Tomáš Vokoun

Tomáš Vokoun (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtomaːʃ ˈvokoun]; born 2 July 1976) is a Czech former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he was originally drafted in the ninth round, 226th overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

Tomáš Vokoun
Vokoun with the Penguins during the 2012–13 NHL season.
Born (1976-07-02) 2 July 1976
Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for HC Kladno
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
HC Znojemsti Orli Znojmo
HIFK
Florida Panthers
Washington Capitals
Pittsburgh Penguins
National team  Czech Republic
NHL Draft 226th overall, 1994
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 1995–2014

Playing career

Early career (1994–1998)

Vokoun was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the ninth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 226th overall. He remained in the Czech Republic for another year, playing with Poldi Kladno.

Vokoun moved to North America for the 1995–96 season and played for the Wheeling Thunderbirds of the ECHL. He was called up to the Fredericton Canadiens of the American Hockey League (AHL) and played one playoff game. Having proven himself in the ECHL, Vokoun spent the 1996–97 season in Fredericton and played in his only game for Montreal; it was not a stellar debut, however, as he allowed four goals in only 20 minutes of play against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Vokoun playing for the Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators (1998–2007)

After another season with the Fredericton Canadiens, Vokoun was chosen by the Nashville Predators in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft on 26 June 1998.

Vokoun played 37 games for Nashville in their debut season and played nine games for the Milwaukee Admirals in the International Hockey League (IHL). Although he again split time between the two clubs the following season, by 2000, Vokoun established himself in the NHL, though he initially only saw limited action as the back-up to starter Mike Dunham. In 2002, Dunham was traded to the New York Rangers for Marek Židlický, Tomáš Klouček and Rem Murray, effectively awarding Vokoun the starting job.

Vokoun's play was solid enough in 2003–04 to send him to the All-Star Game for the first time, and his goaltending was a major factor in the Predators' first-ever playoff berth that season. The team lost in six games to the Detroit Red Wings in the first round. In game 4 of that series, played in Nashville, Vokoun earned the first-ever playoff shutout in franchise history, stopping 41 Red Wing shots.[1]

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Vokoun played 19 regular season games for HIFK in the Finnish SM-liiga, posting a .940 save percentage. In the playoffs, Vokoun did not perform as well, posting an .846 save percentage in four games, the worst in the league in that year's playoffs.

On 10 April 2006, the Predators announced Vokoun was afflicted by thrombophlebitis of the pelvis, a blood-clotting condition. He missed the team's remaining regular season games and the entire playoffs while he recovered by taking blood-thinning drugs and avoiding physical activity.[2] Back-up goaltender Chris Mason took his place as the starter, but the Predators failed to advance in the playoffs, again losing in the quarter-finals. On 24 July 2006, Vokoun was cleared to resume his career and returned for the 2006–07 NHL season.[3] However, at the beginning of the season, Vokoun injured his thumb during a game and was required to have surgery. Pins were put in this thumb, and he played with the pins and a brace on his thumb.

Florida Panthers (2007–2011)
Vokoun with the Panthers in 2009.

On the day of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Vokoun was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a first-round selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, a second-round selection in the 2007 draft (58th overall) and a conditional second-round selection in either 2007 or 2008.[4] Vokoun's nine-year tenure in Nashville had him setting many of the Predators' goaltending records, all of which were overtaken by Pekka Rinne in the following decade.[5][6]

Vokoun was selected to play for the Eastern Conference team in the 2008 NHL All Star Game in Atlanta.[7]

During the 2008–09 NHL season, Vokoun recorded 26 wins for the Panthers as they battled for their first playoff berth since 2000. Although they ultimately fell short, the Panthers' being in position to qualify was due in large part to the goaltending of Vokoun and fellow goaltender Craig Anderson.

Vokoun was injured by teammate Keith Ballard in a game on 30 November 2009, when Ballard hit Vokoun with an errant stick in the head. Vokoun was carried off the ice on a stretcher and was treated at a nearby hospital for an ear laceration. Vokoun had just given up a goal to Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers and Ballard went to break his stick on the goal post in frustration, but caught Vokoun instead.[8]

Washington and Pittsburgh (2011–2014)
Vokoun with the Capitals in 2012.

Vokoun signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals on 2 July 2011 worth $1.5 million.[9] Vokoun had a rough 2011–12 NHL season with the Capitals, as it was plagued by injury and inconsistent performance.

Vokoun in net for the 13 October 2011, game between the Capitals and Penguins to honour the members of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl that died in a plane crash near the Russian city of Yaroslavl.

With Washington resorting to youngster Braden Holtby as their starting goaltender, Vokoun was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on 4 June 2012 in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The following day, Vokoun signed to a two-year, $4 million contract.[10] Since his customary sweater number 29 was being worn by Marc-André Fleury, Vokoun opted to wear number 92 with the Penguins; he became the first goaltender since Daren Puppa to wear a sweater number from 90 to 98.

On 30 March 2013, Vokoun set a personal best and Pittsburgh Penguins individual franchise record shutout streak of 187:30.[11] He had two consecutive shutouts (on 28 March against the Winnipeg Jets and on 30 March against the New York Islanders) and a combined shutout with Marc-André Fleury on 26 March against the Montreal Canadiens. Vokoun played the third period to complete the shutout after Fleury was injured at the end of the second period. On 9 May 2013, Vokoun made his first playoff start in six seasons, a 31-save shutout against the New York Islanders in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals.[12]

Vokoun was sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery to dissolve another blood clot in his pelvis during the 2013 pre-season.[13] On 21 January 2014, it was reported Vokoun would begin skating in practice again, with no timetable as to his possible return.[14] On 15 December 2014, Vokoun announced his retirement.

International play

Vokoun during the 2010 Olympics
Medal record
Men's ice hockey – Competitor for the Czech Republic
Olympic Games
2006 Turin Ice hockey
World Championships
2005 Vienna Ice hockey
2010 Cologne Ice hockey
World Cup
2004 World Cup Ice hockey

Vokoun has represented the Czech Republic many times over the course of his playing career. His first international experience came with the under-20 team at the 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where the Czechs finished in fourth place. His first senior experience came at the 2003 IIHF World Championship, where the Czechs again finished in fourth place. Overall, he has played for the Czechs at four IIHF World Championships, two Winter Olympic Games and also in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He backstopped the Czechs to a third-place finish at the World Cup, gold medals at the 2005 and 2010 World Championships and won bronze with the team at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

Personal life

Vokoun lives with his wife, Dagmar, and two daughters, Adelle and Natalie, in Parkland, Florida.

Awards and records
  • Runner-up for the NHL Rookie of the Month award for December 1998.
  • NHL Player of the Week for the week ending 2 January 2000 (3–0–0, 1 shutout, 1.33 goals against average (GAA), .960 save percentage; he was the first Predator to ever win this award).
  • NHL Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending 30 November 2003 (4–0–0, 1.50 GAA, .950 save percentage).
  • Selected to play for the Western Conference in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game.
  • Selected to play for the Eastern Conference in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game.
  • NHL Defensive Player of the Month for January 2010 (NHL's Third Star of the Month, 8–4–2, 1.49 GAA, .956 SV%, 4 SO).

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1993–94 Poldi SONP Kladno ELH 2 1 1 0 — 60 5 0 5.00 .839 2 2 0 120 14 0 7.00 .811
1994–95 Poldi SONP Kladno ELH 26 13 9 4 — 1334 68 0 3.06 .915 5 2 3 241 19 0 4.75 .872
1995–96 Wheeling Thunderbirds ECHL 35 20 10 2 — 1912 117 0 3.67 .881 7 4 3 436 19 0 2.61 .903
1995–96 Fredericton Canadiens AHL — — — — — — — — — — 1 0 1 59 4 0 4.07 .879
1996–97 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 0 0 — 20 4 0 12.00 .714 — — — — — — — —
1996–97 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 47 12 26 7 — 2645 154 2 3.49 .902 — — — — — — — —
1997–98 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 31 13 13 2 — 1735 90 0 3.11 .907 — — — — — — — —
1998–99 Nashville Predators NHL 37 12 18 4 — 1954 96 1 2.95 .908 — — — — — — — —
1998–99 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 9 3 2 4 — 539 22 1 2.45 .920 2 0 2 149 8 0 3.22 .909
1999–00 Nashville Predators NHL 33 9 20 1 — 1879 87 1 2.78 .904 — — — — — — — —
1999–00 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 7 5 2 0 — 364 17 0 2.80 .921 — — — — — — — —
2000–01 Nashville Predators NHL 37 13 17 5 — 2088 85 2 2.44 .910 — — — — — — — —
2001–02 Nashville Predators NHL 29 5 14 4 — 1471 66 2 2.69 .903 — — — — — — — —
2002–03 Nashville Predators NHL 69 25 31 11 — 3974 146 3 2.20 .918 — — — — — — — —
2003–04 Nashville Predators NHL 73 34 29 10 — 4221 178 3 2.53 .909 6 2 4 356 12 1 2.02 .939
2004–05 HC Znojemští Orli ELH 27 10 14 3 — 1599 69 3 2.59 .927 — — — — — — — —
2004–05 HIFK SM-l 19 11 4 4 — 1149 35 2 1.83 .940 4 0 3 205 12 0 3.51 .846
2005–06 Nashville Predators NHL 61 36 18 — 7 3600 160 4 2.67 .919 — — — — — — — —
2006–07 Nashville Predators NHL 44 27 12 — 4 2601 104 5 2.40 .920 5 1 4 323 16 0 2.96 .902
2007–08 Florida Panthers NHL 69 30 29 — 8 4030 180 4 2.68 .919 — — — — — — — —
2008–09 Florida Panthers NHL 59 26 23 — 6 3324 138 6 2.49 .926 — — — — — — — —
2009–10 Florida Panthers NHL 63 23 28 — 11 3695 157 7 2.55 .925 — — — — — — — —
2010–11 Florida Panthers NHL 57 22 28 — 5 3224 137 6 2.55 .922 — — — — — — — —
2011–12 Washington Capitals NHL 48 25 17 — 2 2583 108 4 2.51 .917 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 20 13 4 — 0 1029 42 3 2.45 .919 11 6 5 685 23 1 2.01 .933
2013–14 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 2 1 1 — 0 124 5 0 2.41 .891 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 700 300 288 35 43 39,695 1688 51 2.56 .917 22 9 13 1365 51 2 2.24 .928

International
Year Team Event Result GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1994 Czech Republic EJC 5 300 11 2.20 .916
1996 Czech Republic WJC 4th 6 2 2 2 356 21 1 3.54 .877
2003 Czech Republic WC 4th 7 4 1 1 389 14 1 2.16 .925
2004 Czech Republic WC 5th 6 5 1 0 370 7 2 1.14 .944
2004 Czech Republic WCH SF 5 2 3 0 303 15 0 2.96 .881
2005 Czech Republic WC 8 7 1 0 499 9 2 1.08 .953
2006 Czech Republic OG 7 3 3 0 342 14 1 2.46 .897
2010 Czech Republic OG 7th 5 3 2 — 304 9 0 1.78 .936
2010 Czech Republic WC 8 7 1 — 496 13 0 1.57 .944
Senior totals 46 31 12 1 2703 81 6 1.80 .928
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References
  1. "Nashville goalie makes 41 saves in shutout". Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  2. "Nashville's Vokoun will miss entire postseason". 10 April 2006.
  3. "Vokoun to return after dealing with blood ailment". 25 July 2006.
  4. Predators trade Vokoun to Panthers for draft picks
  5. Rinne Sits Atop Preds Goaltending History
  6. Tomas Vokoun: Pekka Rinne great eraser for Predators
  7. "2008 NHL All-Star Game Roster". Hockey-Reference. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  8. "Vokoun forgives Ballard, now forget about it". NHL.com. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  9. "Washington signs Vokoun to one-year, $1.5 million contract". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  10. "Penguins Acquire Goaltender Tomas Vokoun; Veteran Netminder Signs Two-Year Contract". NHL.com. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  11. "Penguins' perfect month by the numbers". NHL.com. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  12. "Sidney Crosby, Tomas Vokoun shine as Pittsburgh Penguins top New York Islanders". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  13. "Penguins goalie Vokoun out indefinitely with clot". NHL.com. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  14. "Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Vokoun to skate Wednesday". NHL.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Patrik Eliáš		 Golden Hockey Stick
2010		 Succeeded by
Jaromír Jágr
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