Jaroslav Spacek (; born February 11, 1974) is a
Czech former
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...
who played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) for over 13 seasons with the
Florida Panthers,
Chicago Blackhawks,
Columbus Blue Jackets,
Edmonton Oilers,
Buffalo Sabres,
Montreal Canadiens and the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
.
Playing career
Špaček was drafted in the fifth round, 117th overall, by the
Florida Panthers in the
1998 NHL Entry Draft.
On January 26, 2006, the
Chicago Blackhawks traded Špaček to the
Edmonton Oilers in exchange for
Tony Salmelainen. In
2005–06, Špaček was part of the
Cinderella Edmonton Oilers team that made a run to the
2006 Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Oilers lost in Game 7 of the finals to the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
. Špaček had three goals and 11 assists in the
2006 Playoffs. He was only one victory away of joining the
Triple Gold Club.
On July 5, 2006, Špaček signed a three-year contract with the
Buffalo Sabres. In the
2006–07 season, he helped the Sabres reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Špaček was named an alternate captain for the month of December 2007 and
captain for the month of January under the Sabres
2007–08 rotating captain and alternate captains system. In the
2008–09 season, Špaček tied a career-high with 45 points in 80 games for the Sabres.
On July 1, 2009, Špaček signed a three-year contract worth $11.5 million with the
Montreal Canadiens.
In the final year of his contract in the
2011–12 season, on December 9, 2011, Montreal traded Špaček to the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
in exchange for defenceman
Tomáš Kaberle.
A free agent, and with the
2012–13 NHL lockout in effect well into the
2012–13 season, Špaček effectively announced his retirement on November 19, 2012. He became assistant coach for
HC Škoda Plzeň and was also added to Plzeň's roster before the trade deadline. He was forced into playing again in the final series due to injuries to Plzeň's defencemen, and he helped Plzeň win its first-ever
Czech Extraliga title.
In 2014, Špaček was named assistant coach for the Czech team at the
2014 IIHF World Championship.
Špaček was inducted into the
Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame on November 3, 2016.
Personal life
Špaček's son,
David, is a professional ice hockey player who was drafted in the fifth round, 153rd overall, by the
Minnesota Wild in the
2022 NHL entry draft.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spacek, Jaroslav
1974 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Rokycany
Beast of New Haven players
Buffalo Sabres captains
Buffalo Sabres players
Carolina Hurricanes players
Chicago Blackhawks players
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Czech ice hockey defencemen
Edmonton Oilers players
Färjestad BK players
Florida Panthers draft picks
Florida Panthers players
HC Plzeň players
HC Slavia Praha players
Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Montreal Canadiens players
Olympic bronze medalists for the Czech Republic
Olympic gold medalists for the Czech Republic
Olympic ice hockey players for the Czech Republic
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey people from the Plzeň Region
Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden
Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Canada
21st-century Czech sportsmen