| Jaroslav Špaček | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born | (1974-02-11)February 11, 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 206 lb (93 kg; 14 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | HC Plzeň Färjestad BK Florida Panthers Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets HC Sparta Praha Edmonton Oilers Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens Carolina Hurricanes | ||
| National team |  Czech Republic | ||
| NHL draft | 117th overall,1998 Florida Panthers | ||
| Playing career | 1992–2012 | ||
Jaroslav Spacek (Czech pronunciation:[ˈjaroslafˈʃpatʃɛk]; born February 11, 1974) is aCzech formerprofessionalice hockeydefenceman who played in theNational Hockey League (NHL) for over 13 seasons with theFlorida Panthers,Chicago Blackhawks,Columbus Blue Jackets,Edmonton Oilers,Buffalo Sabres,Montreal Canadiens and theCarolina Hurricanes.
Špaček was drafted in the fifth round, 117th overall, by theFlorida Panthers in the1998 NHL Entry Draft.
On January 26, 2006, theChicago Blackhawks traded Špaček to theEdmonton Oilers in exchange forTony Salmelainen. In2005–06, Špaček was part of theCinderella Edmonton Oilers team that made a run to the2006 Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Oilers lost in Game 7 of the finals to theCarolina Hurricanes. Špaček had three goals and 11 assists in the2006 Playoffs. He was only one victory away of joining theTriple Gold Club.
On July 5, 2006, Špaček signed a three-year contract with theBuffalo Sabres. In the2006–07 season, he helped the Sabres reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Špaček was named an alternate captain for the month of December 2007 andcaptain for the month of January under the Sabres2007–08 rotating captain and alternate captains system. In the2008–09 season, Špaček tied a career-high with 45 points in 80 games for the Sabres.
On July 1, 2009, Špaček signed a three-year contract worth $11.5 million with theMontreal Canadiens.[1]
In the final year of his contract in the2011–12 season, on December 9, 2011, Montreal traded Špaček to theCarolina Hurricanes in exchange for defencemanTomáš Kaberle.[2]
A free agent, and with the2012–13 NHL lockout in effect well into the2012–13 season, Špaček effectively announced his retirement on November 19, 2012.[3] He became assistant coach forHC Škoda Plzeň and was also added to Plzeň's roster before the trade deadline. He was forced into playing again in the final series due to injuries to Plzeň's defencemen, and he helped Plzeň win its first-everCzech Extraliga title.[4]
In 2014, Špaček was named assistant coach for the Czech team at the2014 IIHF World Championship.[5]
Špaček was inducted into theCzech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame on November 3, 2016.
Špaček's son,David, is a professional ice hockey player who was drafted in the fifth round, 153rd overall, by theMinnesota Wild in the2022 NHL entry draft.[6]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1991–92 | TJ Škoda Rokycany | TCH U20 | 34 | 7 | 14 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | TJ Škoda Rokycany | TCH U20 | 19 | 12 | 8 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | HC Škoda Plzeň | TCH | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | HC Škoda Plzeň | ELH | 34 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | HC Interconnex Plzeň | ELH | 38 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | HC ZKZ Plzeň | ELH | 40 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 | HC ZKZ Plzeň | ELH | 52 | 9 | 29 | 38 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Färjestad BK | SEL | 45 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 63 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | ||
| 1998–99 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 63 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Beast of New Haven | AHL | 14 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 82 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 50 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 60 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 81 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 58 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | HC Lasselsberger Plzeň | ELH | 30 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | HC Slavia Praha | ELH | 17 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2005–06 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 45 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 31 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 24 | ||
| 2006–07 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 65 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 62 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 60 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 8 | 37 | 45 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 74 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 50 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 59 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 34 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Škoda Plzeň | ELH | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ELH totals | 211 | 25 | 73 | 98 | 180 | 20 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 22 | ||||
| NHL totals | 880 | 82 | 263 | 345 | 628 | 61 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 44 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Czech Republic | WJC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 1998 | Czech Republic | OG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 1999 | Czech Republic | WC | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | |
| 2001 | Czech Republic | WC | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2002 | Czech Republic | OG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2002 | Czech Republic | WC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 2003 | Czech Republic | WC | 9 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2004 | Czech Republic | WC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2004 | Czech Republic | WCH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005 | Czech Republic | WC | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2006 | Czech Republic | OG | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 72 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 36 | |||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Buffalo Sabres captain January2008 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
