Václav Nedomanský

Václav Nedomanský (born 14 March 1944) is a Czech former ice hockey forward. Nedomanský is best known as the first hockey player to defect to North America to play.[1] He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. He is also a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame (1997), Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame (2002) and Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame (2008).

Václav Nedomanský
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2019
Born (1944-03-14) 14 March 1944
Hodonín, Bohemia and Moravia
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Slovan Bratislava
Toronto Toros
Birmingham Bulls
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues
New York Rangers
National team  Czechoslovakia
Playing career 1962–1983
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing Czechoslovakia
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
1968 Grenoble Team
1972 Sapporo Team
World Championships
1965 FinlandIce hockey
1966 YugoslaviaIce hockey
1969 SwedenIce hockey
1970 SwedenIce hockey
1971 SwitzerlandIce hockey
1972 CzechoslovakiaIce hockey
1973 Soviet UnionIce hockey
1974 FinlandIce hockey

Playing in Czechoslovakia

Nedomanský played for Slovan Bratislava of the Czechoslovak Extraliga for twelve seasons. In 1968, he was a member of the Czechoslovak national ice hockey team which won silver medals at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble and bronze medals in 1972 at the Winter Olympics in Sapporo. He also played for Czechoslovakia in nine IIHF World Championships, and was named top forward at the 1974 World Championships.[2]

Career after defection

Nedomanský defected in 1974 to Toronto via Switzerland.[3] He was not able to return to his home country until after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

He played just over three seasons in the World Hockey Association with the Toronto Toros and the Birmingham Bulls, peaking with 56 goals and 98 points for Toronto in 1975–76. He also won the Paul Deneau Trophy for sportsmanship in 1975–76. He then signed as a free agent with the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings in 1977. Nedomanský played five seasons for Detroit, posting highs of 38 goals and 74 points. He retired after one final season with the St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers in 1982–83.

Nedomanský coached in Germany and Austria from 1987 to 1991.

He was born in Hodonin, in eastern Moravia in the present-day Czech Republic.

Career statistics

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 II
1961–62 SHK Hodonín CZE II
1962–63 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH
1963–64 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 31 20 7 27 — — — — — —
1964–65 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 32 31 10 41 — — — — — —
1965–66 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 36 39 14 53 — — — — — —
1966–67 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 36 40 20 60 22 — — — — —
1967–68 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 36 34 15 49 10 8 5 6 11 —
1968–69 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 36 27 20 47 — — — — — —
1969–70 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 36 29 13 42 23 — — — — —
1970–71 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 33 31 15 46 — 7 7 3 10 —
1971–72 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 35 35 21 56 — — — — — —
1972–73 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 34 22 17 39 — 11 4 4 8 —
1973–74 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava TCH 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 Birmingham Bulls 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 — — — — —
TCH 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 Czechoslovakia WC 7 4 2 6 2
1966 Czechoslovakia WC 7 5 2 7 8
1967 Czechoslovakia WC 7 1 2 3 14
1968 Czechoslovakia OLY 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 —
1972 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

References
  1. Peng, Sheng (15 September 2016). "Meet 'Big Ned': The international hockey legend you never knew - TheHockeyNews". TheHockeyNews. The Hockey News. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  2. Pinchevsky, Tal (2012). Breakaway: From Behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL--The Untold Story of Hockey's Great Escapes. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118096215. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  3. George Gross, "Czech Hockey Star Defects to Canada", front page of The Toronto Sun 18 July 1974 (Vol. 3, No. 182). See also pp. 3 and 32-33.
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