Radek Bonk
Bonk with Oceláři Třinec in 2012
Born (1976-01-09) 9 January 1976
Krnov, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 213 lb (97 kg; 15 st 3 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for Zlín ZPS
Ottawa Senators
HC IPB Pojišťovna Pardubice
Oceláři Třinec
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
National team  Czech Republic
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 1994
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 19932014

Radek Bonk (born 9 January 1976) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player who most recently played for Oceláři Třinec of the Czech Extraliga.

Playing career

Bonk was born in Czechoslovakia and began his hockey career playing for Slezan Opava in the Junior Czech league and Zlín in the Czech Extraliga.[1] He moved to North America in 1993 with a goal of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) and was signed by the International Hockey League (IHL)'s Las Vegas Thunder, with whom he spent the 1993–94 season as a 17-year-old. Bonk was an immediate sensation in the IHL and by the end of his first season of the North American brand of hockey he had registered 42 goals and 45 assists for 87 points in 76 games. NHL scouts took notice, and Bonk found himself at or near the top of all the top prospects lists for the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Given his young age (17), size, and ability to quickly adapt to the more physical style of hockey in North America, Bonk became a "can't miss" prospect.

Bonk was drafted third overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, the first forward selected. He returned to Las Vegas for the first half of the 1994–95 season while the NHL was shut down by the owners' lockout[2] and registered 20 points in 33 games. His debut NHL season of 1994–95 was somewhat disappointing, and Bonk scored only 3 goals and 11 points in 42 games. His progress took some seasoning in his first five years of NHL hockey before he emerged as one of the league's most complete forwards by 1999–2000.[2] He went on to play for the Senators for 10 seasons, eventually becoming the team’s #1 center under the tutelage of head coach Jacques Martin.

Bonk originally wore number 76 as a member of the Thunder and in his first two seasons in Ottawa, but switched to number 14 after new general manager Pierre Gauthier implemented a team rule prohibiting players from wearing "vanity numbers" (that is, numbers higher than the goaltenders). Thus, teammate Alexandre Daigle also switched to number 9 from his traditional 91.

A skilled player, Bonk was often criticized in the Ottawa media for his lack of aggression, despite his size. On the day of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a third round draft pick. The same day, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with Cristobal Huet for Mathieu Garon and a third round selection in the 2004 draft. His most productive season points-wise was the 2001–02 NHL season when he produced 70 points for the Ottawa Senators.

On 2 July 2007, Bonk signed as a free agent with the Nashville Predators to a two-year contract.[3]

On 22 July 2009, after 969 games in the NHL it was announced that Bonk agreed to a one-year contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to continue his career in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[4] After only seven games into the 2009–10 season, Bonk left Yaroslavl to return the Czech Republic with Oceláři Třinec in the Czech Extraliga on 8 October 2009.[5] Radek posted 17 points in 39 games for the season with Oceláři to earn a two-year contract extension on 2 May 2010.[6]

Bonk announced his retirement on 19 May 2014.[7]

Personal life

Bonk is married to a Canadian, Jill Sarcen, whom he met in Ottawa while a member of the Senators. They have sons — Oliver and Cameron, and daughters Kennedy and Maya. He relocated with his family to Ottawa in 2015, where he plays in a recreational men's hockey league[8] and coaches a youth hockey team on which one of his sons plays.[9] His son, Oliver, was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.[10]

Bonk is an uncle of Patrik Bartošák, who was drafted 146th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Awards

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1990–91HC Slezan OpavaTCH Jr3547428925
1991–92AC ZPS ZlínTCH Jr4547368330
1992–93AC ZPS ZlínTCH23437106112
1993–94Las Vegas ThunderIHL76424587208512310
1994–95Las Vegas ThunderIHL337132062
1994–95Ottawa SenatorsNHL42381128
1994–95Prince Edward Island SenatorsAHL10000
1995–96Ottawa SenatorsNHL7616193536
1996–97Ottawa SenatorsNHL53513181470114
1997–98Ottawa SenatorsNHL6579161650002
1998–99Ottawa SenatorsNHL811616324840006
1999–2000HC IPB Pojišťovna PardubiceELH31014
1999–2000Ottawa SenatorsNHL802337605360008
2000–01Ottawa SenatorsNHL742336595220002
2001–02Ottawa SenatorsNHL82254570521237106
2002–03Ottawa SenatorsNHL702232543618651110
2003–04Ottawa SenatorsNHL661232446670220
2004–05HC Oceláři TřinecELH276101644
2004–05HC Hamé ZlínELH6325460228
2005–06Montreal CanadiensNHL61615215262022
2006–07Montreal CanadiensNHL7413102354
2007–08Nashville PredatorsNHL791415294061012
2008–09Nashville PredatorsNHL669162534
2009–10Lokomotiv YaroslavlKHL70226
2009–10HC Oceláři TřinecELH39512176052354
2010–11HC Oceláři TřinecELH501425396818671324
2011–12HC Oceláři TřinecELH481114254450110
2012–13HC Oceláři TřinecELH391426403013461010
2013–14HC Oceláři TřinecELH4982331301148126
NHL totals9691943034975817312152742
ELH totals261621121742845816274352

International

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Czech Republic
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1996 Vienna
Representing  Czechoslovakia
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place1993 Gävle
Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1993 Czechoslovakia EJC 6 4 2 6 6
1996 Czech Republic WC 8 2 2 4 14
1996 Czech Republic WCH 3 1 0 1 0
Senior totals 11 3 2 5 14

Transactions

References

  1. "Radek Bonk -hockeydraft.ca". hockeydraft.ca. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  2. 1 2 "legendsofhockey.net - Radek Bonk". legendsofhockey.net. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  3. "Predators sign free agents Bonk, de Vries". predators.nhl.com. 2 July 2007. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  4. "Bonk finalised for Lokomotiv". hockeysverige.se (in Swedish). 22 July 2009. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  5. "Radek Bonk reinforces the Steelworkers". Oceláři Třinec (in Czech). 8 October 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  6. "Bonk receives new contract". Oceláři Třinec (in Czech). 2 May 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  7. "Radek Bonk calls it a career". 19 May 2014.
  8. BarDown (news), Radek Bonk is playing in an Ottawa-area men's league and is off to a lightning hot start, 18 September 2015; TSN.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
  9. Nevil Hunt, Radek Bonk: have clipboard, will travel. Kanata Kourier-Standard via OurWindsor.ca, 30 November 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  10. Han, Giana (28 June 2023). "Flyers draft defenseman Oliver Bonk with their second pick of the first round". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
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