- 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 = 2003Tomáš Plekanec (born
October 31 ,1982 inKladno ,Czechoslovakia ) is a Czechice hockey forward.Playing career
Plekanec currently plays for the
National Hockey League 'sMontreal Canadiens . He was drafted in the 3rd round of the2001 NHL Entry Draft . In2001 , he came over toNorth America and played for the Habs minor league affiliateHamilton 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 the2007 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 the2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships .Following the
2006–07 NHL season , Tomas represented the Czech Republic at the2007 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 ChampionshipsInternational 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]
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