Roman Čechmánek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roman Čechmánek
Čechmánek in 2003 with the Philadelphia Flyers
Born	(1971-03-02)2 March 1971 Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia
Died	12 November 2023(2023-11-12) (aged 52) Chrudim, Czech Republic
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	211 lb (96 kg; 15 st 1 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	HC Zlín HC Jihlava HC Olomouc HC Vsetín Philadelphia Flyers Los Angeles Kings HC Karlovy Vary Hamburg Freezers Linköpings HC HC Třinec
National team	Czech Republic
NHL Draft	171st overall, 2000 Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career	1989–2009

Roman Čechmánek (born March 2, 1971 – died November 12, 2023) was a famous Czech professional ice hockey goaltender. He played hockey in the United States, his home country the Czech Republic, and Germany. He was a goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2000 to 2004. Čechmánek also played for the Czech national team in many big international games, including seven World Championships.

Roman Čechmánek's Hockey Career

Roman Čechmánek played for HC Vsetín in the Czech Republic from 1994 to 2000. He was chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 171st player picked overall.

Playing for the Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers wanted Čechmánek to join their team. They traded a veteran goalie, John Vanbiesbrouck, to make a spot for him. This encouraged Čechmánek to sign a contract, which he did a few weeks after the draft.

In his first season with the Flyers, Čechmánek surprised many people. He became the main starting goalie and was one of the best goalies in the league. He even played in the NHL All-Star Game that year. He finished second in voting for the Vezina Trophy, which is given to the best goalie. However, the playoffs were tough for him.

The next season, Čechmánek played well again. But his team, the Flyers, struggled to score goals in the playoffs. They scored only two goals in five games against the Ottawa Senators. Čechmánek was not happy with his teammates' performance.

In his third season, he had another great year. He shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with his Flyers teammate Robert Esche and Martin Brodeur from the New Jersey Devils. This award goes to the goalies on the team that allows the fewest goals. Čechmánek had two shutouts (meaning he let in no goals) in a playoff series against Ottawa. Even so, some people thought he let in too many easy goals in other games. After this season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.

Later Career Teams

Čechmánek played one season with the Los Angeles Kings in 2003–04. It was a challenging year for him. After that, he went back to the Czech Republic. He played for his old team, HC Vsetín, during the 2004–05 season when the NHL season was canceled.

He then played for HC Energie Karlovy Vary and the Hamburg Freezers in the 2005–06 season. In 2007, he left Linköping HC and later played for HC Oceláři Třinec in the Czech Extraliga for three seasons. He stopped playing professional hockey after the 2008–09 season.

International Hockey Play

Roman Čechmánek was a part of the Czech national team for the 1998 Winter Olympics and 2002 Winter Olympics. He was a backup goalie to Dominik Hašek and did not play in any games. However, he still won a gold medal with the team in 1998.

He also played in many World Championships. He was on the team in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2007.

Medal record
Representing Czechoslovakia
Men's ice hockey
European Junior Championships
Silver	1989 Soviet Union
World Junior Championships
Bronze	1991 Canada
Representing Czech Republic
Men's ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Gold	1998 Nagano
World Championships
Gold	1996 Austria
Gold	1999 Norway
Gold	2000 Russia
Bronze	1997 Finland
Bronze	1998 Switzerland

Personal Life

Roman Čechmánek was born in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia on March 2, 1971. He passed away on November 12, 2023, at 52 years old.

Awards and Honours

Roman Čechmánek received several awards during his hockey career:

See also

In Spanish: Roman Čechmánek para niños