Peter Bondra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peter Bondra |
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Bondra with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2005
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| Born | 7 February 1968 Lutsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | HC Košice Washington Capitals Ottawa Senators HK ŠKP Poprad Atlanta Thrashers Chicago Blackhawks |
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| National team |  Slovakia |
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| NHL Draft | 156th overall, 1990 Washington Capitals |
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| Playing career | 1986–2007 | ||
Peter Bondra is a former professional ice hockey player from Slovakia. He was born on February 7, 1968, in Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Peter Bondra was also the general manager for the Slovak national ice hockey team from 2007 to 2011.
He was an amazing goal scorer, reaching 50 goals in a season twice during his career. Bondra is one of only 37 players in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) to score 500 career goals. He was honored for his achievements by being inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2016.
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Peter Bondra's Early Life and Family
Peter Bondra was born in 1968 in a place called Bakivtsi, in Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. His father was Slovak and had moved to Ukraine when he was 16, where he met Peter's mother, who was Polish.
When Peter was three years old, his parents moved with him and his two older brothers, Juraj and Vladimír, to Poprad, which was then in Czechoslovakia. Sadly, his father passed away in 1982.
Peter Bondra became a Slovak citizen in 1993. He now lives in Riva, Maryland, with his wife Luba, their daughter Petra, and their sons David and Nick. His son, David, also plays ice hockey for the Slovak national team, just like his father did.
Peter Bondra's Hockey Career
Starting Out in Hockey
Peter Bondra began his hockey journey playing for HK Poprad in Czechoslovakia. When he was 18, he moved to VSŽ Košice, a team in the top Czechoslovak league. His older brother, Juraj, was already playing defense for Košice and had even won a championship with them.
By his second season with Košice, Peter was known as one of the best shooters in the league. He and his brother won the league championship together in 1988.
Playing in the NHL
The Washington Capitals picked Peter Bondra in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 156th player chosen overall. Before joining the Capitals, he played four seasons for TJ VSŽ Košice in Czechoslovakia.
Because of the language difference, he became good friends with another Capitals player, Dmitri Khristich, who was also from Ukraine. They could talk to each other in Russian and Ukrainian.
Peter Bondra's best playoff run with the Capitals was in the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals. The Capitals made it all the way to the championship series but were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings.
In 2004, after playing 14 seasons with Washington, Bondra was traded to the Ottawa Senators. This was a tough moment for him, and he even cried at the press conference announcing the trade.
During his 14 years with the Capitals, Peter Bondra scored 472 goals and made 353 assists in 961 games. He still holds the Capitals' record for the most short-handed goals, with 32. He also played in five All-Star Games for Washington. In 1997 and 1999, he won the Fastest Skater Competition during the All-Star weekend.
In 2004, Capitals fans voted for the top 30 players in the team's history. Peter Bondra finished second, showing how much he was loved by the fans.
Bondra led the NHL in goals scored in the 1994–95 and 1997–98 seasons. After the 2004–05 NHL season was canceled due to a player lockout, Bondra played a few games in Slovakia. He then signed with the Atlanta Thrashers for one season.
On December 10, 2006, Bondra signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. Just 12 days later, on December 22, 2006, he scored his 500th NHL career goal! This happened at the United Center in Chicago during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He became the 37th player in NHL history to reach this amazing milestone.
Peter Bondra announced his retirement from professional hockey on October 29, 2007, when he was 39 years old.
Peter Bondra's International Play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Slovakia |
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2002 Sweden | |
| Bronze | 2003 Finland | |
Peter Bondra proudly represented Slovakia in international hockey tournaments seven times. This included the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics. He also played in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and the Ice Hockey World Championship in 2002 and 2003.
In the 2002 World Championship, he was the top goal scorer with seven goals, including the goal that won Slovakia the gold medal against Russia! He also helped Slovakia win a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championship. Overall, he played 47 games for Slovakia and scored 35 goals.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1986–87 | TJ VSŽ Košice | ČSSR | 25 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | ||
| 1987–88 | TJ VSŽ Košice | ČSSR | 45 | 27 | 11 | 38 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | TJ VSŽ Košice | ČSSR | 32 | 27 | 10 | 37 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | ||
| 1989–90 | TJ VSŽ Košice | ČSSR | 44 | 29 | 17 | 46 | — | 5 | 7 | 2 | 9 | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 54 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 47 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1991–92 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 71 | 28 | 28 | 56 | 42 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1992–93 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 83 | 37 | 48 | 85 | 70 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 69 | 24 | 19 | 43 | 40 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1994–95 | HC Košice | SVK | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 47 | 34 | 9 | 43 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 1995–96 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 67 | 52 | 28 | 80 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 1995–96 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 7 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 77 | 46 | 31 | 77 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 76 | 52 | 26 | 78 | 44 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 12 | ||
| 1998–99 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 66 | 31 | 24 | 55 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 62 | 21 | 17 | 38 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 45 | 36 | 81 | 60 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 77 | 39 | 31 | 70 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 76 | 30 | 26 | 56 | 52 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 2003–04 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 54 | 21 | 14 | 35 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 23 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | HK Tatravagónka ŠKP Poprad | SVK | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 60 | 21 | 18 | 39 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 37 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| ČSSR totals | 151 | 93 | 45 | 138 | 64 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 14 | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 1,081 | 503 | 389 | 892 | 749 | 80 | 30 | 26 | 56 | 60 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Slovakia | WCH | 7th | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Slovakia | OG | 10th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | |
| 2002 | Slovakia | WC |  |
9 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 20 | |
| 2003 | Slovakia | WC |  |
8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2006 | Slovakia | OG | 5th | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 28 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 55 | ||||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| NHL | |
| All-Star Game | 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
| IIHF | |
| All-Star Team | 2002 |
| IIHF Hall of Fame | 2016 |
See also
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
- List of NHL players with 500 goals
- List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game
