Radek Bonk

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size = 240px
team=Nashville Predators
former_teams = Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
league = NHL
position = Center
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lb = 213
nationality = CZE
birth_date = birth date and age|1976|01|09
birth_place = Krnov, CZE
draft = 3rd overall
draft_year = 1994
draft_team = Ottawa Senators
career_start = 1993

Radek Bonk (born January 9 1976, in Krnov, Czechoslovakia) is a professional ice hockey center in the NHL for the Nashville Predators.

Playing career

Bonk was born in Czechoslovakia and began his hockey career playing for HC Opava in the Czech league [ [http://hockeydraft.ca/players/profile.aspx?id=900&name=Radek%20Bonk&team=Nashville%20Predators&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 hockeydraft.ca profile] ] . He moved to North America in 1993 with a goal of playing in the NHL and was signed by the International Hockey League's Las Vegas Thunder, with whom he spent the 1993-94 season as a 17 year old. Bonk was an immediate sensation in the IHL and by the end of his first season of the North American brand of hockey he had registered 42 goals and 45 assists for 87 points in 76 games. NHL scouts took notice, and Bonk found himself at or near the top of all the top prospects lists for the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Given his young age (17), size, and ability to quickly adapt to the more physical style of hockey in North America, Bonk became a "can't miss" prospect.

NHL career

He was drafted third overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, the first forward selected. He returned to Las Vegas for the first half of the 1994-95 season while the NHL was shut down by the owners' lockout [ [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=15139 legendsofhockey.net profile] ] and registered 20 points in 33 games. His debut NHL season of 1994-95 was somewhat disappointing, and Bonk scored only 3 goals and 11 points in 42 games. His progress took some seasoning in his first five years of pro hockey before he emerged as one of the NHL's most complete forwards by 1999-00 [ [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=15139 legendsofhockey.net profile] ] . He went on to play for the Senators for 10 seasons, eventually becoming the team’s #1 center under the tutelage of head coach Jacques Martin.

A skilled player, he was often criticized in the Ottawa media for his lack of aggression, despite his size. On the day of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a third round draft pick. His stay with the Kings was very brief, as the same day he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with Cristobal Huet for Mathieu Garon and a third round selection in the 2004 draft. His most productive season points-wise was the 2001–02 NHL season when he produced 70 points for the Ottawa Senators.

Bonk originally wore number 76 as a member of the Thunder and in his first two seasons in Ottawa, but now wears number 14 on his jersey.

Personal

Bonk is married to a Canadian, Jill Sarcen, whom he met in Ottawa while a member of the Senators. They have a son Oliver Jaroslav, and a daughter, Kennady Grace.

Awards

*1993-94: - Gary F. Longman Memorial Trophy (IHL Rookie of the Year)

Career statistics

Transactions

*June 28, 1994 - Ottawa drafts Bonk in the first round, 3rd overall
*June 26, 2004 - Ottawa trades Bonk to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick (Shawn Weller)
*June 26, 2004 - Los Angeles trades Bonk and Cristobal Huet to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Mathieu Garon and a 3rd round draft pick
* July 2, 2007 - Bonk signs with Nashville as a free agent

References

ee also

*List of AHL seasons
*List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons

External links

*hockeydb|472