Roman Cechmanek, an NHL goalie from 2000-04, died on Sunday. He was 52. The official cause of his death is still unknown. While in Philadelphia, Cechmanek won the 2002–03 season’s Bobby Clarke Trophy as the club’s most valuable player.
The Flyers, with whom Roman Cechmanek played for three seasons in the NHL, acknowledged his death on Sunday. Former Flyers goaltender Roman Cechmanek has died, and the team’s president of hockey operations, Keith Jones, expressed the team’s deep sorrow in a statement.
“A late-round draft pick, Cechmanek played for the team for three seasons (2000–2003) and was a huge success, both on the ice and in the locker room.” Fans and teammates alike adored him for his unique flair and fierce dedication to blocking shots, qualities that went far beyond his impressive statistics.
He captained the Flyers to three consecutive playoff appearances, two 100-point campaigns, and an Atlantic Division championship in 2002–03, and he and Robert Esche formed a remarkable goaltending duo that won the NHL’s William M. Jennings Trophy as the league’s lowest-goals-against average netminders.
It breaks our hearts that he had to leave us so soon. During this time, his family has our deepest sympathies. Cechmanek played in his home country of the Czech Republic until he was picked by the Flyers in the sixth round with the 171st overall pick in 2000, when he was 29 years old.
In this 2002 game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, goaltender Roman Cechmanek makes a save from Gary Roberts #7. He was a member of the Kings for the 2003–2004 season.
He made an immediate impact in the NHL, earning All-Star honors in his first year of competition and finishing as the league’s runner-up for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender after posting a 2.01 GAA,.921 save percentage, and 10 shutouts.
He played in 212 games for the NHL and finished with a record of 110-64-28, a 2.08 GAA, a.919 SV%, and 25 shutouts. In 2004, he played for HC Vsetin upon his return to the Czech Republic. For the Czech Republic’s 1998 Olympic gold-medal team, Cechmanek was Dominik Hasek’s backup.
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