Roman Cechmanek obit

Flyers Mourn Passing of Roman Cechmanek

Cechmanek only spent three seasons with the Flyers -- 2000-01 to 2002-03 -- but packed a lot of regular season success in his time with Philadelphia. 

He was not on the list.

Flyers alum goaltender Roman Cechmanek passed away suddenly on Sunday in his native Czechia (Czech Republic). He was 52 years old. Cechmanek, who was divorced, is survived by children Jakub, Roman Jr., and Katerina.

Cechmanek only spent three seasons with the Flyers -- 2000-01 to 2002-03 -- but packed a lot of regular season success in his time with Philadelphia.

"The Philadelphia Flyers are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of former goaltender Roman Cechmanek. A late-round draft pick, Cechmanek spent three seasons with the team from 2000 through 2003 where he was highly successful and made an instant impact to our club on the ice and in the locker room. Beyond his numbers, which were outstanding, he was beloved by fans and teammates for his personality, distinct style and pride in stopping the puck....His passing at too young of an age is heartbreaking to us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time," said Keith Jones, the Flyers President of Hockey Operations.

Cechmanek was born on March 2, 1971, in Zlin, Czechoslovakia. A five-time Czech Extraliga champion with Vsetin and a gold medal winner at the IIHF World Championships, Cechmanek came to the NHL at age 29 after the Flyers selected him in the sixth round of the 2000 NHL Draft.

Cechmanek’s style in net was highly unorthodox but the combination of his 6-foot-4 frame, unpredictability to shooters and his willingness to use any part of his body (frequently including his head) to make saves often made him effective.

When he was on his game, Cechmanek could be brilliant. He won two Bobby Clarke Trophies (2000-01 and 2002-03) as Flyers’ MVP, was the top runner up for the 2000-01 Vezina Trophy, finished fourth in the 2000-01 Hart Trophy balloting, played in the 2000-01 NHL All- Star Game and shared the Jennings Trophy (lowest goals against average in the NHL) in 2002-03 with teammate Robert Esche.

In 163 career regular season games as a Flyer, Cechmanek racked up 20 shutouts; a total exceeded in Flyers history by only iconic Hockey Hall of Fame netminder Bernie Parent. Cechmanek added three playoff shutouts (all against the Ottawa Senators) in 23 games.

Statistically, Cechmanek’s Flyers career ranks him among the top goaltenders in franchise history, although it should be noted for full context that his career coincided with the lowest-scoring years leaguewide of modern NHL history).

In 163 regular season games, Cechmanek posted a 1.96 goals against average, .923 save percentage, and a win-loss record of 92-43-22. In 23 playoff games, Cechmanek had a 9-14 record, 2.33 goals against average and .909 save percentage.

Cechmanek's playoff runs as a Flyers were considered disappointing. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs twice and once in the second record. The elimination games were ugly, both from a team and individual performance perspective. However, it should also be noted that Cechmanek outdueled Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Ed Belfour in a classic seven-game series in the 2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Additionally, in the Flyers lone win over the Ottawa Senators in the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and both wins Philly recorded against the Sens in the 2003 Eastern Conference Semis, Cechmanek recorded shutouts. He never received more than two goals worth of offensive support in any game in either series.

On May 28, 2003, the Flyers traded Cechmanek to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2004 second-round pick. The pick later dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in the deal that brought Alexei Zhamnov to Philadelphia for the 2003-04 stretch drive and playoffs.

After his playing career in the NHL, Cechmanek returned home to Czechia. He had various personal and financial tribulations in his post-playing years, but found happiness in returning to the rink as a youth hockey coach.

Čechmánek was publicly annoyed at his teammates' performance. The next year he had another superior season, sharing the William M. Jennings Trophy with Flyers teammate Robert Esche, and Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. Čechmánek pitched two shutouts in a second round loss to Ottawa but many blamed him for the loss due to the number of soft goals he allowed in the other four games. At the end of the season he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a second-round draft pick.

Playing behind a mediocre Kings team, Čechmánek had a disappointing season in 2003–04. He returned to the Czech Republic to play with his old team HC Vsetín during the cancelled 2004–05 NHL season. He split the 2005–06 hockey season between HC Karlovy Vary and the Hamburg Freezers. In the beginning of 2007, Čechmánek left Linköpings HC and was replaced by Rastislav Staňa. He then played for HC Třinec in the Czech Extraliga for three seasons. He retired following the 2008–09 season.

Čechmánek was on the Czech national team at both the 1998 Winter Olympics and 2002 Winter Olympics, but did not play any games, instead serving as backup to goaltender Dominik Hašek. Čechmánek won a gold medal in 1998. His other appearances were in the 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2007 World Championships.