{{Short description|Czech former professional ice hockey player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{BLP sources|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | image = DavidVolek.png | alt = | caption = Volek in 1989 photo | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1966|8|16}} | birth_place = Prague, Czechoslovakia | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lb = 185 | position = Winger | shoots = Left | played_for = TJ Slavia PS Karlovy Vary<br>HC Sparta Praha<br>New York Islanders | ntl_team = Czechoslovakia | draft = 208th overall | draft_year = 1984 | draft_team = New York Islanders | career_start = 1984 | career_end = 1996 }}
'''David Volek''' (born 16 August 1966)<ref name="SR" /><ref name="COV" /> is a Czech former professional ice hockey player.
Volek was born in the former Czechoslovakia, where he played in 1983–84 for TJ Slavia PS Karlovy Vary. He later moved to HC Sparta Praha and became a member of the Czechoslovak national ice hockey team for the 1988 Winter Olympics.<ref name="SR">{{cite Sports-Reference |title=David Volek |url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/vo/david-volek-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217170957/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/vo/david-volek-1.html |archive-date=2012-12-17}}</ref><ref name="COV">{{cite web |title=David Volek |url=http://www.olympic.cz/sportovec/2309--david-volek |website=Olympic.cz |language=cs |publisher=Czech Olympic Committee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831102547/http://www.olympic.cz/sportovec/2309--david-volek |archive-date=2013-08-31}}</ref> In 1988 he gained permission from the Czech authorities to visit his parents in West Germany and used this permission to defect to Canada. He joined the New York Islanders, having been selected by them in the 1984 NHL entry draft, and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1988–89.
Volek is best remembered for scoring an overtime goal that eliminated the favoured and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins from the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs. The goal came at 5:16 of overtime in the seventh (and deciding) game of the second round of the playoffs. CBC ''Hockey Night in Canada'' announcer Chris Cuthbert called Volek's play in a dramatic fashion:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fischler |first=Stan |author-link=Stan Fischler |date=2020-05-14 |title=Maven's Memories: The Legend of David Volek {{!}} New York Islanders |url=https://www.nhl.com/islanders/news/maven-s-memories-the-legend-of-david-volek-316923294 |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref> {{cquote|Samuelsson pass off a skate. Volek turns with Ferraro. Here they come, 2 on 1; Volek shoots, SCORES!!! David Volek, Islanders! And there’ll be a new Stanley Cup Champion in 1993!}}
The next year, a herniated disc forced Volek to retire from the NHL. Volek finished his NHL career, which was spent exclusively with the Islanders, with 95 goals and 154 assists for 249 points. He underwent back surgery the following year in an attempt to return to the game, but after five games with HC Sparta Praha, he was forced to retire for good.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11708 |title=David Volek |access-date=2012-02-29 |work=Legends of Hockey |archive-date=2015-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908012507/http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11708 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Volek has been the assistant coach of HC Sparta Praha since 2005. Between his retirement from playing in 1996 and 2005 he was a scout.
==Career statistics== ===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 1982–83 | TJ Slavia PS Karlovy Vary | CSSR-Jr | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1983–84 | TJ Slavia PS Karlovy Vary | CSSR-Jr | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1984–85 | TJ Sparta ČKD Praha | CSSR | 32 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1985–86 | TJ Sparta ČKD Praha | CSSR | 35 | 10 | 7 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1986–87 | TJ Sparta ČKD Praha | CSSR | 39 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1987–88 | TJ Sparta ČKD Praha | CSSR | 42 | 29 | 18 | 47 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1988–89 | New York Islanders | NHL | 77 | 25 | 34 | 59 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1989–90 | New York Islanders | NHL | 80 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |- | 1990–91 | New York Islanders | NHL | 77 | 22 | 34 | 56 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1991–92 | New York Islanders | NHL | 74 | 18 | 42 | 60 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1992–93 | New York Islanders | NHL | 56 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1993–94 | New York Islanders | NHL | 32 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1995–96 | HC Sparta Praha | ELH | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1995–96 | HC Slavia Becherovka Karlovy Vary | CZE II | 16 | 7 | 4 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- | 1996–97 | TJ Stadion Nymburk | CZE IV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1999–2000 | NED Hockey Nymburk | CZE III | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2000–01 | NED Hockey Nymburk | CZE III | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | TCH totals ! 148 ! 71 ! 55 ! 126 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! — ! — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 396 ! 95 ! 154 ! 249 ! 201 ! 15 ! 5 ! 5 ! 10 ! 2 |}
===International=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:50em" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Year ! Team ! Event ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 1983 | Czechoslovakia | EJC | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1984 | Czechoslovakia | EJC | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 |- | 1986 | Czechoslovakia | WJC | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1987 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |- | 1987 | Czechoslovakia | CC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1988 | Czechoslovakia | OLY | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |- | 1991 | Czechoslovakia | WC | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan=3 | Junior totals ! 17 ! 12 ! 10 ! 22 ! 16 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan=3 | Senior totals ! 33 ! 9 ! 7 ! 16 ! 14 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ice hockey stats}} * {{Olympedia}} * {{Olympics.com|david-volek}} * {{ČOV profile|david-volek|old_id=2309--david-volek}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Volek, David}} Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Buffalo Sabres scouts Category:Calgary Flames scouts Category:Czech ice hockey coaches Category:Czech ice hockey forwards Category:Czechoslovak ice hockey forwards Category:HC Sparta Praha players Category:Ice hockey players at the 1988 Winter Olympics Category:New York Islanders draft picks Category:New York Islanders players Category:Olympic ice hockey players for Czechoslovakia Category:Ice hockey people from Prague Category:Vancouver Canucks scouts Category:Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Czechoslovak defectors Category:Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Czechoslovak expatriate sportspeople in Canada Category:Czechoslovak expatriate ice hockey people