Tomáš Kopecký facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tomáš Kopecký |
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![]() Kopecký pictured in June 2008 during the Detroit Red Wings championship celebration
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Born | Ilava, Czechoslovakia |
5 February 1982 ||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Forward | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | HK Dukla Trenčín Detroit Red Wings Chicago Blackhawks Florida Panthers HC Oceláři Třinec HC Slovan Bratislava |
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National team | ![]() |
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NHL Draft | 38th overall, 2000 Detroit Red Wings |
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Playing career | 2001–2017 |
Tomáš Kopecký (born on February 5, 1982) is a former professional ice hockey player from Slovakia. He played as a forward in the National Hockey League (NHL) for teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers.
Tomáš is a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He won his first Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008 and his second with the Blackhawks in 2010.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting with the Detroit Red Wings (2005–2009)
Tomáš Kopecký was chosen by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Before joining the NHL, he played two seasons of junior hockey with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He then played for several years in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Kopecký played four seasons with the Griffins before making his NHL debut with the Red Wings. This happened on February 28, 2006, against the San Jose Sharks. That was his only game for the Red Wings during the 2005–06 season.
On December 14, 2006, Tomáš got injured during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. He had to have surgery to fix a broken collarbone. Because of this injury, he played only 26 games in the 2006–07 season.
Later, on April 3, 2008, Kopecký tore a ligament in his knee (called an ACL) during a game. This injury made him miss the end of the 2007–08 season and all the playoff games. Even though he was injured, he won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings on June 4, 2008. They beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
In the 2008–09 season, Kopecký played in 79 games, scoring six goals and making 13 assists. The Red Wings reached the Stanley Cup Finals again, but they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins this time.
Joining the Chicago Blackhawks (2009–2011)

On July 1, 2009, Kopecký signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. In the 2009–10 season, he played in 74 games, scoring 10 goals and making 11 assists.
During the 2010 playoffs, Kopecký was a regular player for the Blackhawks. He scored an important goal in Game 1 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. He played in every game of that series. On June 9, 2010, at age 28, he won his second Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks.
The 2010–11 season was a great one for Kopecký. He played in 81 games, scoring 15 goals and making 27 assists. These were his best numbers for a single season. On November 30, he had his first game with four points (a goal and three assists) in a win against the St. Louis Blues.
The Blackhawks barely made it to the 2011 playoffs. In Game 1 of the first round, Kopecký got a concussion after a hit. He couldn't play for the rest of the series, and the Blackhawks lost in seven games.
Playing for the Florida Panthers (2011–2015)

On June 27, 2011, the Blackhawks traded Kopecký to the Florida Panthers. Two days later, the Panthers signed him to a four-year contract. In the 2011–12 season, Kopecký scored 10 goals and had 22 assists in 80 games. The Panthers made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2000. They lost in the first round to the New Jersey Devils.
The 2012–13 season was shorter because of a lockout. The Panthers did not make the playoffs that year. Even so, Kopecký played well, scoring 15 goals and making 12 assists in 47 games.
On December 29, 2013, Kopecký played his 500th NHL game. On February 15, 2014, he got another concussion during a game at the 2014 Winter Olympics. This injury made him miss the rest of the Olympic tournament and the 2013–14 season for the Panthers.
In the 2014–15 season, Kopecký played 64 games. He was nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is given to a player who shows great determination in hockey.
After the NHL
After his contract with the Panthers ended, Kopecký did not sign with another NHL team. On October 22, 2015, he went back to Europe and played for HC Oceláři Třinec in the Czech Republic.
Personal Life
Tomáš is married to Maria, and they have two sons named Jakub (born in 2004) and Tobias (born in 2009).
International Play
Medal record | ||
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Representing ![]() |
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Ice hockey | ||
World Championships | ||
Silver | 2012 Helsinki |
Kopecký played for the Slovakia in many international tournaments, including:
- 2000 World U18 Championships
- 2000 World Junior Championships
- 2001 World Junior Championships
- 2002 World Junior Championships
- 2010 Winter Olympics
- 2012 World Championship
- 2013 World Championship
- 2014 Winter Olympics
- 2015 World Championship
Awards and Achievements
- 2008 Stanley Cup Champion with the Detroit Red Wings
- 2010 Member of the Slovakia Winter Olympic Team
- 2010 Stanley Cup Champion with the Chicago Blackhawks
- 2012 World Championship Silver Medalist
- 2014 Member of the Slovakia Winter Olympic Team
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1997–98 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1998–99 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 51 | 22 | 18 | 40 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1999–2000 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK U20 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1999–2000 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK | 52 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2000–01 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 49 | 22 | 28 | 50 | 52 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
2000–01 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2001–02 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 60 | 34 | 42 | 76 | 94 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 15 | ||
2001–02 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2002–03 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 70 | 17 | 21 | 38 | 32 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
2003–04 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 48 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
2004–05 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 48 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2005–06 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 77 | 32 | 40 | 72 | 123 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 25 | ||
2006–07 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 26 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 77 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2008–09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 79 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 46 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
2009–10 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 74 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
2010–11 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 81 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2011–12 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 80 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
2012–13 | Dukla Trenčín | SVK | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012–13 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 47 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2013–14 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 49 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014–15 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 64 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2015–16 | HC Oceláři Třinec | ELH | 38 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
2016–17 | HK Dukla Trenčín | SVK | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2016–17 | HC Slovan Bratislava | KHL | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
AHL totals | 246 | 64 | 76 | 140 | 224 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 33 | ||||
NHL totals | 578 | 68 | 106 | 174 | 307 | 37 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 25 |
International Play Statistics
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
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2000 | Slovakia | WJC18 | 5th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2000 | Slovakia | WJC | 9th | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
2001 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | |
2002 | Slovakia | WJC | 8th | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 22 | |
2010 | Slovakia | OG | 4th | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
2012 | Slovakia | WC | ![]() |
10 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
2013 | Slovakia | WC | 8th | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
2014 | Slovakia | OG | 11th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2015 | Slovakia | WC | 9th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
Junior totals | 22 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 42 | ||||
Senior totals | 33 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 12 |