About Roman Čechmánek
Roman Čechmánek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈroman ˈtʃɛxmaːnɛk]; 2 March 1971 – 11 November 2023) was a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender. He played professionally in the United States, the Czech Republic, and Germany, including in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings from 2000 to 2004. Čechmánek also played for the Czech national team at multiple international tournaments, including seven World Championships. == Playing career == Čechmánek played for HC Vsetín in the Czech Republic from 1994 to 2000. He was drafted in the sixth round as the 171st overall pick of the 2000 NHL entry draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers traded veteran John Vanbiesbrouck hoping the newly-opened backup goaltender position would encourage Čechmánek, who had previously rejected offers from other NHL teams to come to North America, to sign a contract, which he did a few weeks after the draft. In his first season with the Flyers, Čechmánek surprised many by capturing the starting job from Brian Boucher and being one of the best goaltenders in the league. In his first season, he played in the NHL All-Star Game and finished second in voting for the Vezina Trophy. He had a disappointing playoff, however, including allowing five goals in an 8–0 loss in the final game of the Flyers' first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. The next season Čechmánek had another good year and played fairly well in the first round of the playoffs.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.