Vaclav Varada
Encyclopedia
Václav Varaďa (ˈvaːtslaf ˈvaraɟa; born April 26, 1976) is a Czech
professional ice hockey
player currently playing for HC Vítkovice
of the Czech Extraliga
. He formerly played in the National Hockey League
(NHL) in a ten-year span. In his professional career, he has previously played for the Buffalo Sabres
and the Ottawa Senators
. Varaďa is known for his physicality in a third or fourth line role.
(WHL), and then the NHL's affiliate, the American Hockey League
(AHL). He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal for Doug Bodger, to Varaďa's original team, the San Jose Sharks
. Rotating from the AHL for a few years, he created a reputation as a pest and a solid checking line player.
He played some of his best hockey for the Buffalo Sabres during their trip to the Stanley Cup
finals amassing 24 assists, three shy of his professional career. Despite the large help of Dominik Hašek
, the Sabres lost to the Dallas Stars
in six games by a controversial goal by winger Brett Hull
.
He was later traded to the Ottawa Senators
for Jakub Klepiš
before the 2003 trade deadline in an attempt by the Senators to become a tougher and gritty team, en route to the Senators' first Eastern Conference championship series against the defensive-minded team, New Jersey Devils
. In a dramatic seven game series, New Jersey came out on top to eventually win the Stanley Cup
.
After spending his career with the Vítkovice
of the Czech League during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Varaďa spent one more year with the Senators. In a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs
, Varaďa was ready to check defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo
skating down to the Senators' end. Varaďa collided with him, then Colaiacovo spun into the boards, hard enough for a concussion. After taken off by a stretcher, there were fans complaining about an intent to injure, especially with Colaiacovo's history of serious injuries. However, video has shown Colaiacovo was skating hard enough to actually rebound off Varaďa.
Once the playoffs came for the heavily-favoured Senators, the team fell to the Sabres in a five game series, with Varaďa only totaling two assists. In August 2006, Varaďa signed with HC Davos
of the Swiss National League A (NLA).
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player currently playing for HC Vítkovice
HC Vítkovice
HC Vítkovice Steel is an ice hockey club based in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, competing in the Czech Extraliga. It plays in the newly reconstructed ČEZ Aréna ....
of the Czech Extraliga
Czech Extraliga
The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....
. He formerly played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) in a ten-year span. In his professional career, he has previously played for the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
and the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Varaďa is known for his physicality in a third or fourth line role.
Playing career
Varaďa spent his young years with the Czech League from 1992 to 1994, and that year he became drafted. To get closer to earn a spot in the NHL, Varaďa moved up to the Western Hockey LeagueWestern Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
(WHL), and then the NHL's affiliate, the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
(AHL). He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal for Doug Bodger, to Varaďa's original team, the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Rotating from the AHL for a few years, he created a reputation as a pest and a solid checking line player.
He played some of his best hockey for the Buffalo Sabres during their trip to the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
finals amassing 24 assists, three shy of his professional career. Despite the large help of Dominik Hašek
Dominik Hašek
Dominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
, the Sabres lost to the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
in six games by a controversial goal by winger Brett Hull
Brett Hull
Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...
.
He was later traded to the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
for Jakub Klepiš
Jakub Klepis
Jakub Klepiš is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:...
before the 2003 trade deadline in an attempt by the Senators to become a tougher and gritty team, en route to the Senators' first Eastern Conference championship series against the defensive-minded team, New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. In a dramatic seven game series, New Jersey came out on top to eventually win the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
.
After spending his career with the Vítkovice
HC Vítkovice
HC Vítkovice Steel is an ice hockey club based in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, competing in the Czech Extraliga. It plays in the newly reconstructed ČEZ Aréna ....
of the Czech League during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Varaďa spent one more year with the Senators. In a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Varaďa was ready to check defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo
Carlo Colaiacovo
Carlo Colaiacovo is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League . Colaiacovo also has an identical twin brother, Paulo Colaiacovo, who is a professional ice hockey goaltender.-Playing career:...
skating down to the Senators' end. Varaďa collided with him, then Colaiacovo spun into the boards, hard enough for a concussion. After taken off by a stretcher, there were fans complaining about an intent to injure, especially with Colaiacovo's history of serious injuries. However, video has shown Colaiacovo was skating hard enough to actually rebound off Varaďa.
Once the playoffs came for the heavily-favoured Senators, the team fell to the Sabres in a five game series, with Varaďa only totaling two assists. In August 2006, Varaďa signed with HC Davos
HC Davos
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos play in the Swiss National League A, which is ranked as Europe's sixth best ice hockey league. The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team...
of the Swiss National League A (NLA).
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
+/- | PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | ||
| 1992–93 | HC Vítkovice HC Vítkovice HC Vítkovice Steel is an ice hockey club based in Ostrava in the Czech Republic, competing in the Czech Extraliga. It plays in the newly reconstructed ČEZ Aréna .... |
Czech Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe.... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | HC Vítkovice | Czech | 29 | 7 | 8 | 15 | — | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | — | 11 | ||
| 1994–95 | Tacoma Rockets Tacoma Rockets The Tacoma Rockets were a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League from 1991 to 1995. They played at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The Rockets were granted as an expansion franchise, but low attendance forced the team to move to Kelowna, British Columbia after only four seasons,... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
68 | 50 | 38 | 88 | — | 108 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | 16 | ||
| 1995–96 | Kelowna Rockets Kelowna Rockets The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League , out of the Canadian Hockey League . They play their home games at Prospera Place.... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
59 | 39 | 46 | 85 | — | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 1995–96 AHL season The 1995–96 AHL season was the 60th season of the American Hockey League. The AHL expands by two teams and realigns into two conferences, and four divisions. The Northern Conference includes the North and Atlantic Divisions... |
Rochester Americans Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and a top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:... |
NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | -- | — | ||
| 1997–98 1997–98 AHL season The 1997–98 AHL season was the 62nd season of the American Hockey League. The AHL shifts teams in their divisions, and the Canadian division reverts to being named Atlantic division. The Northern conference is renamed the Eastern conference, and the Southern conference renamed the Western... |
Rochester Americans | AHL | 45 | 30 | 26 | 56 | — | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 27 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | +3 | 18 | ||
| 1998–99 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 72 | 7 | 24 | 31 | +11 | 61 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 9 | +2 | 14 | ||
| 1999–00 | Vítkovice HC | Czech | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 76 | 10 | 27 | 37 | +12 | 62 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 8 | ||
| 2000–01 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 75 | 10 | 21 | 31 | -2 | 81 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +2 | 8 | ||
| 2001–02 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 76 | 7 | 16 | 23 | -7 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 44 | 7 | 4 | 11 | -2 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | +3 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +4 | 18 | ||
| 2003–04 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 30 | 5 | 5 | 10 | +2 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05 | Vítkovice HC | Czech | 44 | 8 | 19 | 27 | — | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 76 | 5 | 16 | 21 | +2 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | HC Davos HC Davos Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos play in the Swiss National League A, which is ranked as Europe's sixth best ice hockey league. The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team... |
NLA | 30 | 5 | 5 | 10 | +2 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | HC Langnau | NLA | 37 | 12 | 30 | 32 | — | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | HC Vítkovice | Czech | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | — | 22 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |||
| NHL totals | 493 | 58 | 125 | 183 | +19 | 410 | 87 | 11 | 19 | 30 | +12 | 78 | ||||
| Czech League totals | 79 | 17 | 30 | 47 | — | 47 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | 37 | ||||