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Zbyněk Michálek

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Zbyněk Michálek
With the Penguins in 2012.
Born (1982-12-23) 23 December 1982 (age 42)
Jindřichův Hradec, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Minnesota Wild
Arizona Coyotes
Pittsburgh Penguins
St. Louis Blues
HC Sparta Praha
National team  Czech Republic
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2002–2019

Zbyněk Michálek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈzbɪɲɛk ˈmɪxaːlɛk], born 23 December 1982) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played for Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). Michálek has also previously played in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues. He is the older brother of former NHL star and current UFA Milan Michálek.

Playing career

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Junior

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Michálek, October 2011.

Michálek played two seasons of major junior ice hockey for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He was not drafted in any NHL Entry Draft, but began playing professional hockey in 2002 with the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL), winning a Calder Cup championship with the team in 2003.

Professional

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Minnesota Wild, Phoenix Coyotes

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Michálek made his NHL debut during the 2003–04 season with the Minnesota Wild, the Aeros' NHL affiliate. In 2005, Michálek was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Erik Westrum and Dustin Wood. He played five seasons for the Coyotes, leading the NHL in blocked shots during the 2008–09 season. His excellent play continued into 2010, as he helped the Coyotes earn a Stanley Cup playoff berth for the first time since 2002.[1]

Pittsburgh Penguins

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On 1 July 2010, the first day of the NHL free agency period, Michálek signed a five-year, $20 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent.[2] Prior to his signing, Michálek was described as "The Defenseman Every Team Wants" by AOL Fanhouse due to his strong defensive skills, durability and shot-blocking.[3] In 2010–11, Michálek scored his first goal for the Penguins in a 3–1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on 8 March 2011.[4]

Zbyněk Michálek, April 2011.

Return to Phoenix, St. Louis Blues, second return to Arizona

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On 22 June 2012, during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Michálek was traded back to the Coyotes in exchange for Harrison Ruopp, goaltender Marc Cheverie and a 2012 third-round draft pick (81st overall).[5] Michálek played two further seasons in the Coyotes organization, whereupon in 2014–15, as a pending unrestricted free agent, he was traded at the NHL trade deadline on 2 March 2015, to the St. Louis Blues, along with a conditional third-round pick in 2015, in exchange for prospect Maxim Letunov, despite Michálek recovering from a concussion at the time.[6] On 1 July 2015 Michálek was re-signed by the Coyotes as a free agent.[7]

After the 2016 preseason, Michálek was cut from the Arizona Coyotes, and thus placed on waivers by the Arizona Coyotes.[8] On Sunday 19 March 2017, he was called up by the Coyotes from the Tucson Roadrunners to play the following day.[9] He ended up playing two games after that one, accumulating a total of no points, no minutes spent in the sinbin, and a plus-one rating in three total games.[10]

On 19 October 2017, Michálek signed with Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga (ELH).[11]

International play

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Medal record
Representing Czech Republic Czech Republic
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2006 Riga
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Bratislava

Michálek played for the Czech Republic, alongside his brother Milan Michálek, at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was also selected to represent the Czech Republic at the 2011 IIHF World Championship, where he won bronze alongside his brother.

Personal life

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Michálek is married to Helena (born in 1979 in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and they have three children together, a son and two daughters.[12][13][14] Michálek's younger brother Milan formerly played in the NHL.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1999–2000 HC Becherovka Karlovy Vary CZE U20 40 2 10 12 20 — — — — —
2000–01 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 69 10 29 39 52 3 0 0 0 0
2001–02 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 68 16 35 51 54 10 8 7 15 10
2002–03 Houston Aeros AHL 62 4 10 14 26 23 1 1 2 6
2003–04 Houston Aeros AHL 55 5 16 21 32 2 1 0 1 0
2003–04 Minnesota Wild NHL 22 1 1 2 4 — — — — —
2004–05 Houston Aeros AHL 76 7 17 24 48 5 1 2 3 4
2005–06 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 9 15 24 62 — — — — —
2006–07 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 4 24 28 34 — — — — —
2007–08 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 75 4 13 17 34 — — — — —
2008–09 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 6 21 27 28 — — — — —
2009–10 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 72 3 14 17 30 7 0 2 2 2
2010–11 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 73 5 14 19 30 7 0 1 1 0
2011–12 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 62 2 11 13 24 6 0 1 1 2
2012–13 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 34 0 2 2 14 — — — — —
2013–14 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 59 2 8 10 24 — — — — —
2014–15 Arizona Coyotes NHL 53 2 6 8 12 — — — — —
2014–15 St. Louis Blues NHL 15 2 2 4 6 6 0 0 0 4
2015–16 Arizona Coyotes NHL 70 2 5 7 20 — — — — —
2016–17 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 43 6 8 14 32 — — — — —
2016–17 Arizona Coyotes NHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2017–18 HC Sparta Praha ELH 30 5 13 18 16 3 0 0 0 2
2018–19 HC Kometa Brno ELH 13 0 0 0 2 10 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 784 42 136 178 322 26 0 4 4 6

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2006 Czech Republic WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 9 3 0 3 6
2007 Czech Republic WC 7th 7 0 1 1 4
2008 Czech Republic WC 5th 7 0 0 0 6
2010 Czech Republic OG 7th 5 0 0 0 2
2011 Czech Republic WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 8 0 1 1 6
2013 Czech Republic WC 7th 8 3 1 4 2
2014 Czech Republic OG 6th 5 0 1 1 2
2016 Czech Republic WCH 6th 3 1 0 1 2
Senior totals 52 7 4 11 30

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Coyotes reach 100-point mark by routing Avs". nhl.com. 27 March 2010.
  2. ^ Molinari, Dave (1 July 2010). "Penguins sign Phoenix defenseman Michalek". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  3. ^ "Zbynek Michalek: The Defenseman Every Team Wants". nhl.fanhouse.com. 30 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Aftermath: Penguins 3, Sabres 1". Pittsburgh Penguins Official Website. 8 March 2011.
  5. ^ "Penguins trade Michalek back to Coyotes for Ruopp, pick". The Sports Network. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Michalek acquired by Blues despite concussion". Yahoo! Sports. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Coyotes Sign Michalek to Two-Year Contract". coyotes.nhl.com. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  8. ^ McKenzie, Bob. "Michalek and Dahlbeck from ARI on waivers".
  9. ^ "Coyotes Recall Michalek, Dauphin from AHL". NHL.com. 19 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Zbynek Michalek hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
  11. ^ "Přichází zkušený obránce Zbyněk Michálek!". www.hcsparta.cz (in Czech). 19 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide" (PDF). Pittsburgh Penguins. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Michalek leads way in blocked shots". National Hockey League. 5 September 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  14. ^ "Michalek welcomes new arrival". tv.nova.cz (in Czech). 30 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
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