Radek Martínek (born August 31, 1976) 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 ...
who last played for the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
in the
National Hockey League
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 ...
(NHL).
Playing career
Martínek was an eighth-round selection, 228th overall, by the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
in the
1999 NHL Entry Draft. After playing professionally for five seasons in his native
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 ...
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
* ...
, he joined the Islanders in 2001 and entrenched himself as a mainstay on the blueline. With the exception of
Rick DiPietro
Richard W. DiPietro Jr. (born September 19, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current co-host of ESPN 98.7 FM New York's "DiPietro and Rothenberg" with Dave Rothenberg. He is also an analyst on National Hockey ...
, Martínek had the longest tenure with the Islanders of any current player(At the time) until he was signed as a free agent by the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...
on July 6, 2011.
Martínek opened the
2011–12 season with the Blue Jackets, scoring one goal in seven games before he suffered a season-ending concussion against the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
on October 21, 2011 and also lost teeth and broke his leg.
In returning to health and as a free agent with the
NHL lockout
The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four industrial disputes in the history of the National Hockey League:
* The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season
* The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the gam ...
in effect, Martínek signed as he did during the previous lockout with his Czech team, České Budějovice, on September 19, 2012. He appeared in only four games with the club before he left to return to North America. With an agreement in place to end the labour dispute, Martínek was signed to a one-year deal with his former team, the New York Islanders, to add depth and compete for the final defensive spot on January 13, 2013.
Martínek won a gold medal at the
2001 World Championships as a member of the
Czech national team. He was also member of Czech team on
2011 World Championships (Bronze medal). Has two kids named Veronika Martinkova and Anna Martinkova and a wife Jana Martinkova.
Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinek, Radek
1976 births
Living people
Bridgeport Sound Tigers players
Czech ice hockey defencemen
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Motor České Budějovice players
New York Islanders draft picks
New York Islanders players
Ice hockey people from Havlíčkův Brod
Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States