Mar 28, 2006; Glendale, AZ, USA; Nashville Predators goalie (29) Tomas Vokoun against the Phoenix Coyotes at Glendale Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Copyright Rick Scuteri
Tomas Vokoun won over 300 games as a goaltender in 15 NHL seasons, one of only 40 to achieve that mark in league history.
The Czech Republic native played for the Predators from 1998-2007, when he was traded to the Florida Panthers. Before Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne, Vokoun established himself as the Preds’ franchise's go-to goaltender after the club selected him in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft.
Nothing in life comes easy, and that was certainly the case for Vokoun. The Montreal Canadiens chose him in the ninth round (226th overall) of the 1994 NHL Draft.
After coming to North America at age 19, Vokoun spoke no English. Far from home, he struggled to adjust to a new culture while getting accustomed to the North American style of hockey.
Vokoun played his first professional season with the Wheeling Thunderbirds of the ECHL in the 1995-96 season. Despite the obstacles, he went 20-10-2 during the regular season, leading the Thunderbirds to an opening-round sweep over Columbus in the playoffs.
Thanks to the support of his teammates and coaches during his lone season in Wheeling, Vokoun’s English-speaking skills improved, and he began thriving off the ice as well.
“It wasn’t easy leaving my home as such a young age,” Vokoun told The Hockey News in December 2024 following his induction into the Wheeling Hockey Hall of Fame. “Everything was new for me, and the first few months were hard, but my teammates were very supportive.”
Vokoun’s NHL debut with the Canadiens was rockey, to say the least. He made a relief appearance against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 6, 1997, giving up four goals on 14 shots in one period.
Montreal exposed Vokoun in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft. He played 37 games during the Preds’ inaugural season and split time between them and the Milwaukee Admirals until 2000. He eventually established himself with the Predators after they traded Mike Dunham to the New York Rangers in 2002.
Vokoun notched 161 victories with the Predators, then a franchise record. He recorded the first post-season shutout in team history in Game 4 of Nashville’s first-round series against the Detroit Red Wings in 2004.
Even though Detroit prevailed in the series, Vokoun made 41 saves in that game. He earned his first of two trips to the NHL All-Star Game that season and notched 34 wins to guide Nashville to its first playoff berth.
During the lockout of 2004-05, Vokoun played 19 games in Finland. In 2005-06, he had an NHL career-high 36 wins before his season was cut short after being diagnosed with a blood-clotting issue in his pelvis that sidelined him during the post-season.
After being cleared following the season, a broken thumb limited Vokoun to 44 games in 2006-07. The Predators traded him to the Florida Panthers in June.
Vokoun spent four seasons with the Panthers before finishing his NHL career with the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. His career spanned over 700 games with five different teams.
Currently, the 49-year-old Vokoun resides near Boca Raton, Fla. While he’s no longer active in professional hockey, he still spends time mentoring young goaltenders.
Long after his playing career ended, Vokoun can still look back with fond remembrance and feel blessed to have played at the sport’s highest level.
“I lived my dream, I played hockey for a living,” he said. “Anytime you can take something you picked when you were five years old and get paid for it… If you play hockey and your goal is not to play in the NHL, then there’s really no reason to play. It was a privilege, and I’m grateful.”
Read the full article here
