  martin erat () (born august 28, 1981) is a czech professional ice hockey player. he is currently playing for the arizona coyotes of the national hockey league (nhl). ==playing career== erat was selected 191st overall, in the 7th round of the 1999 nhl entry draft. he was selected as the 12th choice of the nashville predators. erat made a splash in his nhl rookie year (2001â2002) as a member of the "vowel line" which consisted himself on left wing, vladimÃ­r orszÃ¡gh on right wing, and denis arkhipov at center. that year he set a nashville rookie record for games played (80), assists (24), and points (33). thumb|left|erat playing for the predators in 2010 his first national hockey league point was a game-winning goal against the calgary flames on october 11, 2001. his first nhl playoff point was an assist in the 2004 western conference quarterfinals in a 2â1 loss to the detroit red wings on april 10, 2004. erat struggled during his sophomore season (2002â03) and spent the majority of the season with the predator's minor league affiliate the milwaukee admirals of the american hockey league. after changing his number from 19 to 10 in the offseason, his play improved however in his third season (2003â04). he had career highs with goals (16), assists (33), and points (49). he also ranked second on the team with a +10 rating. during the 2004â05 nhl lockout, erat played for hc zlÃ­n of the czech extraliga, where he finished eighth in the league in scoring with 20 goals and 23 assists in 48 games. in 2005â06, erat scored a career high 20 goals in his fourth season with the nashville predators, while tallying 49 points. he also played for the czech national team at the olympics in turin, where he helped the team secure a bronze medal. during the 2006â07 nhl season, erat emerged as a legitimate first line player, tallying 57 points in only 68 games. most often, erat teamed with paul kariya and david legwand to form the team's top unit. erat missed the final 5 weeks of the season with a torn mcl. once again playing for nashville in 2007â08, erat posted a career high 23 goals, and added 34 assists to once again 
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