Patrik Štefan
| Patrik Štefan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 16, 1980 Příbram, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
HC Sparta Praha Atlanta Thrashers Dallas Stars Ilves SC Bern |
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| National team |
 Czech Republic
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| NHL Draft | 1st overall, 1999 Atlanta Thrashers |
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| Playing career | 1996–2007 | ||
Patrik Štefan (born September 16, 1980) is a Czech retired professional ice hockey player who was drafted 1st overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. At the NHL level, Štefan is regarded by most as one of the biggest draft busts in league history.
Prior to being drafted by the Thrashers, Štefan played for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Republic, and the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL.
Štefan played six seasons for the Atlanta Thrashers scoring 177 points. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Štefan played for Ilves Tampere in the SM-liiga. In 37 games, Štefan collected a total of 41 points including 28 assists. In the playoffs, Štefan had six assists and a goal in seven games.
On June 24, 2006, Štefan was traded to the Dallas Stars along with Jaroslav Modrý for Niko Kapanen and a 7th round draft pick in 2006.
Štefan earned significant notoriety when on a breakaway towards an empty net, the puck hit bad ice and bounced up and over his stick, causing him to miss the goal and fall against the Edmonton Oilers on January 4, 2007. This allowed a play to develop where fellow Czech Aleš Hemský scored with two seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. The Edmonton goal tied the game 5-5, but Dallas then won 6-5 in a shootout.
After Štefan's contract expired in 2007, the Dallas Stars chose not to re-sign him. Štefan signed with SC Bern of the Nationalliga A, but he only played three games for them before retiring in October 2007, largely due to a serious hip injury, the latest of several chronic injuries that plagued his career. He is currently a player agent in Laguna Beach, California, and a coach at Orange County Ice Palace.
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