Petr Klima

**Petr Klíma** (born on December 23, 1964 in Chomutov, Czech Republic) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Klima was drafted 86th overall by Detroit in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

### Early Playing Career

By the time Petr was 20 years old, officials on his Dukla Jihlava team knew that the Detroit Red Wings were eager to bring the young star to the NHL.

Rumors were rampant that the Wings were trying to pay off Czechoslovakian authorities to get him out of his native country, but despite all the hype that surrounded him, Czech hockey authorities made no real effort to clamp down and prevent Petr from traveling in Europe.

As a result, Petr managed to defect to North America during the summer of 1985, making him the first Czech player to defect directly to a U.S.-based team rather than one of the NHL's Canadian teams which had smuggled several Czechs and Slovaks out of Europe in the past. His bold move was entirely orchestrated by the Red Wings, who knew that he was eager to play in North America.

After Petr's defection was planned, he ditched his Czech national teammates during a team meal at the Czech training camp in Nußdorf am Inn, West Germany to join Red Wings executive vice-president Jim Lites and assistant coach Nick Polano at an undisclosed location on Aug 18, 1985.

Several days were then spent in the effort to bring Petr to North America (after Lites & Polano, who had flown to Germany on Aug 15, 1985) kept him under wraps in Nussdorf and other cities to avoid pursuit by Czech police.

Polano stayed with Petr as Lites and other Wings officials arranged for him to gain refugee status to enter the United States. The Wings were assisted by U.S. attorney general Edwin Meese and deputy attorney general Lowell Jensen in expediting the political-asylum process.

It was later revealed that plans to get Petr out of Czechoslovakia reached back as far as the 1984 World Junior Championships (held in Sweden) when Detroit scout Alex Davidson secretly met with him in December 1983. He told Davidson he would not consider defecting until he had completed his military duty (so as not to be labeled a deserter) in 1985.

Less than a year later at the 1984 Canada Cup, Petr began talking to the Wings about the possibility of coming to the NHL after the 1984–85 season. During that time, while in Vancouver with the Czechoslovak team, he even signed a secret multiyear contract with the Red Wings. Polano had brought the contract to Petr without Czechoslovak officials realizing it.

Petr (who spoke no English when he finally arrived in Detroit on Sep 22, 1985) was fortunate that the Red Wings also managed to bring his girlfriend to the United States. In honor of his successful defection, a grateful and overjoyed Petr requested sweater number 85 and wore it throughout his NHL career as a reminder of the year in which he gained freedom.

He was drafted in the fifth round (88th overall) of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft by the Red Wings, and played his junior hockey with the CHZ Litvinov team.

### Professional

Petr played four full seasons with the Detroit Red Wings (from 1985 until 1989) before being traded to the Oilers (along with Joe Murphy and Adam Graves) during the 1989–90 season.

He scored the game-winning goal in the longest Stanley Cup Finals game in history, the third overtime of Game 1 of the 1990 Finals against Andy Moog of the Boston Bruins despite having not played at all in the third period, nor the first two OT periods. He played for the Oilers until 1993, winning the Stanley Cup in 1990.

In 1993, he was acquired by the Lightning where remained with the team for three seasons until 1996. He split the 1996–97 season between the Lumberjacks, Kings, Penguins & the Oilers, and was released in 1997.

Petr played in the DEL in 1997–98, then attempted a comeback with the Red Wings in 1998. He retired from the NHL in 1999, and then played from 2001–2003 in the Czech leagues before retiring for good.

## Personal Life

Petr's sons are also professional ice hockey players; his twin sons Kelly and Kevin signed one-year contracts with the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League.

### Disciplinary woes

Although Petr was one of Detroit's bigger stars in the late 1980s, he was also a problem for the Red Wings management; that situation came to a head during training camp on Sep 23, 1988, when Detroit suspended him indefinitely (along with Bob Probert), for breaking team rules.

At the time of the suspension, the Red Wings said they would trade Petr (although this never happened). They also said that they would not take him back until he had his drinking under control.

As a result, Petr missed the start of the 1988–89 season before being reinstated on Oct. 13, 1988, and sent to Adirondack in the AHL on Oct 16, 1988. He finally made his 1988–89 NHL regular-season debut during Detroit's Nov 6, 1988, game vs. Edmonton where he posted an assist.

At his first practice with the team, on Nov 5, 1988, Petr offered a heartfelt apology to his Red Wings teammates for his earlier behavior, much of which was alcohol-related. During his months back, he roomed with Probert (who was also trying to cope with his drinking and drug habits).

Petr managed to stay clean, but Probert's substance abuse and subsequent issues would continue for several years.