Josef Vasicek: a big friendly giant
KHL.ru continues its series of articles about players and coaches who became legends of the League. In this new piece, we feature the story of world champion and Czech forward Josef Vasicek, who had three outstanding seasons with Lokomotiv.
A Historic Victory and the Stanley Cup
Josef Vasicek stood out at the junior level with his size and scoring ability. In Apr 1998, he skated at the European Junior Championship, where he played alongside Zbynek Irgl. A decade later, they would meet in the KHL and form a powerful line, with Alexei Yashin, for Lokomotiv. But back in 1998, at the age of 17, Vasicek decided to go overseas without ever playing a single game at the senior level in the Czech league.
Vasicek is one of the few Europeans who managed to break into the NHL through the junior leagues. However, his story is not one to rely on as a standard because it is, if not unique, then extremely difficult to replicate. The Czech forward reached the NHL level without playing in the senior AHL or IHL leagues. He made it to the main roster of the Carolina Hurricanes after just two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. For a young European, this trajectory is almost fantastical. By the end of his debut season in the OHL, Vasicek was nominated for Rookie of the Year. Before his second season, he became the captain of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and received the playoffs MVP award, compiling 5 goals and 15 assists in 17 games.
Josef Vasicek
220 games, 185 (75+110) points.
2009 Russian championship silver medal.
2011 Russian championship bronze medal.
2000 U20 WJC gold medal.
2005 World Championship gold medal.
2011 Gagarin Cup playoffs top scorer.
2010, 2011 KHL All-Star Game.
May 15, 2005 World Championship triumph with Team Czechia, tallying a goal in the gold medal game.
June 1, 2008 Moves to Lokomotiv.
Sep. 2, 2008 KHL debut against Salavat Yulaev.
March 26, 2009 Gets to the Gagarin Cup finals, tallying the game-winning goal in game five against Metallurg.
Certainly, Vasicek’s combination of size and scoring ability was a significant advantage. Standing nearly two meters tall and weighing 100 kilograms, the Czech center was a machine, accumulating 60-70 points in one of Canada’s premier junior leagues. A prospect like him simply had to be given a chance.
Vasicek significantly boosted his profile at the WJC in the 1999-2000 season, where he again played alongside Irgl. In that tournament, Team Czechia made history by winning their first-ever gold medal. In the group stage, the Czechs defeated Slovakia and Finland and tied with the USA and Canada. In the playoffs, they beat Kazakhstan, the USA again, and, in the final, Russia. The Czechs shut down the defending champions — 0:0 in regulation and OT, winning in the post-game shootout. The following year, the Czechs took first place again. However, they haven’t won the championship since, achieving only one silver and one bronze medal.
In the NHL, Vasicek initially may not have shone brightly, but he steadily progressed. By his second year, he had the chance to win the Stanley Cup. The Carolina Hurricanes surprisingly made it to the finals, but defeating the star-studded Detroit Red Wings of the 2001-2002 season would have been close to impossible for any team. In the 2003-2004 season, the Czech achieved an NHL career-high of 45 points, but then came the lockout. After spending a year with Slavia Prague in the Czech Extraleague, Vasicek returned to the Hurricanes. The 2005-2006 season was a mixed one for him. On one hand, he won the league’s top trophy. Carolina had missed the playoffs in the two previous seasons, but the salary cap introduced post-lockout leveled the playing field for teams competing for the Stanley Cup. On the other hand, Vasicek suffered a serious injury in November, missing almost the entire remainder of the season. Furthermore, after this injury, his NHL career declined — he was traded to Nashville, returned to Carolina, moved to the Islanders, and eventually bid farewell to North America.
World Championship’s gold medal
Josef Vasicek was first called up to the national team in 2003. At that World Championship, the Czechs were contenders for a medal. During the two group stages, they lost only one point — in a game against Slovakia. In the playoffs, after defeating Russia 3:0, they fell 4:8 to Canada in the semifinals and lost again to Slovakia in the bronze medal game. The Slovaks had won the World Championship for the first time in their history just a year earlier.
Vasicek’s most significant tournament with the national team came a year later. The World Championship in Vienna was one of the strongest in history due to the NHL lockout, which allowed many top stars to participate. The tournament’s drama was intense; all quarterfinal and semifinal matches ended with a one-goal difference, including two games that were decided after SO and one in OT. The gold medal game, despite the 3:0 score, was a tense battle. The Czechs were leading 2:0 when the Canadians pulled their goalie. Vasicek’s empty netter finally sealed the deal for Team Czechia.
That goal was Vasicek’s only one in the tournament, which might seem modest. However, it highlighted his importance to the team and his versatility. Josef could fill multiple roles — being effective in defense, offense, power plays, and penalty kills. He could be a leader or a checker, depending on the coach’s needs. At that World Championship, the Czech team had many standout players like Jaromir Jagr, Vaclav Prospal, Martin Rucinsky, Martin Straka, Petr Cajanek, David Vyborny, Petr Sykora, Jan Hlavac, and Ales Hemsky. Vasicek was one of those who did the “dirty work,” and he did it exceptionally well.
Vasicek also participated in three other major tournaments with the national team. At the 2009 World Championship and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the Czechs were eliminated in the quarterfinals. However, at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, the team advanced past the first playoff stage by defeating Sweden 6:1 and then competed closely with Canada in the semifinals, losing 3:4 OT. Nevertheless, Vasicek played in only one game during that tournament.
Leader in Yaroslavl
In 2008, Vasicek received several offers from clubs in the newly established KHL. The first to approach the center was Spartak, which was then being assembled by Andrei Yakovenko, a leading Russian specialist in the Czech and Slovak player markets.
“Spartak approached me when I was still in New York. It was around April when I got the first call. Then, about a month later, they called again... Lokomotiv approached me with an offer second, but their proposal ended up being the first for me,”
Vasicek said in an interview with Championat.
Vasicek chose Lokomotiv not just because of the better salary offer. In Yaroslavl, he would be playing on a line with his old acquaintance Irgl and the famous Yashin, who had moved to Lokomotiv from the same New York Islanders a year earlier.
“It was a very good option for me — to play on a good team with such great players.”
Vasicek quickly became a leader for Lokomotiv. The team’s top unit played brightly and effectively, especially excelling in crucial matches. For the second year in a row, Yaroslavl reached the Gagarin Cup finals, with the line leaders scoring a combined 47 points in the playoffs — Vasicek with 15 (5+10), Yashin with 18 (7+11), and Irgl with 14 (8+6)—ranking them among the top seven scorers in the elimination stage. However, Lokomotiv did not secure the trophy, as Ak Bars won the historic first KHL season in a tense seven-game series.
Jan. 30, 2010 First KHL All-Star appearance.
March 31, 2011 Gave an assist against Atlant, becoming the top scorer of the 2011 KHL playoffs (22 points in 18 games).
Sep. 7, 2011 Passes away in Lokomotiv’s air crash.
In the next two seasons, Lokomotiv continued to solidify its reputation as one of the most consistent clubs in the league, reaching the semifinals stage, where they were defeated by other Moscow Region teams, HC MVD and Atlant, who had the best seasons in their history. In 2010, Lokomotiv finished fourth, and in 2011, they won the bronze medal. Vasicek played brilliantly. Over three seasons, he skated in 166 games in the regular season and compiled 135 points (57+78). In the playoffs, he was even closer to averaging a point per game, with 50 (18+32) points in 54 games.
That team seemed to have a bright future ahead. It had a core of high-level homegrown talent, quality international players, and several strong veterans.
“Lokomotiv boasts an excellent management. They follow a wise strategy, including personnel decisions. They maintain the team’s core and skillfully add a few necessary players each season. It’s like putting together a mosaic.”
The Czech giant charmed journalists with his charisma and kindness, his smile never leaving his face during entire conversations.
After the transfer windows in the summer of 2011, many considered the Railwaymen the top contender for the season, with some even calling it the strongest team in the history of Yaroslavl hockey. Unfortunately, the full potential of that team was never realized.
KHL.ru dossier
Josef Vasicek
Born Sep 12, 1980, in Havlickuv Brod
Playing career: 1998-2000, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL); 2000-2007, Carolina Hurricanes (NHL); 2004-2005, Slavia Prague (Czechia); 2006-2007, Nashville (NHL); 2007-2008, New York Islanders (NHL); 2008-2011, Lokomotiv.
Achievements: world championships gold medal (2005), WJC gold medal (2000), Stanley Cup champion (2006), silver medal (2009) and bronze medal (2011) in the Russian championship.
