František Kaberle

	; František (left) with his brother Tomáš in 2005
Medal record
Representing Czech Republic
Ice hockey
Olympic Games
World Championships
Representing Czechoslovakia
World Junior Championships
European Junior Championships

František Kaberle
František Kaberle
	Kaberle with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008
Born	November 8, 1973 (age 51); Kladno, Czechoslovakia
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	HC Kladno; Modo Hockey; Los Angeles Kings; Atlanta Thrashers; Carolina Hurricanes; HC Pardubice; HC Plzeň
National team	Czechoslovakia and; Czech Republic
NHL draft	76th overall, 1999; Los Angeles Kings
Playing career	1991–2012

František "Frank" Kaberle (Czech pronunciation: [ˈfrancɪʃɛk ˈkabɛrlɛ]; born November 8, 1973) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. His playing career extended over 20 seasons, most notably in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Playing career

Kaberle was drafted 76th overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the Kings. During the 1999–2000 season, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for whom he would score his first career NHL goal on April 8, 2000, against Artūrs Irbe and the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-3 Thrashers loss.^[1] Coincidentally, after the 2004-05 lockout, Kaberle would sign with Carolina.

In the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, Kaberle scored a power play goal in the second period of Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers, which would turn out to be the game and Stanley Cup winning goal. It would mark Kaberle's only Stanley Cup championship.

During the off-season before the 2006–07 season, Kaberle suffered a shoulder injury, and was placed on the injured reserve on September 13, 2006. He was removed from the injured reserve on February 6, 2007, and scored the game winner that same night.

After four seasons with the Hurricanes, Kaberle was declared a free agent after he was bought out his final year of his contract on July 28, 2009.^[2] With his North American career at a close, he returned to his native Czech Republic and re-joined his original club, HC Kladno, for the 2009–10 season.^[3]

Kaberle played two more seasons in the Czech Extraliga with HC Pardubice and HC Plzeň before concluding his professional career after the 2011–12 season.^[4]

International play

František Kaberle won the Ice Hockey World Championships five times: in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. In 2006, he won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Turin. That same year, he would become the third player (first and second were Igor Larionov and Pavel Datsyuk in 2002) to win both bronze medal and Stanley Cup.

Personal life

František Kaberle married his wife Kateřina on May 30, 1998. They have two daughters named Francesca and Vanessa.

His brother Tomáš Kaberle is a former NHL and Czech Extraliga player and is also a fellow Stanley Cup champion with the Boston Bruins in 2011. Both of the Kaberle brothers were named to the Czech national ice hockey team for the 2006 Winter Olympics, winning bronze.

His father František Kaberle, Sr. used to play for the Czechoslovak national ice hockey team as well.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1988–89	Poldi SONP Kladno	TCH Jr	28	9	12	21	4	—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Poldi SONP Kladno	TCH Jr	37	6	14	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Poldi SONP Kladno	TCH	45	1	5	6	8	—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Poldi SONP Kladno	TCH	40	4	7	11	12	—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Poldi SONP Kladno	ELH	41	4	16	20	8	11	1	1	2	2
1994–95	Poldi SONP Kladno	ELH	40	7	17	24	20	8	0	3	3	14
1995–96	Modo Hockey	SEL	40	5	7	12	34	8	0	1	1	0
1996–97	Modo Hockey	SEL	50	3	11	14	28	—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Modo Hockey	SEL	46	5	4	9	22	9	1	1	2	4
1998–99	Modo Hockey	SEL	45	15	18	33	4	13	2	5	7	8
1999–2000	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	37	0	9	9	4	—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	Lowell Lock Monsters	AHL	4	0	2	2	0	—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	Long Beach Ice Dogs	IHL	18	2	8	10	8	—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	14	1	6	7	6	—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	51	4	11	15	18	—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	61	5	20	25	24	—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	79	7	19	26	32	—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	67	3	26	29	30	—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	HC Rabat Kladno	ELH	22	5	11	16	34	—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Modo Hockey	SEL	8	2	2	4	0	6	1	0	1	27
2005–06	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL	77	6	38	44	46	25	4	9	13	8
2006–07	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL	27	2	6	8	20	—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL	80	0	22	22	30	—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL	30	1	7	8	8	7	0	1	1	2
2009–10	HC GEUS OKNA Kladno	ELH	52	4	12	16	70	—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	HC Eaton Pardubice	ELH	52	5	9	14	34	9	0	3	3	6
2011–12	HC Škoda Plzeň	ELH	29	3	10	13	26	8	0	1	1	2
ELH totals			244	28	75	103	194	36	1	8	9	24
SEL totals			189	30	42	72	88	36	4	7	11	39
NHL totals			523	29	164	193	218	32	4	10	14	10

International

Year	Team	Event	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1991	Czechoslovakia	EJC	5	2	3	5	2
1992	Czechoslovakia	WJC	7	1	0	1	6
1993	Czechoslovakia	WJC	7	0	1	1	4
1995	Czech Republic	WC	6	0	0	0	0
1996	Czech Republic	WC	8	2	3	5	4
1996	Czech Republic	WCH	2	0	0	0	2
1997	Czech Republic	WC	9	0	3	3	0
1998	Czech Republic	WC	9	0	4	4	0
1999	Czech Republic	WC	10	3	3	6	0
2000	Czech Republic	WC	8	2	3	5	6
2001	Czech Republic	WC	9	1	0	1	4
2002	Czech Republic	WC	7	1	0	1	0
2004	Czech Republic	WC	7	0	4	4	6
2005	Czech Republic	WC	9	1	0	1	4
2006	Czech Republic	OG	8	0	1	1	6
Junior totals			19	3	4	7	12
Senior totals			92	10	21	31	32