NHL Goalie: Roman Cechmanek Trivia Quiz

Answer: Czechoslovakia

Cechmanek was born on March 2, 1971, in Gottwaldov, a city in the former Czechoslovakia. He didn't start playing hockey until he was approximately 12 years old, eventually working his way up to the elite level of Czech hockey.

Answer: Philadelphia Flyers

When Cechmanek's draft date and birth date are compared, some interesting numbers result. Most players are drafted when they are around 18-19 years of age, and are quickly placed into the minor leagues to hone their skills. Cechmanek was an astonishing 29 years old when he was drafted by Philadelphia.

The reason he was drafted so far in the draft, was because of his age. Every team knew his skill, but they weren't open-minded enough to take someone nearly thirty years of age. In his first season with Philadelphia in 2000-2001, Cechmanek became the starting golatender.

He played 59 games earning a 35-15-6 record with an astonishing 2.01 goals against average, a 0.921% save average, and an almost superhuman 10 shutouts.

Answer: Steve Sullivan, Save

The penalty shot in question occurred on February 25, 2003. The shooter was Steve Sullivan, then a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Playing in the way that he was accustomed to, Cechmanek made an easy save off a skilled snap shot by Sullivan.

Answer: Yes

Despite Cechmanek's amazing goals against and save numbers, he only achieved two consecutive shutouts once in his career. Those occurred on February 20, and February 25 of 2003. The first game was a 5-0 shutout victory against the Los Angeles Kings, and the second was a 2-0 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Answer: William M. Jennings Trophy

The William M. Jennings Trophy is awarded to the goaltender who has played at least 25 games, with the fewest goals against. During the 2002-03 season, Cechmanek shared the trophy with his backup, Robert Esche and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur. In 58 games, Cechmanek had a mere 102 goals against, whereas Brodeur had 147 goals against in 73 games.

Answer: Yes

Roman Cechmanek's first playoff action came in the 2000-2001 season against the Buffalo Sabres. The results were a 2-1 defeat, a 4-3 OT defeat, a 3-2 victory, a 4-3 OT defeat, a 3-1 victory and finally Buffalo's series clinching game with an amazing 8-0 victory. Philadelphia failed to make it past the quarterfinal that year. Cechmanek's second playoff attempt came in the 2001-02 season.

After the previous year's questionable playoff performance, he was benched for the first game. When he returned, he showed some skill with a 1-0 OT victory over Ottawa. That victory followed with three consecutive 3-0 losses eliminating the Flyers from the playoffs once again. Roman's final playoff chance came in the 2002-03 season. That was the lone year he made it past the quarterfinals.

He defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games and then ended up against the Ottawa Senators again, in the semi-final. Cechmanek's performance in the series was greatly looked down upon. Despite two shutouts, many complained that he let in too many soft goals, leading to Ottawa's six game routing of the Flyers.

Answer: The Checking Czech

Goaltender nicknames are some of the most odd things in hockey. Often they make sense, like nicknaming a skilled goaltender "The Wall". Other times they makes no sense at all, like naming someone, "The Chicoutimi Cucumber". Cechmanek's large selection of nicknames included "The Christmas Carp", "The Tourist", "The Chick Magnet", "Mr. Bean", "The Roman Empire", "Checko", "The Bipolar Goaler", and "Roman Candle". Few stories of how he earned most of his nicknames are public. Only he and his ex-team members know of them all.

Answer: Los Angeles Kings

After his abysmal 2002-03 playoff performance, the Philadelphia Flyers promptly traded him in the offseason. They traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for a second round selection in the 2004 entry draft. He played 49 games for the Kings that season, recording an 18-21-6 record with a 2.51 goals against average, a 0.906% save average and five shutouts. During the NHL lockout, Cechmanek returned to play in the Czech Republic, and didn't express an interest in returning to the NHL.

Answer: Broken hand

On December 11, 2003, Roman Cechmanek had his first injury of his career. He bruised his hip and then missed two games because of it. Shortly after returning, he re-injured his hip, more severely than before on December 22nd. He missed six games as a result of that injury.

His final injury of the season occurred on February 20, 2004. He injured his groin trying to make a save and ended up missing 12 games. Before the 2003-04 season, Cechmanek had never been injured. He was injured for a total of 20 games in the 2003-04 season.

Answer: No

Cechmanek was voted onto the all-star team's second team, during his rookie campaign no less! Dominik Hasek was the goaltender voted on to the first all-star team, Cechmanek was voted onto the second and Evgeni Nabokov was voted on to the third. The North American All-Stars ended up winning the all-star game by a final score of 14-12.