Michal Pivoňka (born January 28, 1966) is a Czech former National Hockey League player. He played his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals. Selected by the Capitals in the

1984 NHL Entry Draft The 1984 NHL Entry Draft was the 22nd NHL Entry Draft. It took place on June 9, 1984, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The 1984 Entry Draft is noted for the unusually high number of future Hall of Famers picked, particularly in lower ...

, Pivonka defected to the United States during the summer of 1986. Since Eastern Europe was still under the Iron Curtain, it was still difficult for younger hockey players from the Eastern Bloc to play in the NHL. During his NHL career, Pivonka played in 825 games, scored 181 goals and had 418 assists for a total of 599 points, twice leading the Capitals in scoring; 1991–92 (23G, 57A, 80P) and 1995–96 (16G, 65A, 81P). Pivonka last played in the NHL during the 1998-99 season, before finally retiring from hockey in 2000 after several injury-filled seasons. He has the third most assists in Capitals history with 418, trailing only Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

*Directorate Award (Best Forward) and All-Star Selection, 1985 IIHF world junior hockey championshipsCollins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.517, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada,

References

External links

Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
* 1966 births Baltimore Skipjacks players Czech ice hockey centres Czechoslovak defectors Czechoslovak ice hockey centres Detroit Vipers players Kansas City Blades players Living people Sportspeople from Kladno Washington Capitals draft picks Washington Capitals players {{CzechRepublic-icehockey-centre-stub