Tomáš Plekanec

Tomáš Plekanec
Plekanec with the Montreal Canadiens in 2015
Born	(1982-10-31) 31 October 1982 (age 42) Kladno, Czechoslovakia
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Rytíři Kladno Montreal Canadiens Toronto Maple Leafs HC Kometa Brno
National team	Czech Republic
NHL draft	71st overall, 2001 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1998–2023

Tomáš Plekanec (born 31 October 1982) is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He played most of his National Hockey League (NHL) career for the Montreal Canadiens, and briefly played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After beginning his career with Rytíři Kladno, he was selected 71st overall by the Canadiens in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Moving to North America in 2002, he played three seasons for the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, before joining the NHL club full-time for the 2005–06 season. By the time of his retirement from the NHL, he had played over 1,000 NHL games and is seventh all-time in games played for the Canadiens.

During his NHL career, Plekanec was known for his use of a turtleneck undershirt.^[1]

Playing career

Junior

Plekanec played junior ice hockey in his native Czech Republic with the HC Kladno organization. He debuted with club's senior team in 1998–99, appearing in three Czech Extraliga games.

Professional

Two years later, he joined the senior team full-time, recording 42 points over 53 games. In the off-season, Plekanec was selected by the Montreal Canadiens 71st overall in the third round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Remaining in the Czech Extraliga for a second full season, he scored 30 points over 43 games in 2001–02.

Plekanec came to North America to begin playing in the Canadiens' system in 2002–03. Assigned to the club's minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, he recorded 46 points over 77 games. Improving to 66 points with Hamilton in 2003–04, he also made his NHL debut that season, playing in two games. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Plekanec remained in Hamilton for a third AHL season and recorded 64 points over 80 games.

In 2005–06, Plekanec became a fixture in the Canadiens' lineup, scoring 29 points in his NHL rookie season. He improved to 47 points the next season in 2006–07 and notched his first 20-goal effort. On 29 February 2008, Plekanec recorded his first NHL hat-trick in a 6–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. He completed the 2007–08 season with 29 goals and 69 points. Plekanec received a two-game suspension on 12 February 2009, for a slewfoot on Edmonton Oilers defenceman Denis Grebeshkov during a game the previous day. Grebeshkov suffered a high ankle sprain on the play.^[2] He finished with a decreased 39 points in 2008–09, but still managed to notch 20 goals.

Plekanec with the Montreal Canadiens in April 2008

In the summer of 2009, he re-signed with the Canadiens to a one-year, $2.75 million contract. That season, he recorded a career-high 45 assists and 70 points. Set to become a free agent, he re-signed once more with the Canadiens on 22 June 2010, agreeing to a six-year, $30 million contract.^[3] He scored 22 goals during the 2010–11 season.

Plekanec signed with Kladno during the 2012–13 NHL lockout.^[4]

On 15 September 2014, Plekanec was named an alternate captain of the Canadiens, along with P. K. Subban, Max Pacioretty and Andrei Markov.^[5]

On 16 October 2015, Plekanec and the Canadiens agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract extension, signing him through until the end of the 2017–18 season.^[6]

The Canadiens struggled during the 2017–18 season, as they spent much of the year near the bottom of league standings. As the trade deadline approached, rumours concerning a trade involving Plekanec began to circulate. He was held out of the lineup on 24 February (two days before the trade deadline) as a potential trade loomed. The following day, Plekanec (in the final year of his contract), was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, along with minor league player Kyle Baun in exchange for Kerby Rychel, Rinat Valiev and a second-round pick in 2018.^[7] During the opening round of the playoffs against the Boston Bruins, following a three-game suspension to Nazem Kadri, Plekanec was placed on a line with Patrick Marleau and Mitch Marner.^[8] He scored two goals and four points in seven games, as the Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Bruins.^[9]

Tomáš Plekanec before a match in the Czech Extraleague on 11 October 2012, during the NHL lockout

On 1 July 2018, Plekanec returned to the Canadiens, signing a one-year, $2.25 million contract.^[10] On 15 October 2018, Plekanec played in his 1,000th regular season NHL game, where he scored his first goal of the season.^[11][12]

On 9 November 2018, the Canadiens announced that they would be placing Plekanec on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.^[13] The termination was a mutual decision, as Plekanec announced his retirement from the NHL on the same day.^[14]

On 26 November 2018, Plekanec signed with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH) and additionally played for Rytíři Kladno of the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League.^[15][16][17] On 28 October 2023, Plekanec announced his retirement from playing for health reasons.^[18][19]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2006 Latvia
	2011 Slovakia
	2012 Finland
World Junior Championships
	2001 Russia

Plekanec played in three junior international tournaments with the Czech Republic. He was named to the under-18 team at the 2000 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he contributed two points in six games. He then helped the Czechs to a gold medal at the 2001 World Junior Championships with two points in seven games. He made his second consecutive World Junior appearance in 2002 and improved to seven points in seven games.

After his first NHL season, Plekanec competed in the 2006 World Championships, where the Czech Republic captured a silver medal in Latvia. Plekanec scored the Czechs' first goal in the semi-final, helping the team defeat Finland 3–1. He went on to make his second and third consecutive World Championships appearances in 2007 and 2008. He was a member of the bronze-medal Czech team in the 2011 World Championships.

On 31 December 2009, Plekanec was named to the Czech team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He recorded three points in five games as the Czech Republic were defeated in the quarter-final by Finland. He has also competed for the Czech national inline hockey team.

On 6 January 2014, Plekanec was named captain of the Czech Republic team competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Personal life

In 2019, Plekanec and Czech singer/actress Lucie Vondráčková divorced after seven years of marriage.^[20] Plekanec was granted the right to take his Canadian-born sons Matyáš and Adam to the Czech Republic rather than stay in Montreal as Vondráčková requested.^[21][22][23]

Plekanec has been in a relationship with professional tennis player Lucie Šafářová since August 2018,^[24] and on 4 July 2019, Safarova announced on her Instagram account that they are expecting their first child.^[25][26] Šafářová gave birth to their daughter Lea in December 2019.^[27] In September 2021, Plekanec and Šafářová married.^[28]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998–99	HC Velvana Kladno	CZE U20		53	22	20	42	—		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	HC Velvana Kladno	ELH		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	HC Velvana Kladno	CZE U20		43	14	16	30	4		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	HK Lev Slaný	CZE.3		3	0	1	1	6		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	HK Kralupy nad Vltavou	CZE.3		6	2	2	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	HC Vagnerplast Kladno	CZE U20		9	6	4	10	4		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	HC Vagnerplast Kladno	ELH		47	9	9	18	24		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	HC Mladá Boleslav	CZE.3		4	5	5	10	4		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	HC Vagnerplast Kladno	ELH		48	7	16	23	28		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		77	19	27	46	74		13	3	2	5	8
2003–04	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		74	23	43	66	90		10	2	5	7	6
2003–04	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		80	29	35	64	68		4	2	4	6	6
2005–06	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	9	20	29	32		6	0	4	4	6
2006–07	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		81	20	27	47	36		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		81	29	40	69	38		12	4	5	9	2
2008–09	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	20	19	39	54		3	0	0	0	4
2009–10	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		82	25	45	70	50		19	4	7	11	20
2010–11	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		77	22	35	57	60		7	2	3	5	2
2011–12	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		81	17	35	52	56		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Rytíři Kladno	ELH		32	21	25	46	38		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		47	14	19	33	24		5	0	4	4	2
2013–14	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		81	20	23	43	38		17	4	5	9	8
2014–15	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		82	26	34	60	46		12	1	3	4	6
2015–16	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		82	14	40	54	36		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		78	10	18	28	24		6	1	2	3	0
2017–18	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		60	6	18	24	39		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		17	0	2	2	6		7	2	2	4	2
2018–19	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		3	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Rytíři Kladno	CZE.2		10	5	7	12	12		10	4	11	15	14
2018–19	HC Kometa Brno	ELH		16	0	7	7	14		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	HC Kometa Brno	ELH		50	13	20	33	68		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Rytíři Kladno	CZE.2		33	15	19	34	52		16	6	11	17	2
2021–22	Rytíři Kladno	ELH		56	17	36	53	46		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Rytíři Kladno	ELH		52	16	33	49	34		16	6	11	17	2
2023–24	Rytíři Kladno	ELH		9	1	3	4	14		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1,001	233	375	608	543		94	18	35	53	52

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000	Czech Republic	WJC18	6th		6	1	1	2	2
2001	Czech Republic	WJC			7	1	1	2	6
2002	Czech Republic	WJC	7th		7	3	4	7	0
2006	Czech Republic	WC			9	3	0	3	20
2007	Czech Republic	WC	7th		7	4	4	8	2
2008	Czech Republic	WC	5th		4	0	3	3	2
2009	Czech Republic	WC	6th		7	0	1	1	4
2010	Czech Republic	OG	7th		5	2	1	3	2
2011	Czech Republic	WC			8	6	4	10	6
2012	Czech Republic	WC			10	1	6	7	4
2013	Czech Republic	WC	7th		2	0	4	4	2
2014	Czech Republic	OG	6th		5	1	3	4	0
2015	Czech Republic	WC	4th		2	0	0	0	0
2016	Czech Republic	WC	5th		8	5	0	5	8
2016	Czech Republic	WCH	6th		3	0	0	0	0
2017	Czech Republic	WC	7th		8	0	0	0	4
2018	Czech Republic	WC	7th		8	0	1	1	2
Junior totals					20	5	6	11	8
Senior totals					86	22	27	49	56

See also

• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played

References

1. "Plekanec had an awesome quote about his turtleneck following first practice". bardown.com. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
2. "Hard-luck Habs lose Plekanec". Montreal Gazette. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
3. "Plekanec signs six-year, $30M contract with Canadiens". The Sports Network. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
4. "Hockey: Kladno face league champions Pardubice". Radio Prague. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
5. "Canadiens opt for four alternate captains this season". NHL. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
6. "Plekanec, Canadiens agree on two-year extension". NHL. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
7. "Maple Leafs Acquire Tomas Plekanec and Kyle Baun". NHL.com. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
8. "Plekanec filling in on Kadri line for pivotal Game 3 against Bruins". Toronto Star. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
9. "Bruins eliminate Maple Leafs with wild Game 7 win". The Sports Network. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
10. Braverman, Dan (1 July 2018). "Canadiens agree to terms with Tomas Plekanec". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
11. Cudzinowski, Matt (15 October 2018). "Congrats, Pleky!". NHL.com. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
12. "Plekanec scores in 1,000th NHL game as Canadiens beat Red Wings". Sportsnet. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
13. "Tomas Plekanec to be placed on unconditional waivers". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
14. Cudzinowski, Matt. "Plekanec: 'I always wanted to retire as a Montreal Canadien'". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
15. "Tomas Plekanec to play for two Czech Republic teams". Sportsnet.ca. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
16. "Komeťácká rodina se rozrostla o nového člena. Na střídavý start přichází Tomáš Plekanec". www.hc-kometa.cz (in Czech). 26 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
17. "Skvělé zprávy pro Rytíře! Tomáš Plekanec si zvolil Kladno, střídavé starty odehraje v Kometě". www.hc-kladno.cz (in Czech). 26 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
18. "Díky za všechno, kapitáne! Tomáš Plekanec ze zdravotních důvodů ukončil hráčskou kariéru". rytirikladno.cz (in Czech). 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
19. O'Brien, James (28 October 2023). "Former Canadiens star Tomáš Plekanec announces retirement". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
20. "Coupe Banque Nationale : Tomas Plekanec, partisan attentif pour Lucie Safarova (WTA)". RDS.ca.
21. Cudzinowski, Matt (25 February 2018). "Plekanec: 'It's 15 years of my life. It's my home'". NHL.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
22. Fox, Luke (8 September 2015). "Plekanec bracing for long season of contract questions". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
23. "Začal brutální lynč na Plekance! Kdo ale rozehrál hru s bulvárem?". 19 August 2018.
24. "Plekanec: 'Se Šafářovou se vídáme už pár dnů.' Za rozchodem s Vondráčkovou prý nestojí". Lidovky.cz (in Czech). 21 August 2018.
25. "This beats everything - Lucie Safarova announces pregnancy".
26. "iDnes Newspaper". iDnes Newspapers.
27. Marija (19 December 2019). "Lucie Safarova gives birth to a baby girl". Women's Tennis Blog. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
28. Marija (25 September 2021). "Lucie Safarova marries her baby daddy Tomas Plekanec". Women's Tennis Blog. Retrieved 25 September 2021.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database