Radim Vrbata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Radim Vrbata |
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Vrbata with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2014
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| Born | 13 June 1981 Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Colorado Avalanche Carolina Hurricanes Bílí Tygři Liberec Chicago Blackhawks Arizona Coyotes Tampa Bay Lightning Mladá Boleslav Vancouver Canucks Florida Panthers |
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| National team |  Czech Republic |
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| NHL Draft | 212th overall, 1999 Colorado Avalanche |
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| Playing career | 2001–2018 | ||
Radim Vrbata (born June 13, 1981) is a former professional ice hockey player from the Czech Republic. He played as a right winger for 16 years in the National Hockey League (NHL), which is the top hockey league in North America.
Vrbata was chosen by the Colorado Avalanche in the 1999 NHL Draft. Over his long career, he played for many teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, and Florida Panthers. In 2015, he was selected as an NHL All-Star, an honor given to the league's best players.
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Hockey Career
Early Years and NHL Debut
Radim Vrbata was picked by the Colorado Avalanche in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL Draft. Before joining the NHL, he had great success playing for his home country. In 2001, he helped the Czech Republic win the World Junior Championship.
He played his first NHL game in February 2002 against the New York Islanders. Just one night later, he scored his first goal against the New York Rangers. In his first full season, he scored 18 goals and had 12 assists, often playing alongside hockey legends Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic.
Moving Around the League
In March 2003, Vrbata was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. Later, in December 2005, he joined the Chicago Blackhawks. After two seasons with Chicago, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes (now the Arizona Coyotes) in 2007. In his first year with the Coyotes, he had his best season yet, leading the team in scoring.
In 2008, Vrbata signed a three-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he returned to the Czech Republic for personal reasons during the season. He played for his hometown team, BK Mladá Boleslav, and another Czech team, HC Bílí Tygři Liberec.
Return to the Coyotes
After one season in Europe, Vrbata wanted to return to the NHL. On July 21, 2009, he was traded back to the Phoenix Coyotes. He played very well, scoring 43 goals over the next two seasons and helping the team make it to the Stanley Cup playoffs in both 2010 and 2011.
The 2011–12 season was a special one for Vrbata. He scored a career-high 35 goals. He also led the entire NHL with 12 game-winning goals, which means he scored the goal that put his team ahead to stay in 12 different games.
Time with the Canucks and Later Career
On July 2, 2014, Vrbata signed a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. He said he was excited to play with famous players Daniel and Henrik Sedin. In his first season in Vancouver, he set a new personal record with 63 points (goals and assists combined). He also led the Canucks with 31 goals and was chosen for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game.
After his contract with the Canucks ended, Vrbata returned to the Arizona Coyotes for a third time in 2016. During that season, he became the NHL's all-time leader in shootout goals. A shootout is a tie-breaking method where players go one-on-one against the goalie.
He played his final season with the Florida Panthers in 2017–18. On April 7, 2018, Vrbata announced he was retiring from professional hockey after a successful 16-season career.
Personal Life
Vrbata's brother, David, is also a professional hockey player. Radim's son, Krystof, is following in his father's footsteps and plays for the Czechia U17 national team.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1997–98 | TJ Auto Škoda Mladá Boleslav | CZE-2 Jr | 35 | 42 | 31 | 73 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 54 | 22 | 38 | 60 | 16 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 6 | ||
| 1999–00 | Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 59 | 29 | 45 | 74 | 26 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 2000–01 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 55 | 56 | 64 | 120 | 67 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Hershey Bears | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 52 | 18 | 12 | 30 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 20 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 66 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 80 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE | 45 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 91 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 45 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 77 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 76 | 27 | 29 | 56 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | BK Mladá Boleslav | CZE | 11 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Bílí Tygři Liberec | CZE | 7 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 24 | 19 | 43 | 24 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 79 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 77 | 35 | 27 | 62 | 24 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2012–13 | BK Mladá Boleslav | CZE-2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 34 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 80 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 79 | 31 | 32 | 63 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 63 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 81 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 42 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,057 | 284 | 339 | 623 | 294 | 42 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 12 | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Czech Republic |
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| World Junior Championships | ||
| Gold | 2001 Moscow | |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2005 Vienna | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Czech Republic | WJC |  |
7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2003 | Czech Republic | WC | 4th | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Czech Republic | WC | |
3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008 | Czech Republic | WC | 5th | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2013 | Czech Republic | WC | 7th | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 27 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 10 | ||||
External links
