Václav Nedomanský

Václav Nedomanský (born 14 March 1944) is a Czechoslovak former ice hockey forward. Nedomanský is best known as the first Czechoslovak hockey player to defect to North America to play.[1] He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. He is also a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame (1997), Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame (2002), Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame (2008) and was named into the IIHF All-Time Czech Team (2020).

Václav Nedomanský
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2019
Born (1944-03-14) 14 March 1944
Hodonín, Bohemia and Moravia
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Slovan Bratislava
Toronto Toros
Birmingham Bulls
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues
New York Rangers
National team  Czechoslovakia
Playing career 1962–1983
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1968 Grenoble Team
Bronze medal – third place 1972 Sapporo Team
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1965 FinlandIce hockey
Silver medal – second place 1966 YugoslaviaIce hockey
Bronze medal – third place 1969 SwedenIce hockey
Bronze medal – third place 1970 SwedenIce hockey
Silver medal – second place 1971 SwitzerlandIce hockey
Gold medal – first place 1972 CzechoslovakiaIce hockey
Bronze medal – third place 1973 Soviet UnionIce hockey
Silver medal – second place 1974 FinlandIce hockey

Playing in Czechoslovakia

Nedomanský played for Slovan Bratislava of the Czechoslovak Extraliga for twelve seasons. In 1968, he was a member of the Czechoslovak national ice hockey team which won silver medals at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble and bronze medals in 1972 at the Winter Olympics in Sapporo. He also played for Czechoslovakia in nine IIHF World Championships, and was named top forward at the 1974 World Championships.[2] He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997.[3]

Career after defection

Nedomanský defected in 1974 to Toronto via Switzerland.[4] He was not able to return to his home country until after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

He played just over three seasons in the World Hockey Association with the Toronto Toros and the Birmingham Bulls, peaking with 56 goals and 98 points for Toronto in 1975–76. He also won the Paul Deneau Trophy for sportsmanship in 1975–76. He then signed as a free agent with the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings in 1977. Nedomanský played five seasons for Detroit, posting highs of 38 goals and 74 points. He retired after one final season with the St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers in 1982–83.

Nedomanský coached in Germany and Austria from 1987 to 1991.

He was born in Hodonin, in eastern Moravia in the present-day Czech Republic.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1960–61 SHK Hodonín CZE-2 ————— —————
1961–62 SHK Hodonín CZE-2 ————— —————
1962–63 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR ————— —————
1963–64 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 3120727— —————
1964–65 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 32311041— —————
1965–66 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 36391453— —————
1966–67 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 3640206022 —————
1967–68 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 3634154910 85611—
1968–69 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 36272047— —————
1969–70 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 3629134223 —————
1970–71 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 33311546— 77310—
1971–72 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 35352156— —————
1972–73 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 34221739— 11448—
1973–74 Slovan ChZJD Bratislava CSSR 44462874— —————
1974–75 Toronto Toros WHA 7841408119 63149
1975–76 Toronto Toros WHA 815642988 —————
1976–77 Birmingham Bulls WHA 8136336910 —————
1977–78 Birmingham Bulls WHA 122356 —————
1977–78 Detroit Red Wings NHL 631117282 73580
1978–79 Detroit Red Wings NHL 8038357319 —————
1979–80 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7935397413 —————
1980–81 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7412203230 —————
1981–82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 6812284022 —————
1982–83 St. Louis Blues NHL 2229112 —————
1982–83 New York Rangers NHL 35128200 —————
CSSR totals 388354180534— 26161329—
WHA totals 25213511825343 63149
NHL totals 42112215627888 73580

International
Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1965 Czechoslovakia WC 7 4 2 6 2
1966 Czechoslovakia WC 7 5 2 7 8
1967 Czechoslovakia WC 7 1 2 3 14
1968 Czechoslovakia OLY 7 5 2 7 4
1969 Czechoslovakia WC 10 9 2 11 10
1970 Czechoslovakia WC 10 10 7 17 11
1971 Czechoslovakia WC 10 10 7 17 —
1972 Czechoslovakia OLY 6 8 3 11 0
1972 Czechoslovakia WC 9 9 6 15 0
1973 Czechoslovakia WC 10 9 3 12 2
1974 Czechoslovakia WC 10 10 3 13 4
Senior totals 93 80 39 119 55

References
  1. Peng, Sheng (15 September 2016). "Meet 'Big Ned': The international hockey legend you never knew - TheHockeyNews". TheHockeyNews. The Hockey News. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  2. Pinchevsky, Tal (2012). Breakaway: From Behind the Iron Curtain to the NHL--The Untold Story of Hockey's Great Escapes. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118096215. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  3. "Vaclav Nedomansky Stats and News". National Hockey League. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. George Gross, "Czech Hockey Star Defects to Canada", front page of The Toronto Sun 18 July 1974 (Vol. 3, No. 182). See also pp. 3 and 32-33.
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