Petr Buzek

Petr Buzek (born on April 26, 1977 in Jihlava, Czechoslovakia) is a retired Czech ice hockey defenceman.

Playing Career
Prior to the NHL, Petr played hockey in the Czech Republic. He was drafted in the third round (63rd overall) by the Dallas Stars in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

In July of 1995, he was injured in an automobile accident after falling asleep at the wheel and colliding with a tree.

Petr broke both legs, his nose & wrist, shattered his right kneecap, fractured his cheekbone and cracked his forehead.

After undergoing numerous surgeries, he had a metal plate & 10 screws inserted into his left leg, a plate and 7 screws inserted into his right ankle, 2 screws in his right knee and 2 screws in his left wrist.

The accident caused him to miss the entire 1995-96 season. It also dropped his stock considerably as Petr was projected as a top 10 pick before being drafted in the third round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

For three seasons, Petr played with the Michigan K-Wings of the International Hockey League (IHL). He also appeared in four games with the Dallas Stars.

On June 25, 1999, Petr was claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft. He was later named to the 2000 NHL All-Star Game as the first-ever representative of the Thrashers.

On October 17, 2000 (during a game versus Anaheim), he suffered from a neck injury which caused him to miss the majority of the 2000-01 NHL season.

Despite Petr's success in their inaugural season, he appeared in only 14 more games with the Thrashers in the next two seasons.

On December 18, 2001, he was traded to the Calgary Flames with Atlanta's 6th round choice, Adam Pardy in exchange for Jeff Cowan and the rights to Kurt Foster.

Petr played in 76 games in a season & a half with the Flames. On October 20, 2003, he was loaned to Sparta by Calgary.

In September of 2004, he was signed as a free agent by Jihlava. On January 9, 2005, Petr was signed as a free agent by Litvinov.

On October 18, 2005, he announced his retirement from hockey, citing personal reasons.