Václav Varaďa (; born April 26, 1976) is a Czech former professional

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 ...

player and current coach. He formerly played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) in a ten-year span. In his professional career, he has previously played for the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, alon ...

and the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...

. Varaďa was known for his physicality in a third or fourth line role.

Playing career

Varaďa spent his young years with the Czech League from 1992 to 1994, and that year he became drafted. To get closer to earn a spot in the NHL, Varaďa moved up to the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...

(WHL), and then the NHL's affiliate, the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

(AHL). He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal for Doug Bodger, to Varaďa's original team, the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

. Rotating from the AHL for a few years, he created a reputation as a pest and a solid checking line player. He played some of his best hockey for the Buffalo Sabres during their trip to the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

finals amassing 24 assists, three shy of his professional career. Despite the large help of

Dominik Hašek Dominik Hašek (, ; born January 29, 1965) is a Czech former ice hockey goaltender who mostly played for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders of all time, Hašek also played for ...

, the Sabres lost to the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

in six games by a controversial goal by winger Brett Hull. He was later traded to the

for Jakub Klepiš before the 2003 trade deadline in an attempt by the Senators to become a tougher and gritty team, en route to the Senators' first Eastern Conference championship series against the defensive-minded team,

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kan ...

. In a dramatic seven game series, New Jersey came out on top to eventually win the

. After spending his career with the Vítkovice of the Czech League during the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

, Varaďa spent one more year with the Senators. In a game against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

, Varaďa was ready to check defenceman

Carlo Colaiacovo Carlo Colaiacovo ( ; born January 27, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently co-hosting a show on Canada’s TSN 1050 radio station, ''First Up with Korolnek and Colaiacovo''. He most recently played for ...

skating down to the Senators' end. Varaďa collided with him, then Colaiacovo spun into the boards, hard enough for a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration ...

. After taken off by a stretcher, there were fans complaining about an intent to injure, especially with Colaiacovo's history of serious injuries. However, video has shown Colaiacovo was skating hard enough to actually rebound off Varaďa. Once the playoffs came for the heavily-favoured Senators, the team fell to the Sabres in a five-game series, with Varaďa only totaling two assists. In August 2006, Varaďa signed with HC Davos of the Swiss

National League A The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league ...

(NLA).

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

External links

Current Stats
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Varada, Vaclav 1976 births Living people Buffalo Sabres players Czech ice hockey right wingers HC Davos players HC Kometa Brno players HC Oceláři Třinec players HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi players HC Vítkovice players Kelowna Rockets players Ottawa Senators players People from Vsetín Rochester Americans players San Jose Sharks draft picks SCL Tigers players Tacoma Rockets players Czech ice hockey coaches Sportspeople from the Zlín Region