Tomáš Plekanec

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
team = Montreal Canadiens
league = NHL
image_size =


position = Center
shoots = Left
height_ft = 5
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 189
nickname = The Mechanic, Turtlenec
nationality = CZE
birth_date = birth date and age|1982|10|31
birth_place = Kladno, CS
draft = 71st overall
draft_year = 2001
draft_team = Montreal Canadiens
career_start = 2003

Tomáš Plekanec (born October 31, 1982 in Kladno, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech ice hockey forward.

Playing career

Plekanec currently plays for the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In 2001, he came over to North America and played for the Habs minor league affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs. He made his debut in the NHL during the 2003–2004 season playing in two games, and has since become a fixture in the Canadiens's lineup.

Internationally, Plekanec has represented his home nation in multiple international tournaments. He was a member of the Czech National Team at the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships and the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The 2006 Czech team captured a silver medal in Latvia. Plekanec scored an amazing winning goal in the semifinal game against Finland to make it 2–1. He was also a member of the Czech national junior team at the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Following the 2006–07 NHL season, Tomas represented the Czech Republic at the 2007 IIHF World Championship. He scored a total of four goals in the tournament (v. Belarus 2 goals; v. Slovakia 1 goal; v. Canada 1 goal).

On February 29th, 2008. Plekanec recorded his first NHL hat trick in a 6–2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. He is one of the few NHL players to score a hat trick on a leap day.

Career statistics

International play

Played for the Czech Republic in:

*2000 World U18 Championship
*2001 World Junior Championships (gold medal)
*2002 World Junior Championships
*2006 World Championships
*2007 World Championships
*2008 World Championships

International statistics

References

External links

* [http://www.plekanec.cz/index_eng.asp Tomas Plekanec official site]
*hockeydb|56385
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?statsId=3005 ESPN.com profile]