Richard Zednik

**Richard Zednik** (born on January 6, 1976 in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL for the Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers.

## Playing Career

Zedník was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals in the tenth round (249th overall) after playing junior hockey for the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League.

He scored 35 goals in his rookie year with the Winter Hawks during the 1994–95 season. In his second year with the major junior team, he scored 44 goals which earned him Second Team All-Star honours.

Zedník made his professional debut at the end of the 1995–96 season, playing in a single game with the Capitals before joining their minor league affiliate, the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League for their Calder Cup finals playoff run.

He made the Capitals' roster out of training camp in 1996 and scored his first career NHL goal in the season opener on October 5 against Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks.

After one goal in nine games, Zedník was sent down to Portland before being recalled briefly in March 1997. He played his first full NHL season in 1997–98, playing in 65 games with the Capitals and recording 17 goals.

On October 31, 2000, a local Washington, D.C., radio station, DC101, had a promotion in which they offered fans a free ticket and Zedník jersey if they dyed their hair blond as Zedník had done in the off-season. It was Zedník's first game off of a suspension.

Two-hundred "Zed Heads" attended the game at which Zedník scored his first career hat-trick against the Detroit Red Wings, who had not lost in Washington in ten years.

After spending six seasons with the Capitals, Zedník was traded during the 2000–01 season, along with Jan Bulis and a first-round draft pick (used to select Alexander Perezhogin), to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Trevor Linden, Dainius Zubrus and a second-round draft pick (later traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning) on March 13, 2001.

On April 26, 2002, during a playoff game in Montreal against the Boston Bruins, Zedník was elbowed in the face by Bruins defenceman Kyle McLaren. He suffered from a fractured cheekbone, broken nose and a concussion. Despite the Canadiens losing the game 5–2 and Zedník for the remainder of the playoffs, they would win the series 4–2.

After playing the next three years in Montreal, Zedník was traded back to the Capitals on July 12, 2006, in exchange for a third round draft-pick. His second stint back with the Capitals was short-lived as he was dealt at the trade deadline to the New York Islanders for a second round draft pick on February 26, 2007.

At the conclusion of the 2006–07 season, Zedník (who was a free agent) signed a two-year contract with the Florida Panthers on July 1, 2007.

On April 30, 2009, he was announced as a Masterton Trophy finalist for the 2008–09 season. His nomination coincided with an official announcement that he signed to play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2009–10 season.

Zedník's contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslaval was terminated "by mutual agreement" in the summer of 2010. He then played two games with HC 05 Banská Bystrica of the Slovak Extraliga. On January 10, 2011, he signed a contract with AIK IF, which expired after the 2010–11 Elitserien season.

### Neck Injury

On February 10, 2008, in a game where the Florida Panthers were playing the Buffalo Sabres, Zedník suffered a severe and potentially life-threatening injury. His teammate Olli Jokinen got tangled up with Sabre Clarke MacArthur & lost his balance in front of Zedník.

As Jokinen fell, Zedník was skating past and his skate blade accidentally clipped Zedník's neck, slicing his common carotid artery open and causing it to spray a trail of blood onto the ice as he reacted quickly and skated to the Panthers' bench. He was immediately attended to by Florida trainer Dave Zenobi, who took him to the locker room for treatment.

Paramedics (who are on standby at every NHL game) stabilized Zedník while the home team doctor Les Bisson controlled the bleeding. Bisson noted that Zedník appeared to be in shock but was not near death, as he was alert and responsive. He was transported to hospital on emergency run, his status being published as stable after leaving the arena.

The game was delayed for more than 20 minutes as the zamboni was needed to help clean the blood from the ice.

The announcement over the public address speakers at HSBC Arena that Zedník was in stable condition and en route to a Buffalo, New York, hospital sparked a prolonged standing ovation from the Buffalo fans as the game resumed.

Emergency surgery was performed to repair the artery, but according to doctors at Buffalo General Hospital, Zedník's life was not in jeopardy. The artery was not severed; had it been, it would have recessed into the neck, requiring more extensive surgery to repair it.

Zedník was stable in the Intensive Care Unit through February 12, 2008 and released from hospital on February 16, 2008, but missed the rest of the season recovering from the injury. He received a lot of support for his injury by fans and fellow hockey players alike.

Zedník watched the video replay of his injury and said "once is enough". He said the extent of the injury was immediately obvious to him, as it felt like being stabbed. He returned to play in the 2008–09 season.

Zedník's injury was reminiscent of a similar injury suffered by Clint Malarchuk, who was a goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres back in 1989.

The injuries both prompted discussion about neck guards and player safety in the NHL. At present, team doctors (practitioners of sports medicine) are trained in trauma care and are required to be seated behind the home team bench at every game.

## International Play

Zednik played for Slovakia in the:

* 2006, 2010 Winter Olympic Games
* World Championships – 2001, 2003 (bronze medal), 2005, 2011
* World Cup of Hockey – 1996, 2004
* Team Slovakia – 45 caps / 10 goals
* Ball Hockey World Championships - 1999 (gold medal)

## Personal Life

Zedník married French-Canadian actress Jessica Welch in 2005; they divorced in 2009 and have one daughter.