František Kaberle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids František Kaberle |
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Kaberle with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008
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| Born | November 8, 1973 Kladno, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | HC Kladno Modo Hockey Los Angeles Kings Atlanta Thrashers Carolina Hurricanes HC Pardubice HC Plzeň |
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| National team |  Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic |
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| NHL Draft | 76th overall, 1999 Los Angeles Kings |
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| Playing career | 1991–2012 | ||
František "Frank" Kaberle (born November 8, 1973) is a former professional ice hockey player from the Czech Republic. He played as a defenceman for over 20 seasons. He is well-known for his time in the National Hockey League (NHL) with teams like the Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Playing Career
František Kaberle was chosen by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. This is when a team picks a young player to join their club. During the 1999–2000 season, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers. He scored his first NHL goal for the Thrashers on April 8, 2000.
After a break in the NHL season (called a lockout), Kaberle signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. A very exciting moment in his career happened in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. He scored a special goal in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers. This goal helped the Hurricanes win the game and the Stanley Cup championship! It was his only Stanley Cup win.
Before the 2006–07 season, Kaberle had a shoulder injury. He was out for a while but returned to play in February 2007. He even scored the winning goal in his first game back!
After playing four seasons with the Hurricanes, Kaberle became a free agent in 2009. This meant he could choose to play for any team. He decided to return to his home country, the Czech Republic. He rejoined his first club, HC Kladno, and played there for the 2009–10 season.
Kaberle played two more seasons in the Czech Extraliga, which is the top hockey league in the Czech Republic. He played for HC Pardubice and HC Plzeň. He finished his professional hockey career after the 2011–12 season.
International Play
 František (left) with his brother Tomáš in 2005 |
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| Medal record | ||
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| Representing Czech Republic |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2006 Turin | |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1996 Vienna | |
| Gold | 1999 Norway | |
| Gold | 2000 Russia | |
| Gold | 2001 Germany | |
| Gold | 2005 Vienna | |
| Bronze | 1998 Switzerland | |
| Representing Czechoslovakia |
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| World Junior Championships | ||
| Bronze | 1993 Sweden | |
| European Junior Championships | ||
| Gold | 1991 Czechoslovakia | |
František Kaberle also played for the Czech national ice hockey team. He won the Ice Hockey World Championships five times! These wins were in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2005.
In 2006, he won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. That same year, he became one of only a few players to win both an Olympic bronze medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year.
Personal Life
František Kaberle married Kateřina on May 30, 1998. They have two daughters named Francesca and Vanessa.
His brother, Tomáš Kaberle, was also a professional ice hockey player. Tomáš played in the NHL and the Czech Extraliga. He also won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. Both František and Tomáš played together on the Czech national team at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they won bronze medals.
Their father, František Kaberle, Sr., also played ice hockey for the Czechoslovak national team. Hockey runs in the family!
See also
- Notable families in the NHL
- List of Olympic medalist families
