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Position: RW
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 198
Birth Date: 1/6/1976
Birth Country: Slovakia (Bystrica)
Year Drafted: 1994
Round Drafted: 10
Overall Choice: 249
Salary 2003/04: $1,850,000.00
December 6, 2003 (5:05 PM) – Richard Zednik’s wife Jessica gave birth to their first child, a girl named Ella. Ella weighs 6 pounds, 14 ounces.
HW 2004 Mid-Season Scouting Report
Last year he blossomed into a serious goal scoring threat as he went to the net with regularity and made plays with the puck in the slot. This year his game has been kept to the outside and he doesn’t seem to be putting the same effort forth. Part of this is a change in linemates and the disappointment that goes with not playing with the team’s best. Part of this is an adaptation by the rest of the league to his game and how to counter it. The rest is down to him not putting in the requisite work to keep his game elevated.
Recently he’s been playing somewhat better by going to the net more and not taking the long tour around, instead of cutting to the middle. If he keeps working in that trend and raises the intensity level another notch, he’ll get back to the 30-goal mark for sure. He’s certainly strong on his skates – one of the strongest in the league – and he has the major league moves to succeed, it’s just a matter of working them back into his game.
Defensively he’s poor. Routinely he’s beaten on the side boards to pucks that should, by all rights, be cleared out of the zone, and thus puts the pressure back on his defence. Again, this is an intensity question since there’s no doubt he’s strong on the boards – witness his work in the offensive zone.
Unfortunately, he has never really bought fully into the system due to his being an extremely offensive player. The problem with being so single-minded is that you leave your teammates in the lurch too often. Audette was the same way, only couldn’t score and you can see where it got him. Zed is, however, a good team player and is quick to protect a teammate in most situations. And Danger Will Robinson if you make him angry enough to fight, a more devastating pugilist I’ve not seen. Zed will be with the Habs for many years to come, unless a younger kid comes along with goal scoring ability as well as a defensive game. I like to think of Z as core, though – he’s someone I’d like to see grow with the team.
Richard Zedník was drafted 249th overall in the 1994 Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. On April 13, 1996, he made his debut in his only NHL game of the season. The following season, Richard scored his first goal on October 5 against the Blackhawks’ Ed Belfour. That season, Richard played 11 games and scored three points. In 1997-98, Richard joined the Capitals full-time and scored 17 goals. On December 5, he scored the first-ever goal at the new MCI Center. In the playoffs, Richard scored seven times as the Capitals won the Prince of Wales Trophy in the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals.
In 1998-99, Richard missed 19 games with a groin injury but still managed to score 17 points in 49 games. In 1999-2000, Richard played 69 games and scored 19 goals and 155 hits as the Capitals won the Southeast Division title. In 2000-01, Richard scored his first hat trick on October 31. Later that season on March 13, he was traded with Jan Bulis and a first-round draft pick to the Montréal Canadiens for Trevor Linden, Dainius Zubrus and a second-round draft pick. In 74 games between the two teams, Richard scored 19 goals and 44 points.
