Here is Nedved scoring one of the most iconic goals in franchise history, a 4 OT stunner to beat the Caps in Game 4 and end the 5th longest game in NHL history in 1996. The Pens would go on to win the series with the momentum from this goal.
Nedved was one of my favorite players as a kid, right behind Jagr and Lemieux. He had tons of skill but still played a hard-nosed game. He also had a very interesting life and career.
A native of Czechoslovakia, Nedved defected to Canada while playing during an international tournament there at age 17 in 1989 because he felt like he wouldn’t get the opportunity and training he needed to succeed under communist rule. He and another Czech, who he refuses to identify even to this day, showed up at the Calgary police station and claimed asylum without telling his parents of his plan and only having $20 to his name.
After winning Rookie of the Year in the CHL while playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds, he was drafted 2nd overall by the Canucks in 1990. He underperformed there and during a contract dispute and holdout, got Canadian citizenship and played for Canada during the 1994 Olympics. As the contract disupute dragged on, he received a rare offer sheet from the Blues and signed it, with St. Louis flipping a player to Vancouver as compensation.
He finished out the season there before getting swept in the first round and dealt to the Rangers for the lockout season of 94/95.
He and Sergei Zubov were then packaged together and sent to the Penguins for Luc Robitaille, a huge blockbuster trade at the time with a rival team. In Pittsburgh, Nedved finally came into his own and lived up to his potential and put up big numbers alongside Lemieux, Jagr, and Francis as the Pens made the ECF in 96 and another solid year in 97.
However, he ended up in another contract dispute and holdout, where he sat out the entire 97/98 season while playing back in the now Czech Republic and, for the start of the 98 season, the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL.
The now bankrupt Penguins eventually traded his rights back to the last-place Rangers along with Chris Tamer, and Sean Pronger for a struggling Alex Kovalev and $2 Million (back when you could include cash in a trade).
He ended up signing with the Rangers but the entire situation ended up being a huge mistake for Nedved. The contract he accepted was for less money than the initial offer from the Pens and he wasted nearly a year and a half of his prime playing against inferior opponents and never again reached the pace he set with the Penguins.
He ended up playing for the Oilers, Coyotes, and finally Flyers before fizzling out and ended up back in the Czech Republic to end his career, but tried and failed at a comeback at 2008 after attending the Rangers camp on a PTO.
He played on the Czech team at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 at age 42 alongside former teammate Jaromir Jagr and eventually retired two months later.
Gloomy-Delivery-5226
He was one of my favorite players of that era too, and what a great name.
therealrocketboy
I’m a Czech head as they’ve been my favorite national team since I was a kid. Anyone remember the all Czech line of Hlavac, Dvorak and Nedved? Was legendary.
Euphoric__Dot
93 days, damn, still 3 months until the season starts, this off season feels like forever
Pensfan66595
It’s wild how much the Rangers bailed the Pens out from 1995 Robitaille/Samuelsson to the 2003 Kovalev back to the Rangers trade. The Rangers would have sent the best return of NHL players in the Jagr trade, but The caps sending $11m was too good a deal to pass on.
6 Comments
Here is Nedved scoring one of the most iconic goals in franchise history, a 4 OT stunner to beat the Caps in Game 4 and end the 5th longest game in NHL history in 1996. The Pens would go on to win the series with the momentum from this goal.
https://youtu.be/xAcGzmXA4j4
Nedved was one of my favorite players as a kid, right behind Jagr and Lemieux. He had tons of skill but still played a hard-nosed game. He also had a very interesting life and career.
A native of Czechoslovakia, Nedved defected to Canada while playing during an international tournament there at age 17 in 1989 because he felt like he wouldn’t get the opportunity and training he needed to succeed under communist rule. He and another Czech, who he refuses to identify even to this day, showed up at the Calgary police station and claimed asylum without telling his parents of his plan and only having $20 to his name.
After winning Rookie of the Year in the CHL while playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds, he was drafted 2nd overall by the Canucks in 1990. He underperformed there and during a contract dispute and holdout, got Canadian citizenship and played for Canada during the 1994 Olympics. As the contract disupute dragged on, he received a rare offer sheet from the Blues and signed it, with St. Louis flipping a player to Vancouver as compensation.
He finished out the season there before getting swept in the first round and dealt to the Rangers for the lockout season of 94/95.
He and Sergei Zubov were then packaged together and sent to the Penguins for Luc Robitaille, a huge blockbuster trade at the time with a rival team. In Pittsburgh, Nedved finally came into his own and lived up to his potential and put up big numbers alongside Lemieux, Jagr, and Francis as the Pens made the ECF in 96 and another solid year in 97.
However, he ended up in another contract dispute and holdout, where he sat out the entire 97/98 season while playing back in the now Czech Republic and, for the start of the 98 season, the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL.
The now bankrupt Penguins eventually traded his rights back to the last-place Rangers along with Chris Tamer, and Sean Pronger for a struggling Alex Kovalev and $2 Million (back when you could include cash in a trade).
He ended up signing with the Rangers but the entire situation ended up being a huge mistake for Nedved. The contract he accepted was for less money than the initial offer from the Pens and he wasted nearly a year and a half of his prime playing against inferior opponents and never again reached the pace he set with the Penguins.
He ended up playing for the Oilers, Coyotes, and finally Flyers before fizzling out and ended up back in the Czech Republic to end his career, but tried and failed at a comeback at 2008 after attending the Rangers camp on a PTO.
He played on the Czech team at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 at age 42 alongside former teammate Jaromir Jagr and eventually retired two months later.
He was one of my favorite players of that era too, and what a great name.
I’m a Czech head as they’ve been my favorite national team since I was a kid. Anyone remember the all Czech line of Hlavac, Dvorak and Nedved? Was legendary.
93 days, damn, still 3 months until the season starts, this off season feels like forever
It’s wild how much the Rangers bailed the Pens out from 1995 Robitaille/Samuelsson to the 2003 Kovalev back to the Rangers trade. The Rangers would have sent the best return of NHL players in the Jagr trade, but The caps sending $11m was too good a deal to pass on.
Here’s my [gameworn Nedved jersey](https://davesjerseys.com/game-worn/9596nedved), from his highest scoring season!!