Peter Budaj

Peter Budaj (born on September 18, 1982) is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Peter has also previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, by whom he was drafted.

Playing Career
Peter was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft as the first pick for the Avalanche and 63rd overall.

He wears number 31 for the Avalanche prior to playing for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

In Peter's first NHL season in 2005–06, he appeared in 34 games while backing up David Aebischer and then Jose Theodore. He recorded a combined 47 wins in the next two seasons while splitting duties with Théodore.

Peter's first NHL playoff appearances came in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs in relief of Theodore in Colorado's second round matchup against the eventual Stanley Cup champions Detroit Red Wings.

On November 3, 2007, Peter played his 100th NHL game in a 4-3 home loss against the Vancouver Canucks.

For the 2008–09 season, Peter was named the starting goalie for the Colorado Avalanche for the first time. He and backup goaltender Andrew Raycroft struggled throughout the season as the Avalanche finished last in the Western Conference, missing the playoffs for the second time in last three seasons.

On June 29, 2009, Peter was re-signed by the Avalanche to a one-year contract for the 2009–10 season.

Peter started the season playing as the Avalanche backup goalie to Craig Anderson (formerly of the Florida Panthers). Before his first appearance in net, he was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus and was completely isolated from the rest of the team until he was cleared to play by the coaching staff.

On November 4, 2009, Peter finally made his first appearance of the season against the Phoenix Coyotes. He stopped 28 of 29 shots and backstopped the Avs to a 4-1 victory.

On April 22, 2010, Peter made his second post season appearance on April 22, 2010 against the San Jose Sharks when he relieved Anderson at 11:05 in the third period. The Sharks won the game 5-0, with one goal scored against him.

On April 1, 2011, Peter became the first Slovakian goaltender to reach 100 career NHL wins with a 4-3 shootout win over Phoenix.

On July 1, 2011, Peter signed a two-year contract worth $2.3 million with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2011.

During the lockout shortened 2012–13 season, Peter's second year as a backup goaltender to Carey Price, he carried an 8-1-1 record in 13 games to earn a two-year contract extension with the Canadiens on April 10, 2013.

Awards & Achievements

 * 2001–02 OHL Second All-Star Team
 * 2006–07 NHL YoungStars Game

Mask
Peter (who is a devout Christian) is perhaps best known for having the depiction of Ned Flanders, a popular religious character from television's The Simpsons painted on the back of his masks.

In 2008, Peter began wearing a mask featuring the character Altaïr from the popular video game Assassin's Creed. The mask primarily worn by him during the 2008–09 season features a burgundy colored version of the comic book hero The Hulk although he did continue wearing the Assassin's Creed mask as well.

Peter's 2009–10 mask features his racing idol Valentino Rossi on one side, the Avalanche's alternate foot logo on the other and retains Ned Flanders on the back.

Peter's current mask still has the Ned Flanders image, but now also an image of Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi.

Personal Life
Peter and his wife Taylor have a son named Peter Jr. (born in July of 2010).