1997),
Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame The Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame (Slovak language, Slovak: ''Sieň slávy slovenského hokeja'') honors the contributions that individuals have made to the sport of ice hockey, hockey in Slovakia. It opened on November 30, 2002. The hall is located i ...
(2002),
Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame
The Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame was founded in 2008 and is located in Prague, Czech Republic. The Hall honors individuals that have contributed to the sport of hockey in the Czech Republic. It houses displays and a collection of memorabilia depi ...
(2008) and was named into the
IIHF All-Time Czech Team (2020).
Playing in Czechoslovakia
Nedomanský played for
Slovan Bratislava of the
Czechoslovak Extraliga
The Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League was the elite ice hockey league in Czechoslovakia from 1936 until 1993, when the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Slovak Extraliga and Czech Extraliga formed from the split.
History ...
for twelve seasons. In 1968, he was a member of the
Czechoslovak national ice hockey team
The Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team was the national ice hockey team of Czechoslovakia, and competed from 1920 until 1992. The successor to the Bohemia national ice hockey team, which ...
which won silver medals at the
Winter Olympics in Grenoble and bronze medals in 1972 at the
Winter Olympics in Sapporo. He also played for Czechoslovakia in nine
IIHF World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...
, and was named top forward at the
1974 World Championships.
Career after defection
Nedomanský defected in 1974 to Toronto via Switzerland.
[George Gross, "Czech Hockey Star Defects to Canada", front page of ''The Toronto Sun'' 18 July 1974 (Vol. 3, No. 182). See also pp. 3 and 32-33.] He was not able to return to his home country until after
the fall of the Iron Curtain.
He played just over three seasons in the
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
with the
Toronto Toros
The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.
History
The franchise was awarded to Doug Michel in 1971 for $25,000 to play in the WHA's inaugural 1972–73 season. Haro ...
and the
Birmingham Bulls, peaking with 56 goals and 98 points for Toronto in 1975–76. He also won the
Paul Deneau Trophy
The Paul Deneau Trophy was presented annually to the World Hockey Association's most gentlemanly player.
It was named in honour of Paul Deneau, founder the Dayton Aeros hockey club.
Winners
*1973 – Ted Hampson, Minnesota Fighting Saints
* ...
for sportsmanship in 1975–76. He then signed as a free agent with the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
in 1977. Nedomanský played five seasons for Detroit, posting highs of 38 goals and 74 points. He retired after one final season with the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
and the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
in 1982–83.
Nedomanský coached in Germany and Austria from 1987 to 1991.
He was born in
Hodonin, in eastern
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
in the present-day
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
''Cold War Conversations - Czechoslovak hockey star defects to Canada (132)''An interview with Václav's son Vashi Nedomanský, who talks about his father's defection from Czechoslovakia to Canada.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nedomansky, Vaclav
1944 births
Birmingham Bulls players
Czech expatriates in Slovakia
Czech expatriates in the United Kingdom
Czech expatriates in the United States
Czech ice hockey centres
Czechoslovak defectors
Czechoslovak emigrants to Canada
Detroit Red Wings players
SHK Hodonín players
HC Slovan Bratislava players
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey players at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey players at the 1972 Winter Olympics
IIHF Hall of Fame inductees
Living people
Los Angeles Kings scouts
Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1972 Winter Olympics
Nashville Predators scouts
New York Rangers players
Olympic bronze medalists for Czechoslovakia
Olympic ice hockey players of Czechoslovakia
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Olympic silver medalists for Czechoslovakia
People from Hodonín
Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players
St. Louis Blues players
Toronto Toros players
Vegas Golden Knights scouts
Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic)
Sportspeople from the South Moravian Region