Peter Bondra Life Story

Peter Bondra (Slovak pronunciation: eter “bondra”; born on 7 February 1968) is Ukrainian-born Slovak former professional ice hockey player. As the team’s general manager, he was a part of the Slovakia national team from 2007 to 2011. Two-time 50-goal scorer Bondra was an 37th athlete of the National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 500 NHL goals. He scored the least points among the players who have reached the milestone with 892. Bondra had the highest number of goals for the NHL in two seasons: the 1994-95 season and then 1997-98. Bondra is one of the few players who scored at least five goals one game during the NHL.

Family and life

Bondra is born 1968 in Bakivtsi, Lutsk Raion, Ukraine that was at the time an integral component of the Soviet Union. Her father (a Rusyn) had moved to Lutsk from Jakubany, Czechoslovakia, when the age of 16 was where he met his wife (a Pole). The family moved together with Peter as well as his two brothers, Juraj and Vladimir, to Poprad at the age of Peter was three years old. His father died in 1982.

Bondra was a Soviet citizen at the time of his arrival into America. United States, later obtaining an Slovak passport as well as citizenship prior to the opening in 1994’s Winter Olympics qualifying tournament. After having lived in Crofton, Maryland, Bondra lives at Riva with his wife Luba and their daughter Petra and their two brothers David and Nick. He has participated in numerous alumni events and has also played in games with the present Capitals team. David, his Son David plays forward for Bratislava Capitals and also plays for the Slovak national team, similar to his father. The other son of his, Nick has started his collegiate track at Amherst College in 2017.

Professionally active

Bondra had a brief stint with HK Poprad in the lower levels of the Czechoslovak league. He later was then transferred to VSZ Kosice in the First Division at the age of 18. His older brother Juraj also played for Kosice as a defensive player, and had already had a championship win with the team the year before. As early as his second seasons with Kosice, Peter was considered as one of the best players in the Czechoslovak league. He was also the winner of the league championship together with his brother in 1988.

National Hockey League

Bondra was drafted in the Washington Capitals in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, 156th overall. Prior to joining the Capitals the team, he was with TJ VSZ Kosice (now called HC Kosice) for four seasons from 1986 until 90 in Czechoslovakia. In Washington, Bondra became one of the top goal scorers during the 90s. Because of the difficulty in communicating, he became good friends with Ukraine-born Capitals player Dmitri Khristich who was a frequent conversation partner in both Russian as well as Ukrainian. His most successful playoff run was in 1997-98 in which the Capitals made it towards the Stanley Cup Finals before being eliminated by Detroit’s Detroit Red Wings. The 2003-04 season was Bondra’s 14th season with Washington and the Capitals suffered a disappointing season and in a salary purge move, traded veterans of the team to contenders. In the end, Bondra was transferred for Ottawa Senators. Ottawa Senators for Brooks Laich and a second round draft pick. In the press conference that announced this trade, Bondra notably broke into tears.

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In 14 seasons playing for the Capitals, Bondra scored 472 goals and collected 353 assists over 961 games. Bondra holds the Capitals team record in goal scoring with a short hand (32). Alongside Washington Bondra, he played at the five All-Star Games (1993, 1996 1997, 1998, 1993 as well as 1999). Both in 1997 and 1999 Bondra won The Fastest Skater Competition on All-Star Weekend. In 2004 the Capitals had a vote of fans to choose the top 30 players of franchise history to commemorate their 30th season as a team. Bondra finished second having received 2,018 votes. The winner, Olaf Kolzig, beat him by only 20 votes.

In the 1994-95 (with 34 goals in a lockout-shortened period) as well as the 1997-1998 season (with the 52), Bondra led the league in goals scored although there was no Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for most goals scored in the course of a season was not established prior to the season 1998-1999.

Following in 2004, when the NHL season was cancelled due to negotiations over the NHL labor dispute, Bondra played a handful of games for HK Tatravagonka SKP Poprad of the Slovak Extraliga. Prior to the 2005-06 season, Bondra was in talks to rejoin the Capitals but he ended up signing with Atlanta’s Atlanta Thrashers for one season.

On the 10th of December, Bondra signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. On the 22nd of December in 2006 Bondra scored the 500th NHL career goal at the United Center, in Chicago’s 3-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bondra drove towards the net and scored on the rebound of Jassen Cullimore’s shot from the left side over Toronto’s Jean Sebastien Aubin, 6:37 into the third period , on the power play. Bondra has become the 37th hockey player in the history of the league to achieve the milestone of 500 goals and the fourth player in league history to achieve his 500th goal wearing the Blackhawks sweater, joining Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Michel Goulet.

On October 29, 2007, Bondra made the announcement that he would be retiring from pro hockey, at the age of 39. Since his retirement, Bondra has represented Colosseo USA, a Slovak company that creates custom videos of scoreboards.

International games

Bondra has represented Slovakia on seven occasions in international competitions, including the 1994 Winter Olympics qualifying tournament, the 1998 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Winter Olympics, the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and the Ice Hockey World Championship in 2002 and 2003. He scored a tournament-leading seven goals (including the goal that won the tournament) and was third out of the players who scored nine points. He led Slovakia 4-3 against Russia to win the silver medal in the 2002 World Championship. He notched 5 points (three goals two assists) in eight games, which helped Slovakia achieve Bronze at the 2003 World Championship. In all, he had played in 47 of the games, scoring 35 goals and scoring for Slovakia.

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