Richard Zedník facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richard Zedník |
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| Born | 6 January 1976 Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Washington Capitals Montreal Canadiens HKM Zvolen New York Islanders Florida Panthers Lokomotiv Yaroslavl HC '05 Banská Bystrica AIK |
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| National team |  Slovakia |
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| NHL Draft | 249th overall, 1994 Washington Capitals |
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| Playing career | 1996–2011 | ||
Richard Zedník (born on January 6, 1976) is a former professional ice hockey player from Slovakia. He played as a winger, which is a forward position in hockey. Richard had a long career, playing for 15 years in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was part of teams like the Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers.
In February 2008, Richard Zedník had a very serious injury during an NHL game. His teammate's skate accidentally cut his neck. He recovered and returned to play hockey.
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Playing Career
Richard Zedník started his journey in professional hockey when he was chosen in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. The Washington Capitals picked him in the tenth round. Before that, he played junior hockey for the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League (WHL).
In his first year with the Winter Hawks (1994–95), Richard scored 35 goals. The next year, he scored 44 goals, showing he was a strong player. He played his first NHL game with the Capitals at the end of the 1995–96 season. He also played for their minor league team, the Portland Pirates, in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Richard joined the Capitals full-time in 1996. He scored his first NHL goal on October 5 against Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks. His first full NHL season was in 1997–98, where he scored 17 goals in 65 games. He even scored the first goal for the Capitals in their new arena, now called Capital One Arena.
On October 31, 2000, a radio station in Washington, D.C. had a fun event. They offered free tickets and a Zedník jersey to fans who dyed their hair blond, just like Richard had done. Two hundred fans showed up with blond hair! That night, Richard scored his first career hat-trick (three goals in one game) against the Detroit Red Wings.
Richard played for the Capitals for six seasons. In 2001, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. He played three more years in Montreal. In 2002, during a playoff game, he suffered a facial injury but his team still won the series.
In 2006, Richard was traded back to the Washington Capitals. His second time with the Capitals was short. In 2007, he was traded again to the New York Islanders. After that season, he became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. He signed a two-year contract with the Florida Panthers in July 2007.
In 2009, Richard was nominated for the Masterton Trophy. This award is given to the player who best shows perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. After his time in the NHL, Richard played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia. He also played a few games in Slovakia and Sweden before ending his career in 2011.
Neck Injury
On February 10, 2008, during a game between the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres, Richard Zedník had a very serious accident. His teammate, Olli Jokinen, lost his balance and fell. As Richard skated by, Jokinen's skate blade accidentally cut Richard's neck. The cut was to his common carotid artery, which is a major blood vessel.
Richard reacted quickly and skated to his team's bench. The team trainer, Dave Zenobi, and the team doctor, Les Bisson, immediately helped him. They stopped the bleeding and stabilized him. Richard was alert and responsive, even though he lost about five pints of blood. He was taken to the hospital right away. The game was paused for over 20 minutes to clean the ice. Fans in Buffalo gave Richard a long standing ovation when they heard he was in stable condition.
Doctors performed emergency surgery to fix the artery. They said his life was not in danger because the artery was not completely cut. Richard stayed in the hospital for a few days and was released on February 16. He missed the rest of that season to recover. Amazingly, he returned to play in the 2008–09 season.
Richard's injury reminded many people of a similar accident in 1989 involving Clint Malarchuk, another hockey player. These incidents led to discussions about player safety in the NHL, including the use of neck guards. Now, team doctors are trained in emergency care and are always at every game.
Personal Life
Richard Zedník married actress Jessica Welch in 2005. They later divorced in 2009 and have one daughter together.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1992–93 | Iskra Smrečina Banská Bystrica | SVK-2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–99 | ŠK Iskra Banská Bystrica | SVK-2 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 65 | 35 | 51 | 86 | 89 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 | ||
| 1995–96 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 61 | 44 | 37 | 81 | 154 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 23 | ||
| 1995–96 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 26 | ||
| 1995–96 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 56 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 70 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1996–97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 65 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 28 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 16 | ||
| 1998–99 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 49 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | ŠaHK Iskra Banská Bystrica | SVK-2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 69 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 54 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 62 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 59 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 31 | 19 | 50 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 81 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 63 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 | HKM Zvolen | SVK | 36 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 56 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 12 | ||
| 2005–06 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 48 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 32 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | New York Islanders | NHL | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 54 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 70 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | KHL | 37 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 56 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 22 | ||
| 2010–11 | HC '05 Banská Bystrica | SVK | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | AIK | SEL | 18 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 745 | 200 | 179 | 379 | 563 | 48 | 16 | 10 | 26 | 41 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Slovakia | EJC C | 4 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 6 | |
| 1994 | Slovakia | EJC C | 6 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 10 | |
| 1996 | Slovakia | WJC | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | |
| 1996 | Slovakia | WCH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2001 | Slovakia | WC | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | |
| 2003 | Slovakia | WC | 9 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2004 | Slovakia | WCH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005 | Slovakia | WC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |
| 2006 | Slovakia | OG | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| 2010 | Slovakia | OG | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2011 | Slovakia | WC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 48 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 50 | |||
International Play
Richard Zedník also played for the national team of Slovakia in many important tournaments:
- He played in the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics.
- He participated in the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2001, 2003 (where Slovakia won a bronze medal), 2005, and 2011.
- He also played in the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and 2004.
- He represented Team Slovakia in 45 games, scoring 10 goals.
- He won a gold medal at the Ball Hockey World Championships in 1999.
Awards
- WHL West Second All-Star Team – 1996
See also
- List of Slovaks in the NHL
