Pavel Kubina

Pavel Kubina (born on April 15, 1977) is a Czech former ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlanta Thrashers and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Playing Career
Pavel started his professional career with HC Vítkovice of the Czech Extraliga.

He played there for four seasons, during which he was drafted in the seventh round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Later in 1996, he came to Canada to play for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL, and scored 44 points in 61 games.

Pavel got his first taste of NHL action in the 1997–98 NHL season, although he spent most of his time playing for the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League.

He then spent most of the next season in the NHL, tallying a total of 21 points, while playing occasionally in the International Hockey League for the Cleveland Lumberjacks.

By the 1999–2000 NHL season, Pavel had cemented his position in the Lightning's lineup and notched 26 points for them. He had 30 points in the 2000–01 campaign and 34 in 2001–02.

In the 2003–04 season, he won the Stanley Cup.

On July 1, 2006, Pavel signed a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs for four years at $20 million.

He was suspended by the NHL for the first game of the 2006–07 season for cross-checking Detroit's Jiri Hudler in a preseason game.

On July 1, 2009, Pavel was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers with the rights to Tim Stapleton for Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart.

On July 2, 2010, he returned to the Tampa Bay Lightning, signing a two-year contract valued at $7.7 million (roughly $3.85 million per year).

On March 9, 2011, Pavel was suspended three games for an elbow on Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland.

On February 18, 2012, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Jon Kalinski, a 2012 or 2013 2nd-round draft pick and a 2013 4th-round draft pick. He finished the season with four points in 17 games with the Flyers.

On September 15, 2012, Pavel signed with HC Vitkovice in the Czech Extraliga and on December 20, 2013, he announced his retirement.

Post-Playing Career
After retiring from professional hockey, Pavel started his own business in 2014 called Private Allstar Cars (located in St. Petersburg, Florida).

Personal Life
Pavel and his wife, Andrea welcomed their first child, a girl named Tereza (born on November 9, 2006) in the Czech Republic.