Peter Budaj facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Budaj
Budaj with the Montreal Canadiens in 2013
Born	(1982-09-18) 18 September 1982 (age 42) Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Colorado Avalanche Montreal Canadiens Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightning
National team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	63rd overall, 2001 Colorado Avalanche
Playing career	2002–2019

Peter Budaj (born September 18, 1982) is a former professional ice hockey goalie from Slovakia. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams. These teams included the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was known for being a strong goaltender during his career.

Playing Career

Starting with the Colorado Avalanche

Peter Budaj was chosen by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was the Avalanche's first pick that year and the 63rd player picked overall. Before joining the NHL, he played for the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League (AHL). He also played for the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

Budaj with the Avalanche in 2007.

In his first NHL season (2005–06), Budaj played in 34 games. He was a backup goalie for the team. Over the next two seasons, he helped the team win 47 games. His first time playing in the NHL playoffs was in 2008. He stepped in during a game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Budaj played his 100th NHL game on November 3, 2007. It was a home game against the Vancouver Canucks. For the 2008–09 season, Budaj became the main starting goalie for the Avalanche. He and his backup goalie had a tough season. The Avalanche finished last in their conference that year.

On June 29, 2009, Budaj signed a new contract with the Avalanche for one year. He started the 2009–10 season as the backup goalie. Before his first game, he got sick with the H1N1 virus. He had to stay away from the team until he was healthy. Budaj finally played his first game of the season on November 4. He helped the Avalanche win 4–1 against the Phoenix Coyotes. On April 1, 2011, Budaj made history. He became the first Slovakian goalie to reach 100 NHL wins.

Time with the Montreal Canadiens

On July 1, 2011, Budaj joined the Montreal Canadiens. He signed a two-year contract with them. During the shorter 2012–13 season, he was the backup goalie to Carey Price. Budaj had a great record that season, winning 8 games and losing only 1. Because of his strong play, he signed another two-year contract with the Canadiens in April 2013.

Moving to the Winnipeg Jets

On October 5, 2014, Budaj was traded to the Winnipeg Jets. He was traded along with another player for Eric Tangradi. Less than a day later, he was sent to the St. John's IceCaps. This team was the Jets' minor league affiliate in the AHL. Budaj stayed with the IceCaps for the entire 2014–15 season. However, he did not win any games in the 19 games he played for them.

Playing for the Los Angeles Kings

After leaving the Jets, Budaj did not have an NHL contract. On August 28, 2015, he signed a try-out contract with the Los Angeles Kings. This allowed him to attend their training camp. On October 9, 2015, he signed a one-year contract with the Kings. He was then sent to the Ontario Reign, their AHL team.

Budaj played very well with the Ontario Reign. He quickly became their main starting goalie. He helped the Reign win their division title. Budaj also led the AHL in many important stats. He won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the best goalie in the AHL. On February 11, 2016, he was called up to the Los Angeles Kings. He won his first game with them against the New York Rangers. On March 2, 2016, he signed another one-year contract to stay with the Kings.

In the 2016–17 season, Budaj was called up to the Kings again. This happened in October 2016 because their starting goalie, Jonathan Quick, was injured. Budaj became the Kings' starting goalie. He played very well, having his best statistical year in the NHL. He won 27 games and had 7 shutouts in 53 games. When Quick returned on February 25, 2017, Budaj went back to being the backup goalie.

Joining the Tampa Bay Lightning

On February 26, 2017, the Kings traded Budaj to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was traded with Erik Černák and a draft pick. In return, the Kings received goalie Ben Bishop and another draft pick. Budaj finished the season with the Lightning, winning 3 games out of 7. On June 22, 2017, Budaj signed a new two-year contract with the Lightning.

Budaj played in 8 games for the Lightning during the 2017–18 season. He won 3 of those games. He also spent some time playing for the Syracuse Crunch, another AHL team.

Returning to Los Angeles

On June 13, 2018, Budaj was traded back to the Los Angeles Kings. He was traded for a player named Andy Andreoff. Budaj was first sent to the Kings' AHL team. However, he was called back to the NHL on October 7. This happened because Jonathan Quick, the Kings' starting goalie, was injured again. Budaj was sent back to the AHL on October 18. He finished his season with the Ontario Reign. After 17 years of playing professional hockey, he retired at the end of that season.

Mask Designs

Peter Budaj is well-known for the cool designs on his goalie masks. He is a Christian, and he often had a picture of Ned Flanders on his masks. Ned Flanders is a popular religious character from The Simpsons TV show.

In 2008, Budaj started wearing a mask with the character Altaïr from the Assassin's Creed video game. His mask for the 2008–09 season featured a burgundy-colored Hulk from Marvel Comics. He also still wore his Assassin's Creed mask sometimes. For the 2009–10 season, Budaj's mask showed his racing hero Valentino Rossi on one side. It had the Avalanche team logo on the other side. And, of course, Ned Flanders was still on the back!

His 2013–14 mask still had Ned Flanders. It also featured the famous soccer star Lionel Messi. Ned Flanders continued to appear on his 2014–15 mask, but without Lionel Messi. When he played for the Lightning, his Ned Flanders character was drawn as another Marvel superhero, Thor. This was a fun way to connect to the team's "Lightning" theme.

Personal Life

Peter Budaj and his wife, Taylor, have two sons.

After he stopped playing hockey, Budaj moved to Bozeman, Montana. This was to be closer to his wife's family. He started a company called Budaj Blockers, which trains goalies. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Montana State University Bobcats hockey team.

In 2021, Budaj became a goalie development coach for the Avalanche team. In 2024, he joined the Anaheim Ducks as a goalie coach.

Awards and Honours