Vladimír Růžička (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvlaɟɪmiːr ˈruːʒɪtʃka]; born 6 June 1963, nickname "Rosie")[1] is a Czech ice hockey coach and former professional player. Růžička was twice named the top player in the Czechoslovak Elite League, and was on the gold medal team in the Ice Hockey World Championship in 1985 and 1998 Olympic Games. He also played 233 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Since 2008, Růžička has been the head coach of both HC Slavia Praha and the Czech national ice hockey team.
| Vladimír Růžička | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
6 June 1963 Most, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
CHZ Litvínov HK Dukla Trenčín Edmonton Oilers Boston Bruins Ottawa Senators HC Slavia Praha | ||
| National team |
 Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic | ||
| NHL draft |
73rd overall, 1982 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1979–2000 | ||
Playing career
editRůžička started his career with Czechoslovak side Litvínov, making his first appearance at the age of 16 and scoring after just 10 seconds in his first game, against Dukla Jihlava.[2] Růžička was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs 73rd overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. Despite this, he was barred from leaving Czechoslovakia by the Communist authorities.[2] He continued to play internationally for Czechoslovakia before finally making his NHL debut in 1989.[2] Růžička had a short career in the NHL, playing a total of five seasons for the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators. His best season statistically came in 1991–92 when he recorded 75 points (39 goals, 36 assists) with Boston, and led the team in scoring.[2] He has a Stanley Cup ring and is on the 1990 Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup team picture. However, Růžička only played 25 regular season games and did not appear in the playoffs that season. Thus, his name was not engraved on the Stanley Cup. Růžička finished his NHL career with 233 games, scoring 82 goals and 85 assists.[2]
Růžička played 200 games for his national team, scoring 112 goals in the process.[2] In 1985, he won a gold medal with Czechoslovakia at the 1985 World Ice Hockey Championships.[2] He captained the gold medal-winning Czech Republic team at the 1998 Winter Olympics, going on to retire from the international team after the tournament.[2]
Awards
edit- 1985: World championship All-star team
- 1986: Golden Hockey Stick
- 1988: Golden Hockey Stick
Coaching career
editAfter retiring as a player in 2000 he started working as a coach in HC Slavia Praha and in 2002–03 and 2007–08 seasons his team won the Czech Extraliga. Between 2002 and 2004 he was also an assistant coach of the Czech national ice hockey team. Shortly after he left the team, the head coach Ivan Hlinka died and Růžička took over the position, leading the Czech Republic team to the Vienna World Championship gold medal in 2005. Růžička has coached the Czech national ice hockey team to two gold medals.[3][4]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1979–80 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 41 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 44 | 27 | 22 | 49 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 43 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 44 | 31 | 23 | 54 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 41 | 38 | 22 | 60 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 43 | 41 | 32 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 32 | 24 | 15 | 39 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | ASVŠ Dukla Trenčín | CSSR | 44 | 38 | 27 | 65 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | ASVŠ Dukla Trenčín | CSSR | 34 | 31 | 30 | 61 | 42 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 23 | — | ||
| 1989–90 | TJ CHZ Litvínov | CSSR | 32 | 21 | 23 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 25 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 29 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 1991–92 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 77 | 39 | 36 | 75 | 48 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1992–93 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 60 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 42 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | EV Zug | NDA | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | ||
| 1993–94 | Slavia Praha | CZE-2 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 6 | 3 | 9 | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Slavia Praha | CZE | 41 | 27 | 24 | 51 | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | Slavia Praha | CZE | 37 | 21 | 44 | 65 | 46 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 26 | ||
| 1996–97 | Slavia Praha | CZE | 44 | 22 | 31 | 53 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Slavia Praha | CZE | 49 | 18 | 38 | 56 | 56 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 20 | ||
| 1998–99 | Slavia Praha | CZE | 49 | 24 | 28 | 52 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Slavia Praha | CZE | 21 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| CSSR totals | 407 | 286 | 232 | 518 | — | 11 | 15 | 8 | 23 | — | ||||
| CZE totals | 241 | 117 | 173 | 290 | 256 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 48 | ||||
| NHL totals | 233 | 82 | 85 | 167 | 129 | 30 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 2 | ||||
International
edit
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Czechoslovakia | EJC | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1981 | Czechoslovakia | WJC | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1981 | Czechoslovakia | EJC | 5 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 18 | |
| 1982 | Czechoslovakia | WJC | 7 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 6 | |
| 1983 | Czechoslovakia | WJC | 7 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 6 | |
| 1983 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |
| 1984 | Czechoslovakia | OLY | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1984 | Czechoslovakia | CC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1985 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1986 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 6 | |
| 1987 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | |
| 1987 | Czechoslovakia | CC | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1988 | Czechoslovakia | OLY | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | |
| 1989 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Czech Republic | OLY | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 27 | 34 | 19 | 53 | 34 | |||
| Senior totals | 82 | 38 | 34 | 72 | 36 | |||
References
edit- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Vladimír Růžička". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bouc, František (12 January 2000). "Passing the puck". Prague Post. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Czechs eager to rejoin elite". IIHF.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Czechs are champs!". IIHF.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database