Patrik Štefan (born 16 September 1980) is a Czech former

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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 was drafted as the first overall pick by the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL sea ...

in the 1999 NHL entry draft. Because his career was plagued by injuries and inconsistency, many hockey writers consider him a

draft bust A draft is a process used in some countries (especially in North America) and sports (especially in closed leagues) to allocate certain players to teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players. When a team selec ...

Playing career

Prior to being drafted by the Thrashers, Štefan played for Sparta Praha in 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 ...

, and the

Long Beach Ice Dogs The Long Beach Ice Dogs were an American professional ice hockey team based in Long Beach, California, at the Long Beach Sports Arena. They played until the end of the 2006–07 ECHL season. History The Ice Dogs trace their origins to the San ...

of the IHL. Štefan played six seasons for the

scoring 177 points. 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 ...

, Štefan played for Ilves Tampere in the

SM-liiga The Liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mest ...

. In 37 games, Štefan collected a total of 41 points including 28 assists. In the playoffs, Štefan had six assists and a goal in seven games. On 24 June 2006, Štefan was traded to 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 ...

along with Jaroslav Modrý for Niko Kapanen and a seventh-round draft pick in 2006. After Štefan's contract expired in 2007, the Stars chose not to re-sign him. Štefan signed with

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of the Nationalliga A, but he only played three games for them before retiring in October 2007, largely due to a serious hip injury, the latest of several chronic injuries that plagued his career.Patrik Stefan retires from hockey
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Empty net blunder

Štefan gained notoriety on 4 January 2007, for a blunder during a game against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

. With seconds left in the game, and Dallas already ahead by a goal, Štefan gained possession of the puck and found himself on a breakaway towards an empty net. Štefan continued skating towards the crease rather than immediately shooting, then attempted a casual backhand into the net from close quarters. The puck hit bad ice and bounced up and over his stick, causing him to miss the goal, trip, and fall against the ice. To compound the error, he then cleared the puck in the direction of the Oilers. This allowed a play to develop where fellow Czech Aleš Hemský scored with two seconds remaining to tie the game 5–5; ultimately, Dallas won in a shootout.

Personal life

He is currently a player agent in the Detroit area, and a youth coach with 15U Little Caesars Hockey. Štefan's son James is a prospect for the

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Honours and achievements

* Silver medal at 2006 IIHF World Championship

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stefan, Patrik 1980 births Living people Atlanta Thrashers draft picks Atlanta Thrashers players Chicago Wolves players Czech ice hockey centres Dallas Stars players HC Sparta Praha players Ilves players Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL) players First overall NHL draft picks NHL first-round draft picks Sportspeople from Příbram Ice hockey people from the Central Bohemian Region SC Bern players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Finland 21st-century Czech sportsmen