Martin Straka
Martin Straka ( born September 3, 1972 in Plzeň, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for HC Plzeň Skoda in the Czech Extraliga.
Career
Straka began his professional career in 1989 in his hometown at the HC Škoda Plzeň. Here he was at a young age left a very strong impression and voted him as the Pittsburgh Penguins at the NHL Entry Draft in 1992 in the first round at a total of 19 point. He moved immediately to North America.
The 1992/93 season he joined the Cleveland Lumberjacks in the IHL, but was able to prevail at the Penguins and played the second half of the season in the NHL. With the Penguins, he played along with his fellow countryman Jaromir Jagr. After a good season in 1993/94 was followed by an extremely varied in time for Straka. The 1994/95 season began with a strike late and Straka played so in the fall of 1994, again in his home Plzeň. When the season began, he was back with the Penguins, but charges him during the season to the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa could with their top draft pick Bryan Berard not agree and swapped it with the New York Islanders against the second in the Draft, Wade Redden. As part of the swap transaction Straka also had with the Islanders. 22 games he played for the Isles before he was yet in the same season to the Florida Panthers. The upcoming season spared him change, but he played a little convincing season in Florida.
His contract in Florida had expired and so committed him the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent. Reunited with Jagr and his performance was better. He played with the team of the Czechs at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano in 1998 and won the gold medal there. He was also nominated for the NHL All-Star Game in 1999. In Pittsburgh, he increased his best performance in the 2000 /01 season on 95 points. The following season was overshadowed by an injury that knocked him early in the season out of the race and also cost him to participate in the Olympic Games. In the 2003 /04 season, the Penguins gave him away again. He moved to the Los Angeles Kings.
It was followed by the strike season of 2004 /05 he spent back in his home at HC Škoda Plzeň.
For the 2005/06 season he again followed his friend Jaromir Jagr and signed a contract with the New York Rangers. There he played a strong season. Together with Jagr, he also played for the Czech national ice hockey team at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
For the 2008/09 season Straka returns to his hometown club HC Lasselsberger Plzeň, where he also serves as general manager off the ice.