Born	September 16, 1980 (1980-09-16) (age 29), Příbram, CS
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Pro clubs	Atlanta Thrashers Dallas Stars
NHL Draft	1st overall, 1999 Atlanta Thrashers
Pro career	1996 – 2007

Patrik Štefan (September 16, 1980 in Příbram, Czechoslovakia) is a retired Czech professional ice hockey player who was drafted 1st overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Contents 1 Playing career 2 Career statistics 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Playing career

Patrik Štefan was drafted first over-all by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. The draft was initially considered to be one of the deepest pools of talent, but many of the top selections have yet to make an impact in the NHL.

Prior to being drafted by the Thrashers, Štefan played for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Republic, and the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL

Patrik played six seasons for the Atlanta Thrashers scoring 177 points. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Patrik played for Ilves Tampere in the SM-liiga. In 37 games the center collected a total of 41 points including 28 assists. In the playoffs, Štefan had six assists and a goal in seven games for a total of seven points.

On June 24, 2006, after failing to live up to his expectations, Štefan was traded to the Dallas Stars along with Jaroslav Modrý for Niko Kapanen and a 7th round draft pick in 2006.

Štefan earned significant notoriety when he missed and fell on a breakaway towards an empty net against the Edmonton Oilers on January 4, 2007^[1], which allowed a play to develop where fellow Czech Aleš Hemský scored with two seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.[1]. Former NHL player and former teammate of Patrick, Ray Ferraro, who was commentating the game for Sportsnet, remarked that it was the "worst play" he'd seen in 25 years of NHL hockey; Ferraro also remarked, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen... Patrik Stefan, you should be embarrassed for what you just did; that does not belong in the National Hockey League!" Stars analyst Daryl Reaugh, meanwhile, compared Štefan to Leon Lett, another Dallas athlete remembered for two costly misplays while a member of the Dallas Cowboys. The Stars recovered, though, winning the game in a shootout.

After Štefan's contract expired in 2007, the Dallas Stars chose not to re-sign him. Štefan signed with SC Bern of the Nationalliga A, but he only played three games for them before retiring in October 2007.[2] He is currently a player agent in Laguna Beach, California.

[edit] Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1996–97	HC Sparta Praha	CZE		5	0	1	1	2		7	1	0	1	0
1997–98	HC Sparta Praha	CZE		27	2	6	8	16		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Long Beach Ice Dogs	IHL		25	5	10	15	10		10	1	1	2	2
1998–99	Long Beach Ice Dogs	IHL		33	11	24	35	26		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		72	5	20	25	30		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		66	10	21	31	22		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Chicago Wolves	AHL		5	3	0	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		59	7	16	23	22		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		71	13	21	34	12		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		82	14	26	40	26		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Ilves	SM-liiga		37	13	28	41	47		7	1	6	7	4
2005–06	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		64	10	14	24	36		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Dallas Stars	NHL		41	5	6	11	10		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	SC Bern	NLA		3	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				455	64	124	188	158		—	—	—	—	—

[edit] See also

• List of NHL first overall draft choices

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Patrik Štefan's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Vincent Lecavalier	1st overall pick in NHL Entry Draft 1999	Succeeded by Rick DiPietro
Preceded by None	Atlanta Thrashers first round draft pick 1999	Succeeded by Dany Heatley

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