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Tomáš Kaberle
TomasKaberle2010WinterOlympics (cropped).jpg
Kaberle with the Czech Republic in 2010
Born (1978-03-02) March 2, 1978 (age 47)
Rakovník, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for HC Kladno
Toronto Maple Leafs
Boston Bruins
Carolina Hurricanes
Montreal Canadiens
HC Kometa Brno
National team Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
NHL Draft 204th overall, 1996
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 1994–2016

Tomáš Kaberle (born March 2, 1978) is a former professional ice hockey player from the Czech Republic. He played as a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). Tomáš is best known for his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played for the Boston Bruins, where he won the famous Stanley Cup. Later, he played for the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens. Outside the NHL, Kaberle played in the Czech Extraliga for HC Kladno and HC Kometa Brno.

Tomáš was chosen for the NHL All-Star Game four times. He also played for the Czech national team. With his national team, he won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Kaberle is a top defenceman in Maple Leafs history. He is the second-highest scoring defenceman for the team, right after Börje Salming.

About Tomáš Kaberle

Tomáš Kaberle was born in Rakovník, Czech Republic. His family is from a town called Velká Dobrá, near Kladno. He still has a house there.

Ice hockey runs in the Kaberle family. His older brother, František, also played as a defenceman in the NHL. Their father, František Sr., played for the Czechoslovakia national team in the 1970s and 1980s.

Playing in the NHL

Starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked Tomáš Kaberle in the eighth round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 204th player chosen overall. He played a little bit during the 1998–99 season. His playing time grew a lot in the 1999–2000 season. This happened after another player, Bryan Berard, got injured.

By the 2001–02 season, Kaberle was playing so well that he was picked for the 2002 NHL All-Star Game. Later that year, he joined the Czech national team for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

At the start of the 2001–02 season, Kaberle did not have a contract. He played for HC Rabat Kladno in the Czech Extraliga while a new deal was worked out. He then signed a contract with the Maple Leafs. This kept him with the team until the end of the 2005–06 season. On February 11, 2006, he signed another five-year contract. This deal was worth $21.25 million and lasted until the 2010–11 season.

On October 28, 2006, Kaberle scored his first career hat-trick against the Montreal Canadiens. A hat-trick means scoring three goals in one game. He was also named an All-Star for the second time on January 12, 2007.

During a game on March 2, 2007, Tomáš got a concussion from a hit by Cam Janssen. He had to be carried off the ice. Janssen was later suspended for three games. After missing eight games, Kaberle returned to play on March 23. Even though he didn't score many goals, he scored seven times in overtime during his career.

At the 2008 NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition, Kaberle showed off his amazing accuracy. He became only the fourth player ever to hit all four targets in four shots during the accuracy challenge. He tried again at the 2009 NHL All-Star Game but did not win.

In the 2009–10 season, Kaberle helped the Maple Leafs get their first win. He had one goal and four assists in a 6–3 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He started the season very strong, getting 22 points in his first 20 games. He was leading all defencemen in scoring in the NHL. On December 1, 2009, Kaberle passed Tim Horton to become the second-highest scoring defenceman in Maple Leafs history.

Later Years in the NHL

On February 18, 2011, Kaberle was traded to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins gave up a young player and two draft picks for him. He then achieved a huge goal: he won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins on June 15, 2011. They beat the Vancouver Canucks in the finals.

On July 5, 2011, Kaberle signed a three-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. He played 29 games for them and had nine assists. On December 9, 2011, he was traded again, this time to the Montreal Canadiens. He had two assists in his first game with the Canadiens.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Kaberle went back to the Czech Republic to play for HC Kladno. After ten games, he decided to stop playing for a while to spend time with his family. When the NHL season started again, Kaberle didn't play much for the Canadiens. On March 30, 2013, he was put on waivers, meaning other teams could claim him, but none did. He played only ten games that season.

On June 28, 2013, the Canadiens bought out his contract. This made him a free agent. In September 2013, Kaberle signed a one-year contract to play for his hometown club, HC Kladno, again. In September 2014, he tried out for the New Jersey Devils but was not offered a contract. On September 22, 2016, HC Kladno announced that Tomáš Kaberle had officially retired from professional hockey.

International Play

František Kaberle and Tomáš Kaberle.JPG
Tomáš (right) with his brother František in 2005
Medal record
Representing Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
Ice hockey
Olympic Games
Bronze 2006 Turin
World Championships
Gold 2005 Vienna
Silver 2006 Riga

Tomáš Kaberle was chosen to play for the Czech national team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. His team was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

Tomáš and his older brother František played together for the Czech team at the 2005 World Ice Hockey Championships in Vienna. They won the gold medal there. It was František's fifth World Championship win, but Tomáš's first. In December 2005, both brothers were picked for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. They won bronze medals with the team.

The next year, Kaberle played in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, where the Czech team won silver. Tomáš also played in the 2010 Winter Olympics. However, he turned down an invitation to play at the 2010 World Championships in Germany. He also played in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

After Hockey

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Tomáš helped his wife, Julia Kaberle. She owns an Italian restaurant called Quanto Basta. He helped by delivering takeout orders because more people were ordering food.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1994–95 Poldi SONP Kladno CZE U20 37 7 10 17
1994–95 Poldi SONP Kladno ELH 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 2
1995–96 HC Poldi Kladno CZE U20 23 6 13 19
1995–96 HC Poldi Kladno ELH 23 0 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0
1996–97 HC Poldi Kladno ELH 49 0 5 5 26 3 0 0 0 0
1997–98 HC Velvana Kladno ELH 47 4 19 23 12
1997–98 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 2 0 0 0 0
1998–99 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 57 4 18 22 12 14 0 3 3 2
1999–2000 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 7 33 40 24 12 1 4 5 0
2000–01 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 6 39 45 24 11 1 3 4 0
2001–02 HC Vagnerplast Kladno ELH 9 1 7 8 4
2001–02 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 69 10 29 39 2 20 2 8 10 16
2002–03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 11 36 47 30 7 2 1 3 0
2003–04 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 71 3 28 31 18 13 0 3 3 6
2004–05 HC Rabat Kladno ELH 49 8 31 39 38 7 1 0 1 0
2005–06 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 9 58 67 46
2006–07 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 74 11 47 58 20
2007–08 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 8 45 53 22
2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 57 4 27 31 8
2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 7 42 49 24
2010–11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 58 3 35 38 16
2010–11 Boston Bruins NHL 24 1 8 9 2 25 0 11 11 4
2011–12 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 29 0 9 9 2
2011–12 Montreal Canadiens NHL 43 3 19 22 10
2012–13 Rytíři Kladno ELH 10 2 4 6 2
2012–13 Montreal Canadiens NHL 10 0 3 3 0
2013–14 Rytíři Kladno ELH 48 4 20 24 26
2014–15 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 2 0 2 2 0
2014–15 Rytíři Kladno CZE II 24 5 21 26 4 7 1 8 9 2
2015–16 HC Kometa Brno ELH 51 3 17 20 24 4 0 0 0 2
ELH totals 287 22 105 127 134 19 1 0 1 2
NHL totals 984 87 476 563 260 102 6 33 39 28

International Play Statistics

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
1995 Czech Republic EJC 5th 5 0 5 5 0
1996 Czech Republic EJC 5th 5 2 2 4 4
1998 Czech Republic WJC 4th 7 1 1 2 2
2002 Czech Republic OG 7th 4 0 1 1 2
2003 Czech Republic WC 4th 7 0 7 7 2
2004 Czech Republic WCH 3 4 0 1 1 0
2005 Czech Republic WC 1 9 1 3 4 4
2006 Czech Republic OG 3 8 2 2 4 2
2006 Czech Republic WC 2 9 1 5 6 31
2008 Czech Republic WC 5th 7 1 9 10 0
2010 Czech Republic OG 7th 5 1 2 3 0
2014 Czech Republic OG 6th 5 0 3 3 0
Junior totals 17 3 8 11 6
Senior totals 58 6 33 39 41

Awards and Achievements

See Also

  • List of family relations in the National Hockey League
  • List of Olympic medalist families
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