In continuation of The Hockey News’ installments of former Montreal Canadiens and their participation in the Olympic Games. For this piece, the Czech forward Tomas Plekanec and Sochi 2014.
Tomas Plekanec was as important of a piece for the Montreal Canadiens in the noughties and 2010s as any. In an era of Habs hockey that prioritized defensive fortitude in the sacrifice of scoring, the Czechian attacker was a needed point producer.
While he missed out on making the 2006 Turin team that won bronze, Plekanec’s perennial 20-goal scoring ability garnered him a roster spot on the 2010 Vancouver team. After a seventh-place finish in the tournament, he returned to Montreal and produced a 52 and 57-point season the next two seasons. Following a reduced 2012-13 season, he performed adequately to make the Czech Republic team ahead of the 2014 Games in Sochi.
Plekanec was awarded the captaincy for his country. He and his teammates were slotted into Group C along with the powerhouse Sweden, as well as Latvia and Switzerland. It wasn’t a preliminary round to write home about.
In the opening match against Henrik Lundqvist and the Swedes, Pekanec mustered an assist in a 4-2 loss. The Czechs bounced back against Latvia, trouncing their opponents with a 4-2 win of their own.
In the third game against the Swiss, all Czech Republic scoring halted in the 60 minutes of play. After Simon Bodenmann rifled an opening goal for Switzerland, they held onto the lead firmly. The Czechs employed the risky tactic of pulling goaltender Ondrej Pavelec early in the final frame. It nearly paid off, and Plekanec would have been the hero.
The captain received a feed in the slot in transition. Left all alone, the centreman’s shot slapped off his blade and found iron, flying over the shoulder of Jonas Hiller and ringing off the crossbar. The game ended 1-0 in favour of Hiller’s team, placing the Czechs seventh in the overall table. They were pitted against Slovakia in the opening round of qualification playoffs.
In the match, Plekanec had an assist on his team’s second goal, for it was his initial shot that bounced to linemate Roman Cervenka who potted the rebound. After the Slovaks clawed back from a four-goal deficit to narrow the Czech lead to one goal, Plekanec netted his first goal of the tournament on an empty cage to seal the 5-3 victory.
In the quarterfinal matchup, the Czech Republic had their work cut out for them against the intimidating Americans. Plekanec and his linemates would be kept off the score sheet, as the U.S. eliminated their opponents 5-2.
When all was said and done, Plekanec had put up one goal and three assists in five games. It’s no surprise that a top line bolstered by a 41-year-old Jaromir Jagr against teams who had a solid mix of youth and experience didn’t make the final four.
Plekanec continued his career with the Canadiens, and apart from a 17-game stint with the Maple Leafs, surpassed 1000 games in the 2018-19 season. He amassed 608 points and finished ranked seventh all-time in games played for the Habs.
