About Petr Nedvěd
Petr Nedvěd (born December 9, 1971) is a Czech-Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1990 and 2007. == Early career == Nedvěd was born in Liberec, Czechoslovakia to Jaroslav and Soňa ("Sonia") Nedvěd. On January 2, 1989, he fled the Czechoslovak Communist regime and defected as a political refugee at the age of 17 after playing in an international midget tournament in Calgary. At the tournament, Nedvěd scored 17 goals and nine assists. == Playing career == After his defection, Nedvěd played one season for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League and was drafted second overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1990 NHL entry draft after scoring 145 points in 71 games. In 1992–93, he finished with 38 goals and 71 points, including a club record 15-game point-scoring streak. Prior to the 1993–94 season, Nedvěd became involved in a contract dispute with the Canucks, which resulted in a holdout. While holding out, Nedvěd obtained his Canadian citizenship and represented Canada at the 1994 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. His situation was resolved just before the NHL trade deadline, when he was signed by the St. Louis Blues, with Craig Janney ultimately awarded to the Canucks as compensation (and then dealt back to the Blues shortly after for Jeff Brown, Bret Hedican and Nathan LaFayette).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.