First Rate Forward

[Tony_]

I noticed this wasn't posted anywhere. Good read.

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http://nhlpa.com/Content/FEATURES/feature_...ies.asp?ID=3359

Monday, September 13, 2004:

First-Rate Forward

"He could really hold people off while stickhandling. His puck protection skills are fantastic." -Brent Peterson (former Portland Winter Hawks Coach)

He might have been an afterthought in the 1994 Entry Draft, but that's certainly not the case anymore for Richard Zednik.

Selected by Washington 249th overall 10 years ago, the Slovakian native had all the tools a big-league prospect required, yet didn't garner as much attention as he perhaps should have.

His introduction to the North American style of hockey came in the form of a two-year stint with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), starting in 1994-95.

“He was a very quiet guy,” said Brent Peterson, who coached Zednik during his WHL tenure. “But there were certain things about his game you picked up on right away.”

Including the ability to stand his ground.

“He was the strongest guy on his skates on our team,” praised Peterson, now an assistant coach with Nashville . “He could really hold people off while stickhandling. His puck protection skills are fantastic.”

Zednik could also light up the scoreboard, too. In his rookie season with Portland , the forward netted 35 goals and contributed 51 assists, good enough for 86 points in only 51 games.

More impressively, though, Zednik managed to endure and excel in spite of the physical nature of Canadian hockey, compared to the more finesse European approach he was accustomed to back in Slovakia .

Proving his fine first-year regular season campaign was no fluke, Zednik responded splendidly in the playoffs, scoring five times and adding five helpers in 10 post-season contests.

“He was never afraid to get himself into the mix,” noted Peterson, of the 200-pounder who was always willing to go back at an opponent. “He had a good shot, too.”

That was certainly evident in his second and final year with the Winter Hawks, a year in which he tallied 44 goals and 81 points in 61 games, producing an average of 1.32 points per game.

Armed with increasing confidence in his game, along with a desire to make a difference, Zednik, after a stint with Washington 's American Hockey League affiliate, also in Portland , finally found full-time duty with the Capitals in 1996-97.

After recording 17 goals and nine, respectively, in his first two full terms, Zednik began to emerge as a genuine offensive threat in 1999-2000, a season in which he fell one tally short of reaching the 20-goal plateau.

Finding his number on the scoresheet more often wasn't the only positive element in his overall performance. A solid commitment to the defensive aspect of the forward position was one of many reasons to believe Zednik was on the fast track to professional success.

“He's really emerged as more of a complete player,” said Peterson. “He's a solid two-way player who has really worked hard on improving his defensive play.”

Traded with Jan Bulis and Washington's first-round choice (Alexander Perezhogin) in the 2001 Draft for NHLPA President Trevor Linden, Dainius Zubrus and New Jersey's second-round choice (previously acquired, later traded to Tampa Bay - Andreas Holmqvist) in the 2001 Draft, on March 13, 2001, Zednik has become one of Montreal's most dependable contributors.

He's also shone on the international circuit, representing Slovakia on a number of occasions, including the 1993 and 1994 European Junior Hockey Championships and the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996.

Zednik, coming off a banner season with Montreal, had the honour of playing for his country again, this time in the 2004 edition of the World Cup of Hockey. Despite their Valiant effort, Zednik’s Slovakian squad came up short in the best-on-best tournament, with Zednik struggling through the misfortune of suffering a bout of food poisoning following a game in Montreal.

"My God, it was the worst feeling,'' he said.”You lose all your strength and feel weak.” Without question, the impressively large and vocal legion of Slovakian fans at the Bell Centre were saddened that Zednik was out of the lineup. The competitor that he is, Zednik was sure to make it for their next game, even though he still hadn’t regained his strength.

With 512 games of big-league experience (1,000 is an NHLPA-recognized milestone), the 28-year-old is becoming more effective with each season, something not lost on his former bench boss.

“He's passed the underrated tag,” said Peterson. “He's a top-notch player that understands what a good work ethic can translate into.”

It's obvious the best hockey in Zednik's career is still to come, making the former WHL Second All-Star Team member a player to keep tabs on, one who has become increasingly more prominent in his role as true two-way talent.

He might have had to wait for recognition at one point in time, but that definitely isn't an issue for a former 10th -rounder playing nothing short of first-rate hockey.

[Psycing]

Great article . Fantastic to see Zednik getting some credit for the hard work he has been doing... (well besides all us habs fans who all know what he can do!)

Hopefully when (if?) the NHL resumes, Zednik will return and be an even better player than he was. He seems to get better with each year, but still has to be a bit more consistant. Even as one of Zednik's #1 fans, I do have to admit he can be a bit streaky at times.

Anywayz, Thanks Tony for bringing this thurough article to our attention