Vaclav Nedomansky, 2019 HHOF inductee (a great Czechoslovakian who defected to the WHA, later NHL)

[VanIslander]

He had all the tools necessary to become a star in the NHL. He not only had the size but he also possessed the best wrist shot in the world at that time. On a couple of occasions his wristshot was clocked at 90 + MPH, which was harder than most players slap shots.

But as soon as he settled down in Motor Town, he came back and showed flashes of his brilliance. Although clearly past his prime he scored 38 and 35 goals the following two seasons (78-79 and 79-80). His 73 and 74 pts was a really good result considering the fact that he was 35-36 years old playing for one of the worst teams in the league. Although not as fast as he used to be he still had that deadly wristshot as well as great touch around the net. As his speed deteriorated he became more and more of a power forward who thrived in the slot. He was hard to move away from the slot in the same fashion as Phil Esposito was and became something of a powerplay specialist.

"He does what Phil Esposito does in the slot – takes up space, gets the puck and snaps shots on goal."

That level of intensity made him a success in North America, where he wasn't afraid to mix it up

Awards and Achievements
5 x Czech League Goal Scoring Leader (1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974)
4 x Czech League Point Leader (1967, 1971, 1972, 1974)
3 x World Championship All-Star team (1969, 1970, 1974)
1 x Best Forward of World Championships (1974)
1 x Olympic Silver Medalist (1968)
1 x Olympic Bronze Medalist (1972)

Top 10s
Czech League Points- 3rd(1966), 1st(1967), 2nd(1968), 3rd(1969) 5th(1970), 1st(1971), 1st(1972), 4th(1973), 1st(1974)

Olympic Goals- 3rd (1968), 2nd (1972)

Olympic Points- 9th (1968), 2nd (1972)

Olympic Notes: Nedomansky didn't light it up in the 68 olympics, but did so in the 72 -1 goal behind famed Kharlamov, and beating out every other member of that Soviet team in goals and points, a team featuring Boris Mikhailov, Alexander Maltsev, and Anatoli Firsov (who was past his prime, granted)


In the WHA...

56-goal scorer and WHA equivalent of a Lady Byng trophy winner in 1976, the year after a 40+ goal rookie WHA season as a 30 year old.

Click to read more...

 

[Staniowski]

Nedomansky's scoring finishes in the top Czechoslovakian league are phenomenal. Won the scoring title 4 times and finished in the top 5 the other 5 times in a 9-year period, before defecting to Canada.

Noteworthy is that he is 5 years older than Martinec (so they overlapped for about 5 years, Nedomansky's 2nd half of his 20s, Martinec's 1st half of his 20s), and Nedomansky almost always outscored Martinec, in the Czech league, in the World Championships, in the Olympics.

 

[Tarantula]

I remember watching some of those WHA games on Global as a kid, a real talent for scoring. Glad to see he is getting recognition after this time.

 

[Chili]

https://news.expats.cz/weekly-czech...becomes-second-czech-in-the-nhl-hall-of-fame/

Only the second Czech player to get in, Hasek the other (not counting Stan Mikita).

The Phil Esposito of Europe:

Check and double-Czech

Payoff on a big Czech

Nice to see him recognized.

 

[VMBM]

Noteworthy is that he is 5 years older than Martinec (so they overlapped for about 5 years, Nedomansky's 2nd half of his 20s, Martinec's 1st half of his 20s), and Nedomansky almost always outscored Martinec, in the Czech league, in the World Championships, in the Olympics.

Yes, almost. On the other hand, Martinec's international peak had just started when Nedomansky defected (Martinec finally did outscore him at the 1974 WHC); of course it's not given, though, that Martinec would have continued to outscore him every year after that, since Nedomansky still played numerous years - some good ones too - in North America.

Nedomansky was a very consistent scorer, no doubt about that.

 

[DN28]

https://news.expats.cz/weekly-czech...becomes-second-czech-in-the-nhl-hall-of-fame/

Only the second Czech player to get in, Hasek the other (not counting Stan Mikita).

The Phil Esposito of Europe:

Check and double-Czech

Payoff on a big Czech

Nice to see him recognized.

Those Sports Illustrated articles are in fact a great read and very informative to me. Thank you for posting them!

This thread reminded me one of my favourite team photos ever: Slovan Bratislava 1967

Slovan´s coach surprisingly well dressed considering the time and country, 'Big Ned' of course right in the middle, two other recognizable players, Vlado Dzurilla with typical 'have-i-just-seen-a-ghost?' face and Jozef Golonka with his also typical 'impatient-if-not-angry' face, are easy to spot on the bottom row. Great team...

 

[vikash1987]

I'm glad Vaclav "Big Ned" Nedomansky is being honored. It's well deserved. He was the first eastern-bloc player to defect to the West, and he paved the way for other Czechoslovak players to make the move in later years. That's a great thing to be able to say about an international player's legacy.

It's too bad the NHL only caught a glimpse of his greatness in his later years.

 

[vikash1987]

Has anybody seen the trailer for this documentary about him, produced by his son?

BIG NED - The Official Trailer

I'd love to see this whenever it comes out---some great footage, by the looks of it.

 

[alko]

Those Sports Illustrated articles are in fact a great read and very informative to me. Thank you for posting them!

This thread reminded me one of my favourite team photos ever: Slovan Bratislava 1967

View attachment 240675

Slovan´s coach surprisingly well dressed considering the time and country, 'Big Ned' of course right in the middle, two other recognizable players, Vlado Dzurilla with typical 'have-i-just-seen-a-ghost?' face and Jozef Golonka with his also typical 'impatient-if-not-angry' face, are easy to spot on the bottom row. Great team...

Wow, see the gloves???? Every player has big goalie gloves!