Josef Melichar IV (born January 20, 1979) is a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...
.
Playing career
Melichar was drafted in the 3rd round (71st overall) by the Penguins in the
1997 NHL Entry Draft. He played two junior seasons with the
Tri-City Americans
The Tri-City Americans are an American major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League and based in Kennewick, Washington. Founded in 1966 as the Calgary Buffaloes, the team settled in Kennewick in 1988 after a number of re ...
of the
Canadian Hockey League
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; , LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three me ...
(CHL) from 1997 to 1999, and was nominated for the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
(WHL)'s top defenceman award in 1998. The award would go to future Penguins teammate and frequent defense partner
Michal RozsÃval.
Melichar's first pro season was spent with the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (sometimes known as the WBS Penguins) are a professional ice hockey team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Pengui ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) in their inaugural 1999–00 season. He was the only member of the team to play in all 80 games.
Melichar made his NHL debut as a 21-year-old in October 2000, and played in 18 games for the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
. The Penguins were stacked with
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
players that season, with Melichar being one of eleven to suit up for the team. He was sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and participated in their long playoff run, which ended with a loss in the 2001
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...
finals.
He became a permanent fixture on Pittsburgh's blueline in 2001–02, with a strong rookie season that ended prematurely with a shoulder injury. After being rewarded with a one-way contract, Melichar only played eight games in the 2002–03 season due to re-aggravation of the shoulder injury.
After several shoulder surgeries, Melichar came prepared for training camp in 2003, only to injure the same shoulder yet again. However, the injury was not as severe as expected, and he was able to play in all 82 games in the 2003–04 season. He also scored his first
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
goal that season (in his 137th NHL game) against John Grahame and the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
on January 27, 2004, in a 6-2 Penguins loss.
After playing for
HC Sparta Praha
Hockey Club Sparta Praha, commonly known as HC Sparta Prague, is a Prague-based Czech professional ice hockey team playing in the Czech Extraliga. The club has won four Czech championships (most recently in 2007) and four Czechoslovak champio ...
in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
during the
2004–05 NHL lockout
The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play.
The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...
, he signed a multi-year contract with Pittsburgh on August 15, 2005. He was named an alternate captain for the 2005–06 Penguins on March 11, 2006. Melichar finished the season with 3 goals and 12 assists for a career high 15 points in 72 games.
Melichar in his sixth and final season with the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
, was partnered on the 2nd defensive pairing with
Rob Scuderi
Robert John Scuderi (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman, currently serving as an assistant coach for the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators.
Known as a stay-at-home defenseman, he played i ...
. He was second on the team in blocked shots and maintained a strong plus-minus rating throughout the season, while playing against opposing teams' top players. Without a contract offer from the Penguins, Melichar left for Europe and played with
HC České Budějovice
HC, hc or H/C may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine
* Health Canada
* Hemicrania continua
* Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia
Chemistry
* Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc
* ...
in the
Czech Extraliga
The Czech Extraliga () is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia midway through the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season (which all Slovak and ...
and
Linköpings HC Linköpings may refer to:
*Linköpings ASS, Linköpings Allmänna Simsällskap is a Swedish swim team
*Linköpings FC, an association football club
*Linköpings FF, premier men's football team
*Linköpings HC, Linköpings Hockey Club
See also< ...
in the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Elitserien
Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan.
Elitserien leagues at present:
* Elitserien (badmint ...
.
On July 1, 2008, Melichar signed with the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
. Melichar was then traded by the Hurricanes, along with
Wade Brookbank and a fourth round draft pick in the
2009 NHL Entry Draft, to the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
for
Jussi Jokinen
Jussi Petteri Jokinen (born April 1, 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. After playing in his native Finland with Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga he was drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Dallas Stars in 2001 in t ...
on February 7, 2009.
He then left his club the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
in July 2009 and he then turned back to his hometown
České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is the largest ...
and signed for
HC České Budějovice
HC, hc or H/C may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine
* Health Canada
* Hemicrania continua
* Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia
Chemistry
* Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc
* ...
.
On August 10, 2010, Melichar signed a contract with
Linköpings HC Linköpings may refer to:
*Linköpings ASS, Linköpings Allmänna Simsällskap is a Swedish swim team
*Linköpings FC, an association football club
*Linköpings FF, premier men's football team
*Linköpings HC, Linköpings Hockey Club
See also< ...
, marking his second tenure at the Swedish club.
On July 5, 2011, Melichar signed with HC Pardubice,
making it his fourth time that he has played in Pardubice.
Retirement
Melichar abruptly announced his retirement on August 18, 2011, only a month after signing his one-year contract. A statement released from HC Pardubice read: "After a long deliberation, taking into account his family situation,
osef Melichardecided this season to retire from hockey for personal reasons and asked us for early termination of the recently signed professional contract with our club.
"
Michal Sivek
Michal Sivek (born January 21, 1981) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He played 38 games in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2002–03 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1997 to 200 ...
, Melichar's agent and former teammate, would not elaborate on Melichar's retirement other than saying "He simply has no desire to play hockey.
"
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Transactions
* 2007 – Signed as free agent by Linköpings HC in
Elitserien
Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan.
Elitserien leagues at present:
* Elitserien (badmint ...
* July 2, 2008 – Signed 1 year, $1 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2008–2009 NHL season.
* February 7, 2009 – Traded, along with
Wade Brookbank and a fourth round draft pick in the
2009 NHL Entry Draft to the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...
for
Jussi Jokinen
Jussi Petteri Jokinen (born April 1, 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. After playing in his native Finland with Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga he was drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Dallas Stars in 2001 in t ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melichar, Josef
1979 births
Albany River Rats players
Carolina Hurricanes players
Czech ice hockey defencemen
Motor České Budějovice players
HC Sparta Praha players
Linköping HC players
Living people
Norfolk Admirals players
Ice hockey people from České Budějovice
Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Tampa Bay Lightning players
Tri-City Americans players
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players
Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Czech expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden