Richard ZednÃk
Richard Zedník ( born January 6, 1976 in Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak ice hockey player, who was last until 2011 for AIK in the Elitserien Ishockey under contract.
Career
Richard Zedník began his career in his hometown at SK Banská Bystrica. His first in the men's team he had in the 1993/94 season in the sub-prime first league Slovakia. Zedník made the Scouts of the NHL for the first time at the Junior European Championships in 1993 and 1994 attention to himself, as he there represented his native country. In the NHL Entry Draft in 1994 it chose the Washington Capitals in the tenth round as 249 out. He changed immediately afterwards overseas and played for the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League.
Shortly before the end of the 1995/96 season he came to his debut for the Capitals in the NHL. After playing in the AHL the following year with the Portland Pirates, he succeeded in the 1997/98 season thanks to his speed and his precise shot the final breakthrough in the NHL. After nine goals in the regular season he scored in 17 playoff games seven times. In March 2001, the Capitals gave him off with Jan Bulis and a first-round draft law to the Montréal Canadiens and received Trevor Linden, Dainius Zubrus and a draft law in return. In Montreal he was also with its figure hugging match an asset to the team. He improved his stats year after year and scored in the 2002/03 season for the first time on 30 goals.
For the 2006/07 season he returned to the Washington Capitals, but before the end of the season he moved to the New York Islanders. Plan for the next season, he signed as a free agent with the Florida Panthers. The 2009/10 season he spent with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League. He then signed a contract in his home at HC 05 Banská Bystrica, before Zedník changed in January 2011 to AIK in the Elitserien Ishockey. At the end of the season his contract was not renewed and he is without a club since then.
Neck injury
On 10 February 2008, the game of the Buffalo Sabres against the Florida Panthers to Zedník seriously injured. During the final third, he retired to a cut to the carotid artery after he was hit by the skate of his teammate Olli Jokinen falling unhappy. Zedník then ran under its own power and bleeding heavily to the bench, where he was treated immediately. After it became known that Zedníks health was stabilized on the way to hospital, the NHL decided to continue the game. The gash was treated surgically later in a hospital in Buffalo. A few days later it was announced that Zedník had at no time lost consciousness during the incident, although he had lost to the stopping mechanism of bleeding a third of his blood. The injury Zedníks presented in the following days, the safety of the players equipment in question and brought a discussion about the introduction of protection for the neck area out. Almost one and a half months after the injury, on March 19, Zedník returned for the first time back on the ice and ran for about five to ten minutes prior to the actual training of the Panthers some rounds.
Internationally
Richard Zedník since 1993 represents his country at international championships. He received his first call-up to the European Championships U18 juniors in 1993. During the following three years he took part in another European U18 and a U20 World Cup. His first try in the Slovak men's national team he had at the World Cup of Hockey 1996. Additionally, he participated in the World Championships 2001, 2003 and 2005. Another highlight was appointed to the National team squad for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
NHL stats
(End of season 2010/11)
Coaching career
From 2011, he coached the youth team of HC Slovan Trstena. In winter 2011 Zednik went as a youth coach for HK Altis Námestovo and escaped the collapse of the roof of the local ice rink on January 25, 2012 only just a disaster. He conducted at the time of the collapse, the second training session of his team and called at the first sign of the impending collapse of the children currently in the ice.
Private
From 2002 to 2009 he was associated with the Franco- Canadian actress Jessica Welch. The couple was married in this period 2005 to 2008 and from the binding of a daughter who was born in 2003.