Václav Nedomanský
First Czechoslovak hockey player to defect to North America.
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Václav Nedomanský (born 14 March 1944) is a Czech former ice hockey forward who played 22 seasons in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, the World Hockey Association (WHA), and the National Hockey League (NHL). He is notable as the first Czechoslovak hockey player to defect to North America for professional hockey in 1974, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019 as the second Czech player to receive the honor.
Background
Nedomanský played for Slovan Bratislava in Czechoslovakia's major pro league starting in 1962, recording seven 30-goal seasons in 12 years and becoming a folklore hero. He also played basketball, tennis, and football, and briefly scored a goal for Slovan Bratislava's B team in football. He studied biology and physical education.
In 1974, he defected to North America with help from John F. Bassett of the Toronto Toros, flying from Zurich, Switzerland. Government officials tried to erase him from memory, telling teammates he died in a car accident and scrubbing his image from team photos. He saw his father only once more in 1984, and could not return to his homeland until 1991 after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Silver Olympic Games — 1968 Grenoble Team
- Bronze Olympic Games — 1972 Sapporo Team
- Silver World Championships — 1965 Finland Ice hockey
- Silver World Championships — 1966 Yugoslavia Ice hockey
- Bronze World Championships — 1969 Sweden Ice hockey
- Bronze World Championships — 1970 Sweden Ice hockey
- Silver World Championships — 1971 Switzerland Ice hockey
- Gold World Championships — 1972 Czechoslovakia Ice hockey
- Bronze World Championships — 1973 Soviet Union Ice hockey
- Silver World Championships — 1974 Finland Ice hockey
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1960–61 | SHK Hodonín | CZE-2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1961–62 | SHK Hodonín | CZE-2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1962–63 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1963–64 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 31 | 20 | 7 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1964–65 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 32 | 31 | 10 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1965–66 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 36 | 39 | 14 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1966–67 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 36 | 40 | 20 | 60 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1967–68 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 36 | 34 | 15 | 49 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 11 | — |
| 1968–69 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 36 | 27 | 20 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1969–70 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 36 | 29 | 13 | 42 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1970–71 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 33 | 31 | 15 | 46 | — | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | — |
| 1971–72 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 35 | 35 | 21 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1972–73 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 34 | 22 | 17 | 39 | — | 11 | 4 | 4 | 8 | — |
| 1973–74 | Slovan ChZJD Bratislava | CSSR | 44 | 46 | 28 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1974–75 | Toronto Toros | WHA | 78 | 41 | 40 | 81 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 1975–76 | Toronto Toros | WHA | 81 | 56 | 42 | 98 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1976–77 | WHA | 81 | 36 | 33 | 69 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1977–78 | Birmingham Bulls | WHA | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1977–78 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 63 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 1978–79 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 38 | 35 | 73 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 79 | 35 | 39 | 74 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 74 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 68 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 35 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 22 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| CSSR totals | 388 | 354 | 180 | 534 | — | 26 | 16 | 13 | 29 | — | ||
| WHA totals | 252 | 135 | 118 | 253 | 43 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | ||
| NHL totals | 421 | 122 | 156 | 278 | 88 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1966 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| 1967 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| Czechoslovakia | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1969 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 10 |
| 1970 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 11 |
| 1971 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 10 | 7 | 17 | — |
| Czechoslovakia | OLY | 6 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1972 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 9 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 0 |
| 1973 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 2 |
| 1974 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 4 |
| Senior totals | 93 | 80 | 39 | 119 | 55 | ||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Václav Nedomanský (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Václav Nedomanský?
Václav Nedomanský (born 14 March 1944 in Hodonín) is a Czech former forward who competed over 22 seasons in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, the WHA, and the NHL. He is best remembered as the pioneer who first brought a Czechoslovak player to North American professional hockey.
What are Václav Nedomanský's best scoring seasons?
His career high in the WHA came in 1975–76 with 56 goals in 81 games, while his top NHL campaign produced 38 goals with the Detroit Red Wings. Across his time in Czechoslovakia he tallied more than 300 goals.
Which teams did Václav Nedomanský play for?
Over his 22-season career he suited up for Slovan Bratislava, the Toronto Toros, the Birmingham Bulls, the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Rangers, and the St. Louis Blues. His journey spanned three different leagues and two continents.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Players
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Václav Nedomanský (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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