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Martin Havlát (; born April 19, 1981) is a Czech former professional
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 ...
player who played 14 seasons 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) from 2000 to 2016.


Playing career


Ottawa Senators

Havlát was selected from the Czech Extraliga in the first round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 26th overall, by the
Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...
. He remained in the Czech Republic for one more season before joining the Senators for his rookie NHL season in 2000–01. Havlát recorded 19 goals and 42 points in his first year and was a finalist for the
Calder Memorial Trophy The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving ...
as the League's rookie of the year. Playing for the Senators, he earned the nickname "Mach 9" for his speed and the jersey number he wore. In Havlát's third year with the club, he notched his second-consecutive 20-goal campaign with 24 goals and 59 points before helping the Senators on a 2003 playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals. He was criticized in the second round by
Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
Head Coach Ken Hitchcock for his stickwork against the Flyers during the series. The Senators went on to eliminate Philadelphia in six games, but could not overcome the eventual
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () 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, and the International Ic ...
champions, the
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 (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
, in the third round. Havlát finished the playoffs with 11 points in 18 games. During the
2003–04 NHL season The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best of seven series four games to three against the Calgary Flames. For the fourth time in ...
, Ken Hitchcock made headlines once more with comments regarding a high-sticking incident with Havlát, saying that, "Somebody is going to make him eat his lunch." Over the course of the campaign, Havlát was suspended on two occasions, totalling four games; once for kicking, and once for high-sticking. Despite missing time, however, he continued to improve offensively, with 31 goals and 68 points in 68 games, his most productive season with the Senators. Due to 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 ...
, Havlát spent the entirety of the following season back in the Czech Extraliga, as well as Russian Superleague (RSL), playing for several teams. As NHL play resumed in 2005–06, he was suspended once more early in the season on October 17, 2005, for five games following another kicking incident against
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
defenceman Hal Gill. After returning to the lineup, he suffered a shoulder injury against the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
on November 29, which required surgery and kept him out for 59 games. He returned to the ice on April 15, 2006, 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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
, almost exactly four months from the date of his surgery. After missing the majority of the regular season, Havlát enjoyed his most prolific playoffs as a Senator in
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, recording 13 points in ten games as Ottawa was eliminated by 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 (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
in five games in the second round.


Chicago Blackhawks

During the 2006 off-season, Havlát, a restricted free agent, told the Senators that he would only sign a one-year deal so he could then test the free agent market in the next off-season. As a result, on July 9, 2006, Havlát was traded to the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
, along with Bryan Smolinski, in a three-way deal that also involved the
San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...
acquiring Mark Bell for Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy. After the trade, Havlát signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Blackhawks. As his usual number 9 was retired by the Blackhawks for Hall of Famer
Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...
, he switched to 24. On October 5, 2006, Havlát made his Blackhawks debut in outstanding fashion against the
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
by scoring two goals and two assists in an 8–6 win. Through the first seven games of the season, he was near or at the top of the League in scoring until he went down with an ankle sprain late in a game against the
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
on October 20, 2006. He returned to the Blackhawks lineup on December 9, 2006, against the
Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
, netting two goals and an assist, albeit in a losing effort. Havlát was also selected for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game that season. In April 2007, Havlát suffered a shoulder injury, which required off-season surgery. Despite a first season in Chicago partially marred by injuries, he produced at over a point-per-game pace, with 57 points in 56 games. In the 2007–08 season, Havlát was limited to 35 games while scoring ten goals and 17 assists as he again struggled with injuries. The season marked a turning point for the team, however, as the Blackhawks' offense was immediately bolstered by the emergence of rookies Patrick Kane and
Jonathan Toews Jonathan Bryan Toews ( born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre who last played for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), where he served as the team's captain between 2008 an ...
. The next season, in 2008–09, Havlát led a rejuvenated Blackhawks team in scoring with a career-high 77 points in 81 games. Chicago qualified for the post-season for the first time since
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
that season. Playing the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
in the opening round, Havlát registered two goals in the first game of the series, including a game-tying goal late in the third period and the game-winner just 12 seconds into
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. The Blackhawks would defeat the Flames in six games before doing the same to the
Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
in the second round. Meeting the
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 ...
Western Conference Finals, Havlát was knocked out in Game 3 of the series from a hit delivered by defenceman Niklas Kronwall; Kronwall was given a five-minute major penalty and was ejected for the hit, while Havlát left the game after lying on the ice for several minutes. Despite being named team MVP for the 2008–09 season, Havlát was not re-signed by the club. After three months of attempting to negotiate a long-term contract to remain with the team, Blackhawks
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Dale Tallon annulled previous discussions and refused to offer anything more than a one-year extension come July 1. The negotiations were well documented on both Havlát and his agent's
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pages, with Havlát ominously stating, "There's something to be said for loyalty and honor." He followed this up by stating that he did not leave the team, but rather they left him.


Minnesota Wild

On July 1, 2009, Havlát signed a six-year, $30 million contract with the
Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
. Havlát wore number 14 in his first season with the Wild, but changed his number to 24 prior to the start of the 2010–11 season due to the off-season departure of forward Derek Boogaard, who wore the number previously.


San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils

On July 3, 2011, Havlát was traded to the
San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...
in exchange for Dany Heatley. In the following 2011–12 season, on December 17, 2011, Havlát caught his skate on the bench and fell over the boards onto the ice, tearing his
hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...
. He returned on March 17, 2012. On March 18, one day after returning, Havlát scored the game winning goal in overtime for the Sharks in defeating the Detroit Red Wings. On May 1, 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks, Havlát suffered an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the playoff quarter-finals. He returned in Game 3 of the semi-final on May 18 against the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
, but suffered a spear from Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa 52 seconds into the game. In early June 2013, Havlát had a bilateral pelvic floor reconstruction and played his first game of the season on October 31, 2013. On December 31, he was placed on injured reserve with a lower body injury. With his tenure with the Sharks largely affected by injury and a lack of productivity, Havlát became the first Sharks player in franchise history to be bought-out from the remaining year of his contract on June 27, 2014. Three days later, on July 1, Havlát, with the ambition to redeem himself, signed as an unrestricted free agent to a one-year contract with the
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 (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
.


St. Louis Blues

After going unsigned by New Jersey at the end of the season and over the summer, Havlat agreed to a professional try-out agreement with the
Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...
. Upon failing to secure a contract with Florida, the 2015–16 season began without Havlat having a contract. Havlat made another attempt, signing another professional tryout agreement on October 27, 2015, this time with the St. Louis Blues, earning himself a one-year contract on November 6, 2015. Havlat made an immediate impact with the Blues, scoring the game-winning goal in his Blues debut in against former club the New Jersey Devils. After just 2 games, the St. Louis Blues placed Havlat on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, at the request of Havlat, citing personal reasons on November 13, 2015. In August 2016, while working out with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, Havlát revealed that he requested the contract termination due to a groin injury, and that he intended to continue to practice with the team with the aim of returning to the NHL. However, he failed to attract NHL interest and eventually stopped working out with the team on January 25, 2017 after re-injuring his groin. Havlát ultimately announced his retirement on February 8, 2017.


International play

As a junior, Havlát helped the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
claim
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
at the 2000 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in
Skellefteå Skellefteå (, locally ) is a Cities in Sweden, city in Västerbotten County, Sweden, with a population of 36,388. It is the seat of Skellefteå Municipality, which had 77,322 inhabitants in 2024. The city is historically industrial, with mining ...
and
Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest Urban areas in Sweden, locality in Norrland and the t ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. He also replicated his gold medal performance at the corresponding 2000 IIHF World Championship in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
for the senior Czech team. Havlát then represented the Czechs at the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
, where he scored three goals in the tournament. He missed the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...
in
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
due to a shoulder injury. In the 2011 World Championships in
Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
and
Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
, he was a member of the Czech team that claimed a
bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...
.


Personal life

Havlát has two siblings: a sister named Lenka and a brother named Slava. He can speak both English and
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 *Czech (surnam ...
and lives in
Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, during the off-season. His nephew, Borek Sedlák, is a Czech
ski jumper Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...
.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Havlat, Martin 1981 births Living people Chicago Blackhawks players Czech ice hockey left wingers Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Russia HC Dynamo Moscow players HC Oceláři Třinec players HC Sparta Praha players Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics Minnesota Wild players National Hockey League All-Stars NHL first-round draft picks New Jersey Devils players Olympic ice hockey players for the Czech Republic Orli Znojmo players Ottawa Senators draft picks Ottawa Senators players Ice hockey people from Mladá Boleslav St. Louis Blues players San Jose Sharks players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Canada Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States 21st-century Czech sportsmen