Petr Klima obit

Former Red Wing Petr Klima dies at age 58

 He was not on the list.

Petr Klima, the talented but troubled forward who defected from Czechoslovakia to join the Detroit Red Wings in 1985, has died at his home in Czechia. He was 58.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Klima displayed his skills, skating and scoring ability as a rookie in 1985-86, tallying 32 goals and 56 points on a Red Wings team that finished with the worst record in the NHL.

He established a franchise record with 10 playoff goals, among 18 points, during his third season in 1987-88, helping the Red Wings reach the Western Conference finals for the second year in a row, where they lost to Edmonton. That mark has since been eclipsed by Johan Franzen (16 goals) and Henrik Zetterberg (13 goals) in 2007-08.

“The Detroit Red Wings are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Petr Klima, who passed away at the age of 58 in Chomutov, Czechoslovakia. The Red Wings organization offers its heartfelt condolences to the Klima family during this difficult time,” the club said in a statement.

Klima had four productive seasons with Detroit before being traded to Edmonton on Nov. 2, 1989, along with Joe Murphy, Adam Graves and Jeff Sharples, in a blockbuster deal that brought Jimmy Carson to Detroit.

Klima’s most memorable moment was his triple-overtime goal for Edmonton in Game 1 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final at Boston (against Andy Moog). The Oilers went on to win the championship.

The Oilers tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of #Oilers alum Petr Klima & extend our condolences to his family & all loved ones.”

The Red Wings drafted Klima in the fifth round in 1983 (86th overall).

Klima’s career was marked by off-ice issues due to alcohol abuse, which got him suspended by the Red Wings at the start of the 1988-89 season.

Klima finished his career by playing 13 games with the Red Wings in 1998-99 (one goal, no assists).

He ended up playing 306 games with the Red Wings, collecting 130 goals and 93 assists. He played 13 NHL seasons with Detroit, Edmonton, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. He appeared in 786 games and tallied 313 goals and 573 points.

Klima’s twin sons, Kevin and Kelly, 25, are playing professionally in the Czech Republic. Both played briefly with the AHL Tucson Roadrunners in 2018 and 2019.

 

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season             Playoffs

Season Team            League            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM            GP            G            A            Pts            PIM

1981–82            TJ CHZ Litvínov            CSSR            18            7            3            10            8            —            —            —            —            —

1982–83            TJ CHZ Litvínov            CSSR            44            19            17            36            74            —            —            —            —            —

1983–84            ASD Dukla Jihlava            CSSR            41            20            16            36            46            —            —            —            —            —

1984–85            ASD Dukla Jihlava            CSSR            35            23            22            45            76            —            —            —            —            —

1985–86            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            74            32            24            56            16            —            —            —            —            —

1986–87            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            77            30            23            53            42            13            1            2            3            4

1987–88            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            78            37            25            62            46            12            10            8            18            10

1988–89            Adirondack Red Wings   AHL            5            5            1            6            4            —            —            —            —            —

1988–89            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            51            25            16            41            44            6            2            4            6            19

1989–90            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            13            5            5            10            6            —            —            —            —            —

1989–90            Edmonton Oilers            NHL            63            25            28            53            66            21            5            0            5            8

1990–91            Edmonton Oilers            NHL            70            40            28            68            113            18            7            6            13            16

1991–92            Edmonton Oilers            NHL            57            21            13            34            52            15            1            4            5            8

1992–93            Edmonton Oilers            NHL            68            32            16            48            100            —            —            —            —            —

1993–94            Tampa Bay Lightning            NHL            75            28            27            55            76            —            —            —            —            —

1994–95            AC ZPS Zlín            CZE            1            1            0            1            0            —            —            —            —            —

1994–95            EHC Wolfsburg            DEL            12            27            11            38            28            —            —            —            —            —

1994–95            Tampa Bay Lightning            NHL            47            13            13            26            26            —            —            —            —            —

1995–96            Tampa Bay Lightning            NHL            67            22            30            52            68            4            2            0            2            14

1996–97            Cleveland Lumberjacks            IHL            19            7            14            21            6            —            —            —            —            —

1996–97            Los Angeles Kings            NHL            8            0            4            4            2            —            —            —            —            —

1996–97            Pittsburgh Penguins            NHL            9            1            3            4            4            —            —            —            —            —

1996–97            Edmonton Oilers            NHL            16            1            5            6            6            6            0            0            0            4

1997–98            Krefeld Pinguine            DEL            38            7            12            19            18            —            —            —            —            —

1998–99            Adirondack Red Wings   AHL            15            2            6            8            8            —            —            —            —            —

1998–99            Detroit Red Wings            NHL            13            1            0            1            4            —            —            —            —            —

2001–02            HC Chemopetrol            CZE            52            24            10            34            36            —            —            —            —            —

2002–03            HC Chemopetrol            CZE            41            13            6            19            28            —            —            —            —            —

NHL Totals            786            313            260            573            671            95            28            24            52            83

 

International

Year     Team            Event                GP            G            A            Pts            PIM

1982            Czechoslovakia            EJC            5            7            2            9            12

1983            Czechoslovakia            WJC            7            4            4            8            6

1984            Czechoslovakia            WJC            7            6            4            10            22

1984            Czechoslovakia            CC            5            2            1            3            4

Junior totals            19            17            10            27            40

Senior totals            5            2            1            3            4