- Martin Erat
-
Martin Erat 
Born August 28, 1981
Třebíč, TCHHeight 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) Position Right wing Shoots Left NHL team Nashville Predators National team 
Czech RepublicNHL Draft 191st overall, 1999
Nashville PredatorsPlaying career 1999–present Olympic medal record Men's ice hockey Bronze 2006 Turin Ice hockey Martin Erat (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmarcɪn ˈɛrat] (
listen)) (born August 28, 1981) is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).Contents
Career
Erat was selected 191st overall, in the 7th round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected as the 12th choice of the Nashville Predators.
Erat made a splash in his NHL rookie year (2001–2002) as a member of the "vowel line" which consisted himself on left wing, Vladimír Országh on right wing, and Denis Arkhipov at center. That year he set a Nashville rookie record for games played (80), assists (24), and points (33).
His first National Hockey League point was a game winning goal against the Calgary Flames on October 11, 2001. His first NHL playoff point was an assist in the 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals in a 2–1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on January 19, 2004.
Erat struggled during his sophomore season (2002–03) and spent the majority of the season with the Predator's minor league affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. After changing his number from 19 to 10 in the offseason, his play improved however in his third season (2003–04). He had career highs with goals (16), assists (33), and points (49). He also ranked second on the team with a +10 rating.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Erat played for HC Zlín of the Czech Extraliga, where he finished eighth in the league in scoring with 20 goals and 23 assists in 48 games.
In 2005–06, Erat scored a career high 20 goals in his fourth season with the Nashville Predators, while tallying 49 points. He also played for the Czech National Team at the Olympics in Turin, where he helped the team secure a bronze medal.
During the 2006–07 NHL season, Erat emerged as a legitimate first line player, tallying 57 points in only 68 games. Most often, Erat teamed with Paul Kariya and David Legwand to form the team's top unit. Erat missed the final 5 weeks of the season with a torn MCL.
Once again playing for Nashville in 2007–08, Erat posted a career high 23 goals, and added 34 assists to once again reach the 57 point plateau.
He is also known for his wrist shot and his speed.
Erat played for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships in 2001. He helped the team to win the gold medal. In 2006, Erat played for the bronze medal winning Czech national team at the Turin Olympics. In the same year, Erat was a member of the silver medal winning team from the IIHF World Championships in Riga, Latvia.
Erat playing for the Predators in 2010
Following the 2007–08 season, Erat signed a 7 year, $31.5 million dollar contract with the Predators.
Martin has an older brother Roman Erat, who also plays hockey, but not at an NHL level.
He has two career hat tricks, the first against the Edmonton Oilers, and the second versus the Vancouver Canucks on December 8, 2009.
Awards
- Named the WHL Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November, 2000.
- Named the WHL Player of the Week for November 13–19, 2000.
- Named the NHL Third Star of the Week for November 12–17, 2007.
Records
- Games played by a Nashville Predators rookie - 80
- Assists by a Nashville Predators rookie - 24
- Points by a Nashville Predators rookie - 33
Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1997–98 Zlín Jr CZE-Jr 33 26 26 52 11 — — — — — 1998–99 Zlín Jr CZE-Jr 35 21 23 44 11 — — — — — 1998–99 HC Zlín CZE 5 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1999–00 Saskatoon Blades WHL 66 27 26 53 82 11 4 8 12 16 2000–01 Saskatoon Blades WHL 31 19 35 54 48 — — — — — 2000–01 Red Deer Rebels WHL 17 4 24 28 24 22 15 21 36 32 2001–02 Nashville Predators NHL 80 9 24 33 32 — — — — — 2002–03 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 45 10 22 32 41 6 5 4 9 4 2002–03 Nashville Predators NHL 27 1 7 8 14 — — — — — 2003–04 Nashville Predators NHL 76 16 33 49 38 6 0 1 1 6 2004–05 HC Zlín CZE 48 29 30 43 129 10 4 3 7 4 2005–06 Nashville Predators NHL 80 20 29 49 76 5 1 1 2 6 2006–07 Nashville Predators NHL 68 16 41 57 50 3 0 1 1 0 2007–08 Nashville Predators NHL 76 23 34 57 40 6 1 3 4 8 2008–09 Nashville Predators NHL 71 17 33 50 48 — — — — — 2009–10 Nashville Predators NHL 74 21 28 49 50 6 4 1 5 4 2010–11 Nashville Predators NHL 64 17 33 50 22 10 1 5 6 6 NHL totals 616 140 262 402 370 36 7 12 19 30 International play
Erat played his first game in the national squad in 2004, and has played 23 times for the national team (as of Jan 3 2009)[1]
Played for the Czech Republic in:
- 2001 World Junior Championships
- 2006 Winter Olympics
- 2006 World Championships (Bronze medal)
- 2008 World Championships
- 2010 Czech Republic Olympic hockey team
International statistics
Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 2001 Czech Republic WJC 7 2 1 3 16 2006 Czech Republic Oly 8 1 1 2 4 2006 Czech Republic WC 9 3 5 8 6 2008 Czech Republic WC 6 2 4 6 10 2010 Czech Republic Oly 5 0 1 1 0 References
- ^ Stats at hokej.cz(Czech)
External links
Categories:- 1981 births
- Czech ice hockey players
- Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics
- Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics
- Living people
- Memorial Cup winners
- Milwaukee Admirals players
- Nashville Predators draft picks
- Nashville Predators players
- Olympic bronze medalists for the Czech Republic
- Olympic ice hockey players of the Czech Republic
- People from Třebíč
- Red Deer Rebels alumni
- Saskatoon Blades alumni
- Olympic medalists in ice hockey
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