Richard SMEHLIK

Richard Šmehlík played in three Winter Olympics (1992, 1998, 2002) but only two World Championship tournaments (1991, 1992), also competing for Czechoslovakia at the 1991 Canada Cup. He won a bronze medal at the 1992 Worlds. Šmehlík started his career in Czechoslovakia with Vítkovice TJ, playing for them from 1987-92, except for the 1990-91 season, which he spent with HC Dukla Jihlava. He then moved to the National Hockey League (NHL) and never played competitively in European leagues again. Most of his career was spent with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him in 1990 in the 5th round of the NHL Entry Draft. He played for them from 1992-2002 except for the 1995-96 season when he was out with a knee injury. Šmehlík finished his career after the 2002-03 season, parts of which he spent with the New Jersey Devils and Atlanta Thrashers. He played in 644 NHL regular season games and 88 play-off games.