Richard Šmehlík

Richard Šmehlík
Date of birth	January 23, 1970
place of birth	Ostrava , Czechoslovakia
size	191 cm
Weight	101 kg
position	defender
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft	1990 , 5th round, 97th position Buffalo Sabers
Career stations
until 1990	TJ Vítkovice
1990-1991	HC Dukla Jihlava
1991-1992	TJ Vítkovice
1992-2002	Buffalo Sabers
2002-2003	Atlanta Thrashers
2003	New Jersey Devils

Richard Šmehlík (born January 23, 1970 in Ostrava , Czechoslovakia ) is a former Czech ice hockey player who played for many years in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabers as a defender .

Career

Richard Šmehlík began his career in his hometown at HC Vitkovice Ostrava , for whom he made his debut in the first division , the top division in Czechoslovakia, in the 1988/89 season . During the NHL Entry Draft in 1990 he was selected by the Sabers in the fifth round in 97th place, but played until 1992 for his home club or HC Dukla Jihlava . Before the 1992/93 season , the Sabers brought him to North America and Šmehlík immediately made it into the team's NHL roster. From then on, he was an integral part of the team from Buffalo for over a decade, with whom he reached the 1998/99 final of the Stanley Cup . There, however, the Sabers failed 4-2 at the Dallas Stars .

In the summer of 2002 his contract in Buffalo ran out and Šmehlík signed a contract with the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent . Shortly before the trade deadline of the following season , the Sabers exchanged him for a draft law with the New Jersey Devils . In the final of the Stanley Cup, the Devils beat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4-3, so that Šmehlík won the most important ice hockey trophy. After this success he announced his retirement from professional sport in September 2003.

International

At the beginning of his career, Richard Šmehlík represented Czechoslovakia regularly in international championships and won a bronze medal at world championships for juniors, men and at the Olympic Winter Games. After the division of his home country, he played for the Czech Republic at the Winter Olympics in 1998 and 2002 and was Olympic champion in 1998.

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	10	644	49	146	195	415
Playoffs	11	88	1	14th	15th	40

Achievements and Awards

• 1988 gold medal at the U18 European Junior Championship
• Bronze medal at the U20 World Cup 1990 ( ČSSR )
• Bronze medal at the 1992 World Championships (ČSSR)
• Bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics (ČSSR)
• Gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics ( CZ )
• Winning the Stanley Cup in 2003

Web links

• Richard Šmehlík at hockeydb.com (English)
• Richard Šmehlík at eurohockey.com
• Richard Šmehlík at legendsofhockey.net (English)
• Richard Šmehlík in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )