Petr Svoboda

Petr Svoboda (born February 14, 1966) is a retired Czech professional defenceman who was the first Czech to play over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL).
==Playing career==
In 1984, Svoboda had participated in the world Under-18 ice hockey championships in the former West Germany as a part of the Czechoslovak team, and after playing one game, he defected to the West. That spring, he was selected fifth overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. Throughout his NHL career he played for the Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986. He also participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan, winning a gold medal with the Czech team. He scored the only final goal against Russia, the goal that brought the gold medal for Czechs. He retired in 2001. 
==Career statistics==
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1984-85 Montreal Canadiens NHL 73 4 27 31 65 7 1 1 2 12
1985-86 Montreal Canadiens NHL 73 1 18 19 93 8 0 0 0 21
1986-87 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 5 17 22 63 14 0 5 5 10
1987-88 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 7 22 29 149 10 0 5 5 12
1988-89 Montreal Canadiens NHL 71 8 37 45 147 21 1 11 12 16
1989-90 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 5 31 36 98 10 0 5 5 2
1990-91 Montreal Canadiens NHL 60 4 22 26 52 2 0 1 1 2
1991-92 Montreal/Buffalo NHL 71 6 22 28 146 7 1 4 5 6
1992-93 Buffalo Sabres NHL 40 2 24 26 59 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 Buffalo Sabres NHL 60 2 14 16 89 3 0 0 0 4
1994-95 Litvinov CHP HC Czech 8 2 0 2 0
1994-95 Buffalo/Philadelphia NHL 37 0 8 8 70 14 0 4 4 8
1995-96 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 73 1 28 29 105 12 0 6 6 22
1996-97 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 67 2 12 14 94 16 1 2 3 16
1997-98 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 56 3 15 18 83 3 0 1 1 4
1998-99 Philadelphia/Tampa Bay NHL 59 5 18 23 71 -- -- -- -- --
1999-00 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 70 2 23 25 170 -- -- -- -- --
2000-01 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 19 1 3 4 41 -- -- -- -- --
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 NHL Totals 1028 58 341 399 1605 127 4 45 49 135
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1966
Category:Buffalo Sabres players
Category:Czech hockey players
Category:Montreal Canadiens players
Category:NHL All-Stars
Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks
Category:Philadelphia Flyers players
Category:Stanley Cup champions
Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players
Category:1998 Olympian
Category:Retired in 2001