Tomas VokounVokoun was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the ninth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 226th overall. He spent the next year with Poldi Kladno in the Czech Republic. He moved to America for the 1995-96 season and played for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. He was also called up to play for Fredericton Canadiens of the AHL for a playoff game. Having proven himself in the ECHL, Vokoun spent the 1996-97 season with Fredericton and played in one game in the National Hockey League (NHL), for Montreal. His one game for Montreal was not a particularly stellar performance as he gave up four goals in only twenty minutes. After another season with Fredericton, Vokoun was chosen by the Nashville Predators in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft on June 26, 1998. Vokoun played 37 games for Nashville in their debut season and played nine games for the Milwaukee Admirals in the International Hockey League (IHL). Although he again split time between the two clubs in the following season, by 2000, Vokoun was in the NHL to stay. However, he saw only limited action as the backup to Mike Dunham. In 2002, Dunham was traded to the New York Rangers for Marek Zidlicky, Tomas Kloucek, and Rem Murray, and Vokoun was awarded the starting job. Vokoun acquitted himself well when given the chance to start, and he shouldered a heavy load for the Predators. His play was good enough in the 2003-04 NHL season to send him to the All-Star Game for the first time. Possibly more important to Vokoun, though, was the chance to go to the playoffs, and the Predators earned their first trip in 2004. Although the Predators lost in six games to the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs, they surprised many by giving the Red Wings more of a challenge than expected. In games three and four, both played in Nashville, Vokoun awed spectators with his performance netting the first-ever playoff shutout in franchise history by stopping 41 Red Wing shots. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Vokoun played 19 regular season games for HIFK Helsinki in the Finnish SM-liiga, with a 93.96% saves percentage. In the playoffs, Vokoun did not perform as well, having a 84.62% saves percentage in 4 games—the worst in the league in that year's playoffs. Nevertheless, Vokoun's emergence as one of the world's elite goaltenders has even earned his picture being placed on the cover of Nashville's city directory. Furthermore, he is a fan favorite—during home games at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, when he makes a save, the Predators fans in attendance give a loud chant of "VOO-KOOOON!" emanating from all areas of the arena. On April 10, 2006, the Predators announced that Vokoun was afflicted by thrombophlebitis of the pelvis, a blood-clotting condition. He missed the team's remaining regular season games and the entire playoffs while he recovered by taking blood-thinning drugs and avoiding physical activity. Backup goalie Chris Mason took his place as the starter, but the Predators failed to advance in the playoffs, again losing the quarterfinals. On July 24th, 2006, Vokoun was cleared to resume his career and is expected to return for the 2006-07 NHL season. Vokoun is married and is expecting his second child in June 2006. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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