Petr Nedvěd (born December 9, 1971) is a Czech-Canadian 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 spent 15 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) between 1990 and 2007.
Early career
Nedvěd was born in
Liberec,
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
to Jaroslav and Soňa ("Sonia") Nedvěd. He left Czechoslovakia as a refugee on January 2, 1989, at the age of 17 after playing in an international
midget tournament in
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
. Nedvěd was the star of the tournament, with 17 goals and nine assists. He decided to
defect to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
because of the limited opportunities in Czechoslovakia under
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
rule, which was very strict regarding athletes leaving the country to pursue professional careers elsewhere. He did not tell his parents about the decision, and with $20 and the help of another Czech who defected, whom Nedvěd refuses to identify even today, he declared his defection at a Calgary police station. In an interview in the ''
Newark Star Ledger'', Nedvěd said that the "fear of regret" was the overriding reason to defect. For ten months until the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in the
Velvet Revolution, Nedvěd's parents were forced to make calls imploring Nedvěd to come home.
Playing career
After his defection, Nedvěd played one season for the
Seattle Thunderbirds of the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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 hocke ...
and was drafted second overall by 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
1990 NHL Entry Draft after scoring 145 points in 71 games. Expected to be an instant star in the NHL, his first two seasons were a disappointment, as he struggled offensively and earned a reputation for soft play. In
1992–93, he finished with 38 goals and 71 points including a club record 15-game point-scoring streak. Despite this, though, he struggled in the playoffs and earned the ire of Canucks fans when he asked his idol
Wayne Gretzky for a game stick immediately following the team's ouster from the playoffs by 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. ...
, an action fans felt symbolized the lack of commitment to winning from a player who scored just three goals in 28 playoff games as a Canucks player.
Prior to the
1993–94 season, Nedvěd became involved in a bitter contract dispute with the Canucks which resulted in a lengthy holdout. While holding out, Nedvěd obtained his Canadian citizenship, and represented Canada at the
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, were an international winter multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Hav ...
, winning a silver medal. His situation was finally resolved just before the NHL trade deadline, when he was signed by the
St. Louis Blues, with
Craig Janney ultimately awarded to the Canucks as compensation (and then dealt back to the Blues shortly after for
Jeff Brown,
Bret Hedican and
Nathan LaFayette). Nedvěd scored 20 points in 19 games, but again struggled in the playoffs as the Blues were swept in the first round.
Nedvěd's stay in St. Louis would prove a short one, as he was dealt to the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
for the lockout-shortened
1994–95 season. He finished the year with 23 points in 46 games.
For the
1995–96 season, Nedvěd was on the move again, this time dealt to the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
in a blockbuster trade. In Pittsburgh, Nedvěd would have the best years of his career on an offensive team featuring superstars
Mario Lemieux,
Jaromír Jágr, and
Ron Francis. In his first year in Pittsburgh, he recorded career highs of 45 goals and 99 points, and also put his playoff demons behind him by scoring 20 points in helping the Penguins reach the conference finals. Included in that was a monumental goal against the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
in a quadruple-overtime thriller, which at 79:15 of overtime was at the time the longest NHL game in 60 years. During the
1996–97 season, he enjoyed another solid year, finishing with 33 goals and 71 points.
However, Nedvěd would find himself in another major contract dispute, and miss the entire
1997–98 season, instead spending most of the year toiling for lower-level teams in the Czech Republic. He remained unsigned at the start of the
1998–99 campaign, instead suiting up with the
Las Vegas Thunder of the
IHL. The situation would finally end two months into the season when he was dealt back to the New York Rangers in a deal involving
Alexei Kovalev. The lengthy holdout would turn out to be a colossal blunder for Nedvěd, as he actually ended up with less money (once the millions of dollars he'd given up by missing a season were factored in) than had he accepted Pittsburgh's initial offer back in 1997, while at the same time he ended up missing an extended portion of the prime of his career and severely damaged his reputation around the league.
Nedvěd's second stint in New York would be more successful than the first, and the six seasons he would spend with the Rangers would represent the most stable portion of his career. Although the team would struggle and miss the playoffs every year through this stretch, Nedvěd would be a consistent offensive performer, leading the Rangers in scoring twice and finishing second on another occasion. In
2000–01, playing with
Jan Hlaváč and
Radek Dvořák – a trio dubbed the 'Czech Mates' – he had the second-best season of his career, finishing with 32 goals and 78 points.
Suffering through a disappointing
2003–04 season, Nedvěd was dealt to the
Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline. Although Edmonton failed to make the playoffs, Nedvěd scored 15 points in 16 games as the team went on a late-season surge.
Nedvěd signed with the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
in 2004 and spent 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 ...
with
HC Sparta Praha of the
Czech Extraliga. Returning to NHL action in
2005–06 with the Coyotes, he struggled badly, scoring just two goals and 11 points in 25 games. He was dealt to the
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 ...
, where his play improved somewhat and he scored a further 14 points in 28 games, and returned to the NHL playoffs for the first time since 1997.
The
2006–07 season again started poorly for Nedvěd, and he was placed on waivers on October 18 following a 9–1 loss to 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 ...
, and was assigned to the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) for the first time in his career. After bouncing between the NHL and AHL for the next two months, Nedvěd was claimed on re-entry waivers by the
Edmonton Oilers, who hoped he could provide the same sort of spark he did when acquired in 2004. However, he continued to struggle in Edmonton and finished the season with just two goals and 12 points in 40 games between Edmonton and Philadelphia.
On July 19, 2007, Nedvěd signed a one-year contract to return to HC Sparta Praha.
On July 31, 2008, Nedvěd, attempting to make an NHL comeback, was invited to the New York Rangers training camp on a tryout basis. He was released by the Rangers on September 26 and returned to the Extraliga, this time with his hometown
HC Bílí Tygři Liberec.
On May 4, 2012, at age 40, Nedvěd returned to the
Czech Republic national team in the
2012 IIHF World Championship hosted in
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
and
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 ...
.
On May 10, 2012, Nedvěd became the oldest Team Czech Republic player to score a goal in World Championship. He scored game-winning goal against Latvia at the age of 40 years, 6 months and 1 day.
On January 6, 2014, Nedvěd was named to the Czech team for the
2014 Sochi Olympics. He played in five games as the Czech Republic finished 6th.
On March 13, 2014, Nedvěd played his last career game with
Bílí Tygři Liberec in a 6–2 home loss against the
HC Vítkovice Steel. He officially announced his retirement after the game.
Awards
* 1989–90 –
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy ''Rookie of the Year'' (
WHL)
* 1989–90 – Rookie of the Year (
CHL)
* 1993–94 – silver medal (
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, were an international winter multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Hav ...
)
* 2011–12 – bronze medal (
2012 IIHF World Championship)
Personal life
Nedvěd married supermodel
Veronika Vařeková in 2004. In early 2006, when playing for the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
, Nedvěd asked for a trade to an
Eastern Conference team to be closer to Vařeková who worked primarily in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. However, during the summer of 2006, Nedvěd and Vařeková separated. He has since moved back to the Czech Republic. His brother, defenceman
Jaroslav Nedvěd, is also an ice hockey player.
Legacy
In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', the authors ranked Nedvěd at No. 71 all-time of the
901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first
82 seasons.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nedved, Petr
1971 births
Living people
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the Czech Republic
Canadian ice hockey centres
Canadian people of Czech descent
Czechoslovak defectors
Czechoslovak emigrants to Canada
Edmonton Oilers players
HC Bílí Tygři Liberec players
HC Sparta Praha players
Ice hockey players at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Las Vegas Thunder players
Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics
NHL first-round draft picks
Naturalized citizens of Canada
New York Rangers players
Olympic ice hockey players for Canada
Olympic ice hockey players for the Czech Republic
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Olympic silver medalists for Canada
Ice hockey people from Liberec
Philadelphia Flyers players
Philadelphia Phantoms players
Phoenix Coyotes players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Seattle Thunderbirds players
St. Louis Blues players
Vancouver Canucks draft picks
Vancouver Canucks players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Czechoslovak ice hockey centres
Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States