Aleš Hemský

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Aleš Hemský
Ales Hemsky - Dallas Stars.jpg
Hemský with the Dallas Stars in 2014
Born (1983-08-13) 13 August 1983 (age 38)
Pardubice, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for HC Pardubice
Edmonton Oilers
Ottawa Senators
Dallas Stars
Montreal Canadiens
National team  Czech Republic
NHL Draft 13th overall, 2001
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2002–2017

Aleš Hemský[1] (Czech pronunciation: [ˈalɛʃ ˈɦɛmskiː], born 13 August 1983) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player. He most recently played for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was originally a member of the Edmonton Oilers, who selected him in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He played over ten seasons with Edmonton before being traded to the Senators in 2014. He has represented the Czech Republic at two Winter Olympics. He announced his retirement from hockey in May 2020. He is best remembered for scoring a tying goal based on a huge error by Patrick Stefan with three seconds remaining on the clock and forcing the game into overtime.

Personal life[]

Aleš Hemský is married to Julie Hemský,[2] and they have two sons together.[3]

On 13 December 2017, Hemský, along with teammates Jordie Benn, Andrew Shaw, Karl Alzner, Jeff Petry, Charles Hudon, and Artturi Lehkonen, all went bald as part of the Leucan Shaved Head Challenge, as well as raised $33,000 for children battling cancer.[4]

Playing career[]

HC Pardubice[]

Hemský entered pro hockey as a 16-year-old, playing for HC Moeller Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga, in his hometown of Pardubice. He split the 1999–2000 season between Moeller and their junior club, HC Moeller Pardubice Jr. Hemský decided he had a better chance to be scouted if he played Canadian Junior hockey than if he tried to make the jump to the Czech Extraleague, and he subsequently became the first selection of the Hull Olympiques in the 2000 CHL Import Draft.[5]

Hull Olympiques[]

In 2000, Hemský moved to North America to play for the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The following season, 2000–01, Hemský led all rookies in scoring with 36 goals and 100 points. He was named to the All-Rookie team, was selected to play in the 2001 CHL Top Prospects Game, and was awarded the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's top pro prospect.[6]

Hemský continued his success in Hull during the 2001–02 season, with 27 goals and 97 points in 53 games, and finished 19th in the QMJHL scoring race.

Edmonton Oilers[]

Hemský on the stage at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, after the Oilers selected him thirteenth overall.

On 12 October 2002, Hemský recorded his first career assist against the Nashville Predators. On 4 January 2003, Hemský scored his first career goal against the Montreal Canadiens, in his 26th game of his rookie season. During his rookie NHL season, he scored six goals and 30 points in 59 games, and was a healthy scratch for 23. He also went pointless in all six of Edmonton's playoff games.

Hemský returned to the Czech Republic to play 47 games for HC Moeller Pardubice during the 2004–05 NHL Lockout. During that time, he scored 13 goals and 31 points, fifth on the club. Pardubice won the Extraleague championship for the first time in 16 years, and Hemský was named playoff MVP for his efforts.

During the 2005–06 season, Hemský had a career year, setting personal bests in every major statistical category. He scored 19 goals, 58 assists and 77 points, while playing in all but one game for the Oilers during the regular season. The Oilers captured the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Oilers went on to eliminate the Detroit Red Wings in six games in round one, then beat the San Jose Sharks in games as well in round two. In the Conference finals, the Oilers knocked off the Anaheim Ducks in five games. The Oilers, however, lost the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Hemský was an important part to the Oilers run to the Finals. Among his opportune goals were two he scored in the third period of game six against the Detroit Red Wings, including the series-winner.[7] Hemský underwent a biopsy on an inflamed lymph node on the right side of his neck during the playoffs.[8] Results have not been made public.

Also that season, Hemský was selected to represent the Czech Republic in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Czech hockey icon Jaromír Jágr had a large influence on Hemský's selection, to the point where he insisted that Hemský skate on his line.[9] The two had previously played together on the Czech team that won the 2005 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships during the NHL's 2004–05 lockout season. Hemský scored twice in the Olympic tournament, and the Czech Republic defeated Russia in the bronze-medal game.

Hemský in 2009.

Edmonton re-signed Hemský in the summer of 2006 to a six-year contract worth US$24.60 million. The 2006–07 campaign saw Hemský notch 53 points in 64 games, missing 18 games due to shoulder injuries. During the season, on January 4 2007, Hemsky managed to tie a game against the Dallas Stars after Patrick Stefan fell in front of the Oilers empty net and turned the puck over to Edmonton. Ryan Smith made a long pass to Hemsky before Hemsky managed to slip the puck into the Stars net with two seconds remaining on the clock. While Edmonton would ultimately lose the game to Dallas in a penalty shootout, Hemsky managing to tie the game due to Stefan's error would ultimately end Patrick Stefan's career, as Stefan was not brought back by the Stars and retired later in the year. The 2007–08 season was a short one, as the Oilers were eliminated from playoff contention. Hemský finished first on the team overall in points scoring with 71, and was first in assists with 51. He sat in third place for goals with 20, a career high. The 2008–09 campaign was another that saw injuries for Hemský, who played 72 out of the 82 regular season games and finished first on the team with 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points. Hemský recorded seven goals and 15 assists during the first 22 games of the 2009–10 season before suffering a left shoulder injury following a check from behind by Los Angeles Kings forward Michal Handzuš. The injury required surgery and Hemský missed the remainder of the regular season.[10]

In the 2010–11 season, Hemský was named to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, but did not participate due to a concussion. Hemský missed the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury. Hemský, Taylor Hall, and Sam Gagner, led the Oilers with 42 points for the majority of the season, until the trio of injured players were surpassed by Jordan Eberle. Hemský recorded his 400th career point scoring a goal, in a 9–2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

After missing the first part of the 2011–12 season due to injury, Hemský struggled, posting just 11 points in his first 25 games, including a nine-game pointless streak. He picked up the pace thereafter, scoring 15 points in his next 22 games, leading the Oilers to sign him to a two-year, $10 million deal on 24 February 2012. On 21 March 2012, Hemský recorded his first career NHL hat trick, finishing with four points in a 6–3 victory over the Nashville Predators. After coming back from two shoulder surgeries, Hemský had a disappointing start to the season, and finished the year with 36 points in 69 games.

Ottawa Senators[]

In the final year of his contract and with the Oilers again out of playoff contention, on 5 March 2014, Hemský was traded to the Ottawa Senators for a fifth round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and a third round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He quickly found success on Ottawa's top line alongside center Jason Spezza,[11] recording six points in his first three games.[12] He finished the season with 17 points in 20 games as the Senators fell short of the playoffs.

Dallas Stars[]

Unable to agree to a new contract with the Senators, Hemský signed as a free agent on a three-year, $12 million contract with the Dallas Stars on 1 July 2014. In signing with the Stars, he was joined by Senators linemate Jason Spezza, who was coincidentally traded to the Stars earlier in the day.[13] He also joined former Oilers teammate Shawn Horcoff in Dallas.

Montreal Canadiens[]

Going to free agency, Hemský signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on 3 July 2017.[14] A severe concussion suffered during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on 20 October ended his season after only 7 games. By September 2018, the Canadiens had not renewed his contract and no other team had yet shown interest, although symptoms from the concussion were gone.[15][16]

Retirement[]

On 15 May 2020, Hemský officially announced his retirement from professional hockey.

International play[]

Medal record
Representing  Czech Republic
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Turin
Ice Hockey World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Austria
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Finland
Inline hockey
IIHF InLine Hockey World Championships

Hemský was a member of the bronze medal-winning Czech team at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He missed the 2010 Winter Olympics, but was selected for 2014 Olympic ice hockey tournament at Sochi in 2014 and became the highest scorer for the Czech team during the 2014 games, with three goals and four points.[17][18] Hemský has also represented his country in three International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) world ice hockey tournaments, winning a gold medal with the team in 2005 and bronze in 2012. He made his first appearance in a Czech uniform for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

In addition to representing Czech Republic in ice hockey, Hemský represented his country in the IIHF inline hockey World Championship tournaments in 2008 and 2012.[19] In the 2008 tournament, Hemský tied for fourth place in scoring with six goals and five assists while leading the Czech Republic to a fifth-place finish.

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1999–2000 HC IPB Pojišťovna Pardubice CZE U20 45 20 36 56 54 7 4 14 18 36
1999–2000 HC IPB Pojišťovna Pardubice ELH 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2000–01 Hull Olympiques QMJHL 68 36 64 100 67 5 2 3 5 2
2001–02 Hull Olympiques QMJHL 53 27 70 97 86 10 6 10 16 6
2002–03 Edmonton Oilers NHL 59 6 24 30 14 6 0 0 0 0
2003–04 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 12 22 34 14 — — — — —
2004–05 HC Moeller Pardubice ELH 47 13 18 31 28 16 4 10 14 26
2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 19 58 77 64 24 6 11 17 14
2006–07 Edmonton Oilers NHL 64 13 40 53 40 — — — — —
2007–08 Edmonton Oilers NHL 74 20 51 71 34 — — — — —
2008–09 Edmonton Oilers NHL 72 23 43 66 32 — — — — —
2009–10 Edmonton Oilers NHL 22 7 15 22 8 — — — — —
2010–11 Edmonton Oilers NHL 47 14 28 42 18 — — — — —
2011–12 Edmonton Oilers NHL 69 10 26 36 43 — — — — —
2012–13 HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice ELH 27 14 18 32 52 — — — — —
2012–13 Edmonton Oilers NHL 38 9 11 20 16 — — — — —
2013–14 Edmonton Oilers NHL 55 9 17 26 20 — — — — —
2013–14 Ottawa Senators NHL 20 4 13 17 4 — — — — —
2014–15 Dallas Stars NHL 76 11 21 32 16 — — — — —
2015–16 Dallas Stars NHL 75 13 26 39 20 13 1 3 4 2
2016–17 Dallas Stars NHL 15 4 3 7 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Montreal Canadiens NHL 7 0 0 0 10 — — — — —
NHL totals 845 174 398 572 353 43 7 14 21 16

International[]

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2002 Czech Republic WJC 7th 7 3 6 9 6
2005 Czech Republic WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 2 1 3 2
2006 Czech Republic OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 8 1 2 3 2
2009 Czech Republic WC 6th 7 2 4 6 4
2012 Czech Republic WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 5 3 8 8
2014 Czech Republic OG 6th 5 3 1 4 0
2016 Czech Republic WCH 6th 3 0 2 2 2
Junior totals 7 3 6 9 6
Senior totals 40 13 12 25 18

Awards and honours[]

Individual[]

  • 2001 QMJHL All-Rookie Team
  • 2001 QMJHL Mike Bossy Trophy
  • 2001 CHL All-Rookie Team
Hemský was to also represent the QMJHL in the 2001 CHL Top Prospects Game,
but an injury forced him to withdraw.[20]
  • 2001 QMJHL Rookie of the Month (January)
  • 2002 QMJHL 2nd All-Star Team
  • 2002 CHL 3rd All-Star Team
  • 2005 Czech Extraliga Playoff MVP
  • Selected to play in 2011 NHL All-Star Game (did not play due to injury)

Team[]

Year Tournament Team Result
2005 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships Czech Republic National Team Gold medal
2005 Czech Extraliga Playoffs HC Moeller Pardubice Czech Extraliga National Champions
2006 Winter Olympics – Men's Ice Hockey Czech Republic National Team Bronze medal
2006 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs Edmonton Oilers Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Western Conference Champions)
2012 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships Czech Republic National Team Bronze medal

References[]

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Aleš Hemský". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Habs continue tradition of buying gifts for underprivileged children". CBC.ca. CBC News. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  3. ^ Galarneau, Par Mathieu (24 April 2018). "Ales Hemsky est papa". quebec.huffingtonpost.ca (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  4. ^ Cowan, Stu (13 December 2017). "Stu Cowan: Canadiens make bald beautiful for a very good cause". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  5. ^ Robert Neuhauser (2001). "Ales Hemsky – a story of a scorer". Hockey's Future. Archived from the original on 30 October 2004. Retrieved 25 September 2006.
  6. ^ "Hemsky's profile at the Edmonton Oilers' website". Edmonton Oilers. Archived from the original on 3 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-25.
  7. ^ "NHL Game Summary – Detroit at Edmonton". 2006. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2006.
  8. ^ "Rejuvenated Hemsky sheds burden". The Edmonton Journal. Canada.com. 5 June 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  9. ^ Terry Jones (2006). "Czech this out!". Retrieved 24 September 2006.
  10. ^ "Oilers' Hemský to have shoulder surgery; done for the season". www.tsn.ca. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  11. ^ Ian Mendes (2013). "MENDES: TRADING FOR HEMSKY EARLIER WOULDN'T MAKE DIFFERENCE". Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  12. ^ Sean Farrell (2013). "Predators beat Senators on Jones' OT goal". Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  13. ^ "Ales Hemsky lands in potentially great Dallas Stars situation". Edmonton Journal. 1 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Canadiens, Hemsky agree on one-year deal". The Sports Network. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  15. ^ Labbé, Richard (17 September 2018). "Ales Hemsky sur le chemin d'une vie normale". La Presse (in French). Montreal. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  16. ^ Labbé, Richard (30 March 2017). "La retraite pour Hemsky ?". La Presse+ (in French). Montreal. Sports, screen 4. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  17. ^ CBC Olympics athlete profile
  18. ^ Edmonton Journal. Trade-bait winger Ales Hemsky returns to Edmonton after successful Olympics run Archived 19 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine 25 February 2014 "The 30-year-old winger certainly helped the cause with three goals and one assist in the five games he played in Sochi with the Czech Republic. "
  19. ^ https://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/inline/145/IHM145316_74_2_0.pdf[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ "Injuries mean changes at Top Prospects Game". 5 February 2001. Archived from the original on 4 August 2007.

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Antoine Vermette 		Mike Bossy Trophy winner
2000–01 		Succeeded by
Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Preceded by
Alexei Mikhnov 		Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick
2001 		Succeeded by
Jesse Niinimaki
Preceded by
Altrichter Martin 		Czech Extraliga Playoff MVP
2005 		Succeeded by
Petr Briza
Retrieved from ""