Revisiting the man, the myth, the legend, Roman Cechmanek

[The Madrigal]

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[The Madrigal]

Over a three year span with the Flyers from 2000 to 2003 Cechmanek averaged 55 starts per season, a goals against average under 2.00, a save percentage over .920, and 31 wins.

He was an enigmatic, unorthodox goalie who carried some horrible defenses on his back. Unfortunately he stopped giving a **** when the playoffs began and imploded pretty much every spring. He was given away to the LA Kings, had one below average for them, and fell back into the same obscurity that led him to being a 6th round pick of the Flyers at 29 years old in the 2000 draft.

Here are Cechmanek's full stats in the NHL:

2000-2001
59 games
35 wins
10 shutouts
2.01 GAA
.921 SV %

2001-2002
46 games
24 wins
4 shutouts
2.05 GAA
.921 SV %

2002-2003
58 games
33 wins
6 shutouts
1.83 GAA
.925 SV %

2003-2004 (LA Kings)
49 games
18 wins
5 shutouts
2.51 GAA
.906 SV %

 

[The Madrigal]

Ultimately he ended up being a blip in the history of the Philadelphia Flyers, and the NHL. However, I have not forgotten you Roman Cechmanek, the best Philadelphia Flyers goalie of the last 20 years.

 

[Pantokrator]

I feel like he got thrown under the bus. He was a fine goalie. I don't know why he took the fall. The Flyers never scored more than 2 goals a game in that 2003 Ottawa series.

The year before against Ottawa, the Flyers scored 2 goals in 5 games, even winning one 1-0 in OT.

Talk about a goal challenged team in those playoffs.

 

[Larry44]

I feel like he got thrown under the bus. He was a fine goalie. I don't know why he took the fall. The Flyers never scored more than 2 goals a game in that 2003 Ottawa series.

I loved Cechmanek. He got stuck on teams with bad D, no scoring and bad coaching.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

Three fantastic seasons where he was a HUGE part of the team's regular season success and arguably was the team's MVP.

 

[Tripod]

 

[The Madrigal]

In all seriousness though, I think a lot of Flyers fans forget just how good Cechmanek was. His technique was questionable at best and supposedly he wasn't a very good team mate. The dude flat out stopped the puck though and carried some teams with horrible defenses who also couldn't score a whole lot, on his back.

 

[Rebels57]

He should have beaten Hasek for the Vezina the one year.

 

[Hurricane28]

Help me out here because I was only 3-5 during those years, do I remember correctly that he would come way out of the crease when the puck was in the other zone?

 

[lancer247]

He was a really good goalie for a short window. I hated how he would deflect pucks out of play with his mask.
Good ole Mister Bean!

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

he really is Mr. Beans long lost twin.

 

[Ruck Over]

If his teammates liked him better, his career would've been more fruitful. I remember a language barrier presented some troubles, horrible defensemen didn't help, but he was a jerk. He pu lically called out the team, don't remember individuals, saying the loss (es) were not his blame to bare.

Talented, exciting in a oh-i-enjoy-it-but-wish-i-didn't-have-too kinda way. Unibrow, unconventional, lone wolf.

Jiri Dopita'esque, but more successful.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

JR didnt have anything nice to say about him the year they were eliminated from the playoffs his last year in Philly. As talented as he was its odd he wasnt given a shot beyond that 1 final year in LA after he was traded.
of course he shut the Flyers out when he was with LA in his only start against them

 

[dats81]

Very talented player, enigmatic character.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

JR didnt have anything nice to say about him the year they were eliminated from the playoffs his last year in Philly. As talented as he was its odd he wasnt given a shot beyond that 1 final year in LA after he was traded.
of course he shut the Flyers out when he was with LA in his only start against them

I believe in his book JR said him & a few other players on the team went to management & ownership after that year demanding that they get rid of Cechmanek.

 

[David St Hubbins]

Really good, unorthodox style at best. But high strung and just weird, even for a goalie

 

[kudymen]

If his teammates liked him better, his career would've been more fruitful. I remember a language barrier presented some troubles, horrible defensemen didn't help, but he was a jerk. He pu lically called out the team, don't remember individuals, saying the loss (es) were not his blame to bare.

Talented, exciting in a oh-i-enjoy-it-but-wish-i-didn't-have-too kinda way. Unibrow, unconventional, lone wolf.

Jiri Dopita'esque, but more successful.

The Dopita remark is quite insteresting since both Cechmanek and Dopita have been drafted from HC Vsetin, a late 90s dynasty in the Czech league (6 titles in 7 seasons between 94-2001; the only time they havent won they lost in the finals). The only title without Cechmanek came in 2000-2001.

They have been the key players for that team, hands down - other interesting names on Vsetin's roster were e.g. Dmitri Jaskin's father (Alexei), teenage Jiri Hudler (played his first game for them at 15 y.o. IIRC). To a lesser degree former Stars' draft pick Pavel Patera (drafted at 27 y.o.), Maple Leafs' draft pick Martin Prochazka, both with very brief NHL careers (32 games for both)

Dopita and Patera have been drafted after Nagano in 98, Cechmanek had to wait for 2 more years, however he also has the 98 Olympic gold medal. (well, he was awarded it, but I am not sure if he wasn't forced to sell it due to financial issues - that's a completely unrelated story, but he ran into a lot of problems in the past few years, including running a restaurant, his own brewery, both going bankrupt)

 

[FlyerFaithful17]

Great regular season goalie, and as others mentioned, not as responsible for playoff failure as the media made out. He was a total oddball though, even for a goalie, and I can't help but think that was his downfall in Philly.

 

[kelmitchell]

I loved him but hated his attitude

 

[Danko]

Cranium Carry. Every shot he blocked with his head.

 

[Cyborg LeClair]

Headmanek was my favorite Flyers goalie. I was a young goalie at the time and my number was and always has been 32 for him

I loved watching that guy play. Aggressive, big, and exciting. He would skate far out and then back pedal toward his net, giving the player no net to shoot at. Then he would stick check them or bum rush them and clear the puck. I adopted that same style for handling breakaways. Even in practice, teammates would sometimes get mad when theyre going in on me and i suddenly just threw my body into their legs and at the puck.

Plus taking pucks off the dome was a great way to get a nice ring in the ears

He and rookie year Boucher were two of the best goalies we've had for a long time. Mason was damn good too.

 

[Curufinwe]

I loved Cechmanek. He got stuck on teams with bad D, no scoring and bad coaching.

When he got went to LA, sure.

.906 in the last year of the dead puck put him 25th out of 30 goalies with 40 GP, and it wasn't the fault on anyone on the Flyers that was his final year in the NHL.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?agg...32004&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,40&sort=savePctg

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

All Flyers goalies get thrown under the bus. It's what happens. The only one that really deserved was Byrz. **** Michael Leighton is a pariah despite going 8-3 with three shutouts and a .916 SVPCT and being third and fourth in the playoffs in GAA and SVPCT, respectively.

 

[Ruck Over]

All Flyers goalies get thrown under the bus. It's what happens. The only one that really deserved was Byrz. **** Michael Leighton is a pariah despite going 8-3 with three shutouts and a .916 SVPCT and being third and fourth in the playoffs in GAA and SVPCT, respectively.

That goal though. Nuff said.