Michal Pivoňka
Michal Pivoňka ( born January 28, 1966 in Kladno, Czechoslovakia ) is a former Czech ice hockey player who during his playing career 1986-1999 disputed a total of 920 games for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League.
- 2.1 International
Career
Pivoňka played in the youth of the army club Dukla Jihlava ASD, where he performed his military service until 1986 and won in 1985 with the team the Czechoslovak championship. Already in the NHL Entry Draft in 1984, the striker was selected in the third round to 59th position of the Washington Capitals.
Although it was difficult at the time of the Iron Curtain for players from the Eastern bloc countries to realize a career in the National Hockey League, is Pivoňka sat in the summer of 1986 from the United States and the Washington Capitals joined them. There, the attacker over the years quickly filled the void left by the Swede Bengt -Åke Gustafsson had left after his resignation the summer of 1989. With the change of Peter Bondra to the Capitals in the summer of 1990, Pivoňka increased again and put in the 1991/92 season with 80 points scorer a personal record. As a result, the point yields the Czechs were after, but he remained with the exception of seven games for the EC KAC in the 1994/95 season, the later start due to the lockout, loyal to Brussels residents. With 81 points, he improved his scoring record in the season 1995/96 again. Injuries Pivoňka over the following three years, only to a few uses and thus extended the Capitals the contract after 13 years in the summer of 1999, no. His last professional season denied the Center in the 1999/2000 season with the Kansas City Blades of the International Hockey League.
Internationally
Pivoňka represented Czechoslovakia at the Junior European Championships in 1983 and 1984, the Junior World Championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986, the World Championships in 1985 and 1986, and the Canada Cup in 1991.
In the junior level, he won the silver medal at the Junior European Championships and the bronze medal at the 1983 European Junior Championships in 1984. At the Junior World Cup 1984, the Czechoslovaks won the silver medal and bronze in the following year. After Pivoňka had stood already at the Junior European Championships in 1983 in the All- Star team, he was at the Junior World Championship in 1985 named the best striker and elected to the All- Star team. A re- elected to the All-Star team followed in 1986. With the men's selection in 1985, he scored the biggest success of his career by winning the world title.