June 26, 2007
Need to Know: For club or country, when duty calls, Tomas Vokoun is there to answer the bell. Ask hockey fans in the Czech Republic, who watched him take the reigns from the legendary Dominik Hasek. Or ask the fans in Nashville, who watched him mature into one of the league’s best goalies and turn the Predators into Cup contenders the past few seasons. Tomas has a quick glove hand, and the fact that the glove is on his right hand, makes it further difficult on shooters. Tomas earned his stripes playing for four teams in three North American leagues before making his Nashville debut. He made his NHL debut with a period of work for the Montreal Canadiens back in the 1996-97 season before joining the Preds via the expansion draft. He played at the All-Star Game in Minnesota in 2004, and represented the Czech Republic at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, before winning gold at the 2005 World Championship in Austria. He is the Predators’ all-time leader in virtually every goaltending category including games played (383), wins (161) and shutouts (21).
Recently: The longest tenured Predator was traded on draft weekend to the Florida Panthers, where he’ll get a chance to steer a strong young club to the post-season for the first time since 2000.
Did You Know: They won’t all be new faces in Sunrise, FL when Tomas arrives there. He played with Panthers captain Olli Jokinen in Helsinki in 2004-05.
NHLPA.com Bio: Tomas Vokoun was drafted 226th overall in the 1994 Entry Draft by the Montréal Canadiens. On February 6, 1997, he made his NHL debut with 16 saves against the Flyers. On June 26, 1998, Tomas was claimed in the Expansion Draft by the Nashville Predators. On December 12, he earned his first win against the Sharks posting a 2.95 goals-against average as a rookie. In 2000-01, Tomas played 37 games and posted a 2.44 GAA. In 2002-03, he took over the Predators’ starting duties and played in a club-record 69 games. He went 25-31-11 with a 2.20 GAA and three shutouts. He set new club records in 2005-06 with a 36-18-7 record and a career-high four shutouts.