With the offseason chugging along and the excitement of the NHL Entry Draft and free agency waning, hockey fans are left anxiously awaiting next season. Here at Last Word on Hockey, we have been exploring some different “bests” from teams during the hot days of summer. Best players by number for a few teams, top captains, best and worst sweaters, and top first-round draft picks are some of the select rankings our writers have been exploring. As an ode to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, here for the Carolina Hurricanes, we are looking at the all-time starting lineups based on nationality.
A few parameters to this list to get us started. This will be a starting lineup, so two wingers, one centre, two defencemen, and a goalie. The player must have played in the NHL with the Hurricanes (not looking at Hartford Whalers or prospects). The assessment comes from the players best performance with, and impact on, the Hurricanes, not over his career if he played with other teams. So far we have looked at the Canadian, Finnish, Swedish, and Russian starting lineups so far. And today we look at a country with a few interesting names including a current player who has been the centre of trade rumours. This is the all-time Hurricanes Czech starting lineup.
The Carolina Hurricanes All-Time Czech Starting Lineup
Out of all of the countries that have been represented by the Hurricanes over their existence that could field a starting lineup, Czechia is probably the quietest. This doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some very notable Czech players throughout Carolina’s history. Because there have been and for different reasons. But it has not been a country that has been noted by an overwhelming contingency or influence on the team at any moment. However, every so often, a Czech player will step up and shine for Carolina. Sometimes when it is a little unexpected. So, let’s take a look at the Hurricanes Czech starting lineup.
Robert Kron LW – Josef Vasicek C – Martin Necas RW
Frantisek Kaberle LD – Marek Malik RD
Vasicek Down the Middle
To start the all-time Hurricanes Czech starting lineup, we look back at one of the core pieces of the 2002 Stanley Cup Final team and a member of the 2006 Stanley Cup Championship. While not a superstar player or top-scoring forward, Josef Vasicek was every bit as essential to the team during his stint.
The Hurricanes drafted the big 6′ 5″, 205 lb. centre in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He would make his NHL appearance during the 2000-01 season. A solid and reliable two-way forward who could play the power forward game, Vasicek provided the Hurricanes with a player they could count on defensively. But he also had a knack for providing some pretty clutch goals.
In game five of the first round of the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Hurricanes were tied with the New Jersey Devils in the series and heading to overtime. Still a relatively new team in the league looking for relevance, it was Vasicek that scored the overtime, game-winning goal that ultimately led to a Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final appearance. While Vasicek only scored three goals during that post-season, this goal could arguably be considered the one that gave the Hurricanes their initial respect as an organization.
Vasicek would go on to play a few more seasons in Carolina that included the 2006 Stanley Cup Championship run. He would only suit up for a handful of games during that run, as he suffered from some injury trouble. Moreover, he never put up more than 19 goals in a season, yet Vasicek cemented himself as a big part of Hurricanes history. Sadly, Vasicek was killed in a plane crash in 2011 while playing in the KHL.
The Speed and Skill
The youngest member of the Hurricanes Czech all-time starting lineup might also be the most talented. While his name has been the subject of much potential trade chatter lately, he still remains a Hurricane. And for plenty of good reasons. The Hurricanes 2017 first-round draft pick, Martin Necas finds himself starting on the wing on our list.
Necas is an extremely speedy forward with a very high offensive skill level. He can beat players with his speed and hands to score in tight while also possessing a booming shot he can unleash from further out.
Who better to score on Hockey Day in Czechia than Marty Necas? 🇨🇿
Hear the call from the Czech broadcast! pic.twitter.com/S4yD3aDj0I
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 9, 2024
With 243 points, 97 goals and 146 assists in a Hurricanes sweater, he leads all Czech players for Carolina. While he put up 53 points last season, his 71 points in 2022-23 led the Hurricanes that year. While much has been said about Necas’ fit on the team, whether he should (and maybe wants to) player centre, what power play unit and what line he should fit on, there is no denying his skill level.
There is also another element that Necas possesses that greatly benefits the team. Necas has been a very strong performer in overtime situations. This is likely due to the 3v3 play allowing him to free wheel and utilize his speed and skating. But whatever the reason, he has put in nine overtime goals for Carolina. This is good enough for second all-time, only behind Sebastian Aho who has two more, but in over 200 more games.
At 25 years old, Necas has more time to continue to progress. Time will tell what this looks like and if it continues in a Hurricanes sweater. But no matter what, he has already solidified himself as one of the Hurricanes best Czech players of all-time.
Robert Kron
While there are a few other Czech forwards we could add to his list such as Radim Vrbata, Jiri Tlusty, and Andrej Nestrasil, we look at another speedster who was part of the original Hurricanes squad. Originally a Vancouver Canucks draft pick, Robert Kron found his way to the Hartford Whalers via a trade in 1993. He then stuck with the team through their move to Carolina until 2000.
While he never had major offensive production for the Hurricanes, he provided that early team with a depth scoring forward, who could chip in some offensively when needed. His finishing was not the best, but his skating and stickhandling were very effective. This allowed him to also help the team on the penalty kill.
While there isn’t anything that really stands out too much about Kron, his time as an initial Hurricane put him on this list. After the Columbus Blue Jackets selected Kron in the 2000 expansion draft and he played a few seasons there, he returned to Carolina to be an amateur scout before more recently heading to the Seattle Kraken to lead their amateur scouting department.
The Stanley Cup Hero
When moving to the Hurricanes Czech defencemen, the list is a little thin. Tomas Kaberle had a brief stint in Carolina. But this was very much after his prime and he failed to live up to expectations. However, his brother Frantisek Kaberle made a name for himself during his time in Carolina. And for good reason.
Originally a Los Angelese Kings draft pick that found his way through the Atlanta Thrashers organization, Kaberle signed as a free agent with Carolina in 2004. Ironically, his first career NHL goal as a Thrasher was against Carolina. While not known specifically as an offensive or defensive defenceman, Kaberle was solid and brought with him a lot of international experience and success. He had five World Championships and an Olympic Bronze Medal. He won that Olympic medal the same year he would lift the Stanley Cup.
But 2005-06 would be the peak of Kaberle’s NHL career. For starters, he hit career highs in goals and points with six and 44, respectively. But then in the playoffs, Kaberle would be another one of Carolina’s heroes. His four goals and nine assists in 25 playoff games was big. But the timing of his goals was even bigger. In game seven of the Stanley Cup Final, Kaberle’s second period power play goal ended up being the Stanley Cup Championship-winning goal.
8.) 2006 Stanley Cup Final Game 7 vs EDM
Early in the 2nd period of Game 7, the Canes go on their 3rd powerplay and Frantisek Kaberle capitalizes to give the Canes a 2-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/3DtPx6N07N
— The Canes Stats Brand™ (@CanesStats) November 2, 2023
After that magical year, Kaberle couldn’t really find his footing again. Injury trouble struck and his effectiveness declined. Ultimately, Carolina bought him out and he returned to the then Czech Republic. He played a few years there and then quietly retired. While the end of his NHL career sort of faded away, the Hurricanes will forever be grateful for this Czech defenceman.
Another Former Whaler
Marek Malik is probably not a name you’d expect to hear much when talking about the Hurricanes. In fact, many know him mostly for his out of nowhere, between the legs shootout goal while with the New York Rangers. But Malik did in fact play for Carolina and was part of the initial team that arrived from Hartford.
A Hartford Whalers draft pick in 1993, Malik was a decent sized, almost unnoticeable defenceman. But as is the case with many defencemen, being unnoticeable is not necessarily a bad thing. Malik played a game that was mostly marked by keeping it simple, making few mistakes, but also taking little risks. He could solidify the backend and log pretty big minutes averaging around 20 a night while with Carolina. Malik was part of the 2001-02 team that made the Stanley Cup Final.
At the end of the day there is not too much to say about Malik while with Carolina. Offensively, he put up 70 points with the Hurricanes with three assists in the playoffs as well. But he wasn’t really an offensive defenceman. With the limited number of Hurricanes Czech defencemen over the years, Malik finds himself on this list for his solid, uneventful defence. Again, not a bad thing. But it is also his timing as part of the initial era of Hurricanes history, from inception to the first Stanley Cup appearance, that gives him a spot here.
A Goalie that Ushered in the Latest Hurricanes Era
The Hurricanes have only had one Czech goalie in their history, but even if there were more, it is likely Petr Mrazek would still be the starter on this list. After having a few decent years in Detroit, Mrazek struggled for a season with the Philadelphia Flyers. But then the Hurricanes took a chance on the Czech goalie by signing him as a free agent in 2018. The hope was that Mrazek could get back closer to his former self. After all, Carolina was looking for an answer, any answer, in net. Cam Ward was out of his prime and the Scott Darling experiment was a complete bust. But Mrazek found himself again in Carolina.
His first season in Carolina saw him put up a .914 SV% and 2.39 GAA in 40 games. Mrazek played an athletic style in net, and it seemed to be a bright sight for Hurricane fans looking for some spark. Splitting the net with Alex Nedeljkovic and Curtis McElhinney, Carolina finally found a rotation in net that showed some signs of working after years of struggle. McElhinney and Mrazek especially had a sort of ying and yang partnership with McElhinney’s cool and calm style juxtaposed with Mrazek’s more sporadic approach.
Notably, along with the arrival of Rod Brind’Amour behind the bench, Dougie Hamilton on defence, and Sebastian Aho‘s emergence, Mrazek helped this team make the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Hurricanes fans will always remember Mrazek’s post game “We are in” interview following the playoff clinching game. While the team would make it to the Eastern Conference Final, just making the playoffs that year seemed like a whole new era of Hurricanes hockey had arrived. And Mrazek was part of that. Likewise, he is part of this list.
8.) 2006 Stanley Cup Final Game 7 vs EDM
Early in the 2nd period of Game 7, the Canes go on their 3rd powerplay and Frantisek Kaberle capitalizes to give the Canes a 2-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/3DtPx6N07N
— The Canes Stats Brand™ (@CanesStats) November 2, 2023
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
