Pavol Demitra

Pavol Demitra
Demitra during his tenure with the Los Angeles Kings
Born	(1974-11-29)29 November 1974 Dubnica nad Váhom, Czechoslovakia
Died	7 September 2011(2011-09-07) (aged 36) Yaroslavl, Russia
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Center
Shot	left
Played for	HC Dukla Trenčín (Cze-1/SlEx) Ottawa Senators St. Louis Blues Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Vancouver Canucks Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)
National team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	227th overall, 1993 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	1992–2011

Demitra faces off with Henrik Sedin (both of the Vancouver Canucks) during the 2010 Olympics
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  Slovakia
World Championships
	2003 Finland
Representing  Czechoslovakia
World Junior Championships
	1993 Sweden

Pavol Demitra (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈpavol ˈdɛmɪtra]; 29 November 1974 – 7 September 2011) was a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), two in the Slovak First Ice Hockey League (CFIHL)/Slovak Extraliga and one in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Known as an offensive player, Demitra was a first- or second-line forward throughout his career.

After a season with HC Dukla Trenčín in the CFIHL, Demitra was selected 227th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He subsequently left Slovakia to join the Senators organization and played three seasons between the NHL and the American Hockey League with Ottawa's minor league affiliate, the PEI Senators. Demitra began the 1996–97 season in a contract holdout with the Senators, resulting in him being traded to the St. Louis Blues in November 1996. After spending the majority of his first season with St. Louis organization in the International Hockey League, he secured a regular roster spot with the Blues in 1996–97. Demitra spent his most successful seasons with St. Louis, being named to three NHL All-Star Games (1999, 2000 and 2002) and winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2000. He achieved the 30-goal mark three times and the 90-point mark once with the Blues. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Demitra returned to HC Dukla Trenčín for one season. Upon returning to the NHL the following year, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. After one year with Los Angeles, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he played on the team's top line with winger Marián Gáborík. In July 2008, he became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Vancouver Canucks.