Peter Budaj

Peter Budaj
Budaj while playing for the Montreal Canadiens
Born	(1982-09-18) 18 September 1982 (age 34) Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
NHL team Former teams	Tampa Bay Lightning Colorado Avalanche Montreal Canadiens Los Angeles Kings
National team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	63rd overall, 2001 Colorado Avalanche
Playing career	2002–present

Peter Budaj (/buːˈdaɪ/ boo-DYE; born 18 September 1982) is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, by whom he was drafted, the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings.

He is known for having the popular character Ned Flanders from The Simpsons painted on his mask.

Budaj was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2001 draft as the first pick for the Avalanche and 63rd overall. He wore number 31 for the Avalanche after playing for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

In his first NHL season in 2005–06, he appeared in 34 games while backing up David Aebischer and then José Théodore. He recorded a combined 47 wins in the next two seasons while splitting duties with Théodore. His first NHL playoff appearances came in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs in relief of Théodore in Colorado's second round matchup against the eventual Stanley Cup champions Detroit Red Wings.