With the NHL joining the other sports leagues on hiatus, we thought it would be a great time to take a look at how an international presence has changed the game for the Vancouver Canucks. While “the Vancouver Canucks best ever Czech or Slovak” is awkwardly worded, there’s a reason we’re lumping them together here.
Eastern European turmoil through much of the 20th century can be encapsulated in the history of Czechoslovakia. As big a fan of Vaclav Havel as I personally am, we’re not going to be doing that. Instead, we’re looking at Canucks players from what is as of 1989 two separate nations: The Czech Republic and Slovakia.
(Find the Canucks’ best ever Finn here.)
(Their best ever Russian here.)
(The Best Swede is here.)
(Best American is here.)
(And best Canadian is here.)
Vancouver Canucks Best Ever Czech Republic/Slovakian
While the Canucks have had few players from either nation – fourteen Czechs and just 4 Slovaks – Vancouver holds a pivotal role in the movement of players to the NHL. The first Czechoslovakians to ever play in the league both joined the Canucks in 1981. One of these, defenceman Jiri Bubla, even provided the Canucks with another when his son (Jiri Slegr) briefly joined the team a decade later. The other became arguably the most important person in Czech hockey history.
Ivan Hlinka
It is a tough call to include Ivan Hlinka in this list, but only because of his limited time in the NHL. He played just two seasons in North America, both with Vancouver before back problems led to his European return. The Canucks got his rights from the Winnipeg Jets for the much-travelled Brent Ashton, along with Bubla’s from the Colorado Rockies in an earlier deal.
Though he is best known as the Czech coach leading Czechia to their first Olympic gold medal, his time with Vancouver was solid. Literally, he is 6’2″ and 220-pound frame and playing style would fit right in with today’s game. His stay was brief but productive. He created space for himself in front of the net to score 42 goals and 123 points in just 137 games. His 60 points remained a Canucks rookie record until tied by Pavel Bure and finally beaten by Elias Pettersson. Not bad company to keep.
There’s no reason to believe he was done, either. He spent the next two years dominating the Swiss league, then joined his former Czech team as a player-coach when they faltered, scoring 23 points in 19 games when he was 37 years old. But just because he did well in Europe doesn’t mean he was the Canucks best ever Czech or Slovak. Let’s look at the competition.
Pavol Demitra
Speaking of a few games making an impact, Pavol Demitra. Though he was injured in the middle of his two-year Canucks tenure, he gave the team much-needed depth scoring as they worked up to the 2011 Cup run. In fact, his injury came against the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2009 playoffs. As much as his scoring, this helped build the Canucks’ mythology. That has to count for something when we’re talking Canucks best ever Czech/Slovak, right?
On the other hand, Demitra was at the end of his NHL career, so diminishing returns were coming as well. Sure, he was a solid veteran, but with two young centres ahead of him in Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, not much space was going to be available. He was 35 years old so he couldn’t be expected to contribute much. Except he signed on with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and scored 60 points in just 54 games before that team’s tragic crash cost his life.
But let’s get to those points. Used as a “middle-six” centre – third line plus special teams – he scored 23 goals and 69 points in a mere 97 games. Not All-Star numbers, but Demitra was a key part of one of the most dangerous teams in the league, and could very well have been the difference in 2011.
Petr Nedved
Here we go. For the fans old enough to remember him, Petr Nedved was a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in controversy. He defected during the 1989 world invitational tournament in Calgary, just ten months before the Velvet Revolution. He played for the Seattle Thunderbirds in junior and scored 145 points in 71 games. That led to his ranking as one of the “Big Five” of the 1990 entry draft and the Canucks selecting him second overall.
Yes, the Canucks could have done better, and hindsight’s great and all, but 145 points in 71 games. His selection was no surprise.
Unfortunately, with all the hype surrounding him, he was still a kid. He was dropped straight into the NHL and was overmatched, scoring just ten times in 61 games. His second season was better, getting 15 goals and 37 points in 77 games. In year three he came into his strength with 38 goals in 84 games. This was the guy they drafted! Nedved was easily going to be the Canucks’ best ever Czech/Slovak! Their patience paid off… right until Nedved sat out in an acrimonious contract dispute. The team went hard-line on him, arguing that one year of good numbers didn’t give him the leverage to demand a big contract.
Playing hardball against someone who didn’t even tell his parents he was defecting was probably not Vancouver’s best decision. Nedved attained his Canadian citizenship and represented the country, winning a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics while he waited. The impasse was eventually sorted out with his signing with the St. Louis Blues.
His talent is undeniable, but is one great year enough?
Want to Mention…
An interesting side note is that Slegr was picked in the same draft… also playing just three seasons with Vancouver. And if we’re talking about Czech players, even if they’re former Canucks, you have to include possibly the greatest regular-season shootout goal.
Verdict
Depending on who makes your decision for you. Points-per-game puts Demitra at the top of the list. The best season moves Nedved up. Hlinka’s time with Vancouver was good, but does it beat the other two? Heck, an argument could be made for Jiri Bubla’s 256 games! Well, if what happens internationally is an important part of your consideration you might not want to look too closely at Bubla…
To us, the original remains the best – Ivan Hlinka takes the title here. There’s a reason he has his name on an international tournament, after all. That does it for the Vancouver Canucks best player from the Czech Republic/Slovakian.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
