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Michal Pivoňka

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Michal Pivoňka
Born (1966-01-28) 28 January 1966 (age 59)
Kladno, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for HC Dukla Jihlava
Washington Capitals
Klagenfurter AC
National team  Czechoslovakia
NHL draft 59th overall, 1984
Washington Capitals
Playing career 1984–2000

Michal Pivoňka (born 28 January 1966) is a Czech former National Hockey League player. He played his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals. Selected by the Capitals in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, Pivoňka defected to the United States during the summer of 1986. Over his 13 seasons with the Capitals, Pivoňka tallied 181 goals and 418 assists for a total of 599 points. At his retirement, he held the title for most assists in franchise history. As of 2025, he ranks fourth behind John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Ovechkin.[1]

Early life

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Pivoňka was born on 28 January 1966, in Kladno, Czechoslovakia,[2] to Magdalena and Lubomir Pivoňka.[3] He came from a middle-class family in Czechoslovakia[3] as his father was a track and field coach and his mother was a secretary.[4]

Career

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Defecting from Czechoslovakia

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As a teenager, Pivoňka played hockey full-time in Prague while officially being employed by a local steel company. His salary of 45,600 koruna a year officially came from his employment with the steel company. However, his salary significantly decreased when he was conscripted into the Czechoslovakia army.[3] Due to the mandatory conscription rules, Pivoňka spent two seasons with the Army team Dukla-Jihlava. Despite remaining in Czechoslovakia, Pivoňka gained the attention of teams from the National Hockey League and was heavily pursued by the Washington Capitals.[5]

After finding out from a Czech coach that he had been drafted in the 1984 NHL entry draft by the Capitals, Pivoňka became determined to defect to the United States and play in the NHL.[6] Pivoňka first met with Capitals scout Jack Button in August 1984 at a hunting lodge in northern Sweden.[7] His numerous meetings with Button happened in secret due to Czechoslovakia's tendency to reject young players' permission to play in North America.[5][8] If he had been caught defecting, or seeking to detect, he would have earned jail time.[6] In his final meeting with Capitals executives, Buttons handed Pivoňka a split-up $5 bill and told him not to talk with anyone claiming to be associated with the club unless they had the other half.[7]

Despite being drafted in 1984, Pivoňka remained in Czechoslovakia for another two years to finish his army term and leave with his fiance Renata.[5] Due to the dangers of leaving this way, Pivoňka was unable to inform anyone close to him of his decision before leaving.[9] In the end, the only repercussion Pivoňka's family suffered as a result of this decision was that his father was demoted from head coach to assistant coach of track and field.[10][11] On 7 July 1986, Pivoňka and Renata left Prague and secretly met with a contact in rural Italy to cross the border and meet with Washington Capitals executives.[12][13] After officially signing a contract with the team, Pivoňka and Renata then visited the Embassy of the United States in Rome and were granted tentative refugee status in the United States almost immediately.[12] As he would not receive his first paycheque until 15 October 1986, Pivoňka and Renata rented a two-bedroom apartment and bought a car using money from his signing bonuses.[4]

Washington Capitals

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Pivoňka immediately made an impact upon joining the Capital for the 1986–87 season by scoring four goals and five assists through his first nine games.[9] His first NHL goal came on 14 October 1986 in a 7–6 win over the New York Rangers.[14] As a result of his overall play, Pivoňka was the runner up for the NHL's Rookie of the Month of October.[15] By the start of November 1986, Pivoňka led the Capitals in scoring with 14 points through 14 games and ranked second among all rookies.[7] However, as the NHL season was longer than the Czechoslovakia one, his production soon began to dip.[10] After only adding three goals and four assists to his points total by the end of November, head coach Bryan Murray said Pivoňka was playing "like the rookie I thought he would start out as."[16] In an effort to improve his play, the Capitals coaching staff moved Pivoňka from center to left wing in January 1987.[17] Shortly after scoring his 17th goal of the season,[18] Pivoňka suffered an ankle injury in a game against the Boston Bruins on 7 March and missed a few games to recover.[19] Despite this, Pivoňka finished his rookie regular-season with 18 goals and 25 assists to rank eighth among rookies in scoring.[15] As the Capitals qualified for the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs, Pivoňka participated in the Game 7 Patrick Division semifinals game against the New York Islanders. Nicknamed the Easter Epic, it was the longest Game 7 in Stanley Cup playoff history and required four overtimes to decide the winner.[20] Pivoňka finished the playoffs with one goal and one assist over seven games.[2]

However, Pivoňka struggled to match his rookie total in his sophomore season and finished the 1987–88 season with 11 goals and 23 assists.[2] After he similarly struggled through the first 14 games of the 1988–89 season, Pivoňka was re-assigned to the Capitals American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Baltimore Skipjacks, in early November.[21] He made an immediate impact with the Skipjacks by recording two points, including the game-winning goal, in his first game with the team.[22]

The arrival of Peter Bondra to the Capitals in the 1990–91 season resulted in back-to-back career highs for Pivoňka.[23] In their first season together, Pivoňka recorded his first NHL hat-trick in an 8–6 loss to the New York Rangers on 26 December 1991.[24] He finished the season with a career-high 70 points and tied Kevin Hatcher for the team lead in assists.[25] Pivoňka remained Bondra's linemate for the 1991–92 season,[23] which helped him lead the team in scoring with 23 goals and 57 assists.[26]

Pivoňka struggled to match his 80-point total in the 1992–93 NHL season due to an early season injury that resulted in 15 missed games.[27] After missing three games in early October with an injury, Pivoňka returned to the Capitals lineup on 21 October against the New York Rangers. However, he reaggravated his injury in the first period and missed the remainder of October.[28] Once he recovered, Pivoňka was reunited on the "Euroline" with Bondra and Dmitri Khristich and quickly amassed 40 points over 30 games.[27]

During Game 7 of the 1995 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Pivoňka was suspended for the first three games of the 1995–96 season and fined $1,000 for high-sticking defenseman Kjell Samuelsson.[29] However, Pivoňka and Bondra missed the first few games of the 1995–96 season due to contract disputes with the Capitals. They both played with the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League (IHL) until their disputes were resolved. It was reported that Pivoňka was seeking a five-year, $7.5 million contract with the Capitals.[30] Pivoňka scored one goal and nine assists with the Vipers[2] before signing a multi-year contract with the Capitals on 20 October.[31][32] Although he signed with the Capitals, Pivoňka was forced to miss the next three games due to his suspension the previous season.[33] On 22 December 1995, Pivoňka recorded his 500th NHL point with an assist on Steve Konowalchuk's power-play goal.[34] Despite missing three games, Pivoňka finished the 1995–96 season with a career-high 81 points.[23]

Kansas City Blades and retirement

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As the Capitals struggled to trade Pivoňka due to his expensive contract, they assigned him to the Kansas City Blades of the IHL for the 1999–2000 season.[35] As he retired following the 1999–2000 season, Pivoňka finished his NHL career with 181 goals and 418 assists through 825 games. At his retirement, he held the title for most assists in franchise history. As of 2025, he ranks fourth behind John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Ovechkin.[1]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1983–84 Poldi SONP Kladno CZE II 34 15 13 28 19 — — — — —
1984–85 ASD Dukla Jihlava TCH 33 8 11 19 18 — — — — —
1985–86 ASD Dukla Jihlava TCH 42 5 13 18 18 — — — — —
1986–87 Washington Capitals NHL 73 18 25 43 41 7 1 1 2 2
1987–88 Washington Capitals NHL 71 11 23 34 28 14 4 9 13 4
1988–89 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 31 12 24 36 19 — — — — —
1988–89 Washington Capitals NHL 52 8 19 27 30 6 3 1 4 10
1989–90 Washington Capitals NHL 77 25 39 64 54 11 0 2 2 6
1990–91 Washington Capitals NHL 79 20 50 70 34 11 2 3 5 8
1991–92 Washington Capitals NHL 80 23 57 80 47 7 1 5 6 13
1992–93 Washington Capitals NHL 69 23 51 74 66 6 0 2 2 0
1993–94 Washington Capitals NHL 82 14 36 50 38 7 4 4 8 4
1994–95 EC KAC AUT 7 2 4 6 4 — — — — —
1994–95 Washington Capitals NHL 46 10 23 33 50 7 1 4 5 21
1995–96 Detroit Vipers IHL 7 1 9 10 19 — — — — —
1995–96 Washington Capitals NHL 73 16 65 81 36 6 3 2 5 18
1996–97 Washington Capitals NHL 54 7 16 23 22 — — — — —
1997–98 Washington Capitals NHL 33 3 6 9 20 13 0 3 3 0
1998–99 Washington Capitals NHL 36 5 6 11 12 — — — — —
1999–2000 Kansas City Blades IHL 52 16 34 50 38 — — — — —
NHL totals 825 181 418 599 478 95 19 36 55 86

International

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Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1983 Czechoslovakia EJC 5 4 5 9 14
1984 Czechoslovakia EJC 5 3 4 7 2
1984 Czechoslovakia WJC 7 1 2 3 0
1985 Czechoslovakia WJC 7 9 4 13 14
1985 Czechoslovakia WC 10 0 1 1 0
1986 Czechoslovakia WJC 7 5 5 10 10
1986 Czechoslovakia WC 10 2 1 3 6
1991 Czechoslovakia CC 5 0 3 3 2
Junior totals 31 22 20 42 40
Senior totals 25 2 5 7 8

Personal life

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Pivoňka and his wife Renata have three children together. Their son Jake also plays ice hockey and was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 2018 NHL entry draft.[36]

Awards and honors

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  • Directorate Award (Best Forward) and All-Star Selection, 1985 IIHF world junior hockey championships[37]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Washington Capitals Skater Records Most Assists, Career". National Hockey League. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Michal Pivoňka". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Feinstein, John (30 July 1986). "$1 million mystifying to Czech star's family". The Courier. p. 9. Retrieved 27 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Henderson, Jim (9 September 1986). "Hockey defector needs financial goals". USA Today. Retrieved 27 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c Diamond, Laura (23 July 1986). "Czechoslovakia star center Michal Pivonka culminated two years of..." United Press International. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b Meisel, Barry (5 November 1986). "Caps' Pivonka fits in". Daily News. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Elliott, Helene (7 November 1986). "Washington's Effective Defector". Newsday. p. 190. Retrieved 27 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Fachet, Robert (23 July 1986). "Czechoslovak Defects, Signs With Capitals". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b Beamish, Mike (28 October 1986). "Washington counting on latest Czech". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b Gildea, William (10 March 1987). "The Americanization Of Pivonka". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  11. ^ Elliott, Helene (7 November 1986). "Positive Effect for Capitals Star Defector". Newsday. p. 184. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b Brubaker, Bill; Fachet, Robert (3 August 1986). "NHL Clubs Find the Best Way to Sign Czechs Is Surreptitiously". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  13. ^ McRae, Earl (9 February 1990). "Freedom dash in tougher time". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Caps avert repeat start with 7–6 win". The Tampa Tribune. 15 October 1986. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "Hockey Coming To Ocean City". The Daily Times. 30 July 1987. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Notebook". The Baltimore Sun. 25 November 1986. p. 34. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "NHL notebook". The Evening Sun. 2 January 1987. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Flyers Finish Another Long Winning Streak". The News of Cumberland County. 6 March 1987. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Fachet, Robert (10 March 1987). "Injuries Don't Allow Poile To Make Any Forward Progress". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  20. ^ Fachet, Robert (April 20, 1987). "LaFontaine puts a Cap on Washington's season". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Jackman, Phil (9 November 1988). "Czech star Pivonka hopes he can regain his touch with Jacks". The Evening Sun. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Pair off to a flying start after joining Skipjacks". Brantford Expositor. 10 November 1988. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b c Wood, Robert (31 May 2013). "Ranking the 5 Most Lethal Duos in Washington Capitals History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  24. ^ "Rangers rally to beat Capitals". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 27 December 1991. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Hente, Karl (3 April 1991). "Washington Capitals". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  26. ^ Sell, Dave (21 June 1992). "Ciccarelli Trade Cuts Payroll, Excitement". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  27. ^ a b Fachet, Robert (16 January 1993). "Beaupre, Pivoňka In A Groove". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  28. ^ Sell, Dave (29 October 1992). "Pivoňka Aggravates His Injury". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  29. ^ Hochberg, Len (2 June 1995). "Pivoňka Suspended And Fined By NHL". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  30. ^ "Capital gains for Vipers are NHL's loss". Detroit Free Press. 29 September 1995. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Caps sign Bondra, Pivonka". The Tennessean. 21 October 1995. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Capital update". Los Angeles Times. 30 November 1995. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Caps' Pivonka to play first game tonight". The Baltimore Sun. 29 October 1995. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Edmonton 3 at Washington 6". Regina Leader-Post. 23 December 1995. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Richman, Howard (28 September 1999). "Capitals send Pivonka to Blades". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 28 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "#20 Jake Pivonka". Notre Dame. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  37. ^ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.517, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
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