Zbyněk Michálek
| Zbyněk Michálek | |
|---|---|
 With the Penguins in 2012. |
|
| Born | 23 December 1982 Jindřichův Hradec, Czechoslovakia |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Right |
| NHL team Former teams |
Pittsburgh Penguins Phoenix Coyotes Minnesota Wild |
| National team |  Czech Republic |
| NHL Draft | undrafted |
| Playing career | 2002–present |
Zbyněk Michálek (born 23 December 1982) is a Czech professional ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the older brother of Ottawa Senators winger Milan Michálek.
Contents |
[edit] International career
Michálek played on the 2010 Czech Republic Olympic Hockey Team along with his brother Milan. He was also selected to represent the Czech Republic at the 2011 IIHF World Championship where he won bronze alongside his brother.
[edit] Playing career
Michálek played two seasons of junior ice hockey for Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL. He was not drafted in the NHL Entry Draft, but began playing professional hockey in 2002 with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League. He made his NHL debut during the 2003–04 season with the Minnesota Wild, the Aeros NHL affiliate. In 2005, Michálek was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for Erik Westrum and Dustin Wood. He played five seasons for Phoenix, leading the league in blocked shots during the 2008–09 season. His excellent play continued into 2010 as he helped the Coyotes earn a playoff berth for the first time since 2002.[1]
However, he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010. In anticipation, he was described as "The Defenseman Every Team Wants" by AOL Fanhouse, due to his strong defensive skills, durability and shot-blocking.[2] On July 1, 2010, Michálek signed a 5 year, $20 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[3]
Michalek scored his first goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on March 8, 2011.[4]
[edit] Personal life
Michálek is married to Helena and has one son, Andreas,[5] who was born June 23, 2009.[6] His younger brother Milan plays for the Ottawa Senators.
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2000–01 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 69 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL | 68 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 54 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 10 | ||
| 2002–03 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 62 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 55 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 76 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 48 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 75 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 72 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 73 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 488 | 32 | 102 | 134 | 222 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||
[edit] International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Czech Republic |
||
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2006 Riga | Ice hockey |
| Bronze | 2011 Bratislava | Ice hockey |
Played for the Czech Republic in:
- 2006 World Championships (Silver medal)
- 2007 World Championships
- 2008 World Championships
- 2010 Winter Olympics
- 2011 World Championships (Bronze medal)
[edit] International statistics
| Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Czech Republic | WC | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 2007 | Czech Republic | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2008 | Czech Republic | WC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2010 | Czech Republic | Oly | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Coyotes reach 100-point mark by routing Avs". nhl.com. 2010-03-27. http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2009021119.
- ^ "Zbynek Michalek: The Defenseman Every Team Wants". nhl.fanhouse.com. 2010-06-30. http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/06/30/zbynek-michalek-the-defenseman-every-team-wants/.
- ^ Molinari, Dave (1 July 2010). "Penguins sign Phoenix defenseman Michalek". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10182/1069698-100.stm.
- ^ "Aftermath: Penguins 3, Sabres 1". Pittsburgh Penguins Official Website. 8 March 2011. http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=555410&navid=DL.
- ^ http://penguins.nhl.com/v2/ext/pdf/1011_PittsburghPenguins-MediaGuide.pdf
- ^ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=497653
[edit] External links
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This Czech biographical article relating to ice hockey is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1982 births
- Czech ice hockey players
- Houston Aeros players
- Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics
- Living people
- Minnesota Wild players
- Olympic ice hockey players of the Czech Republic
- People from Jindřichův Hradec
- Phoenix Coyotes players
- Pittsburgh Penguins players
- Shawinigan Cataractes alumni
- Undrafted National Hockey League players
- Czech ice hockey biography stubs
