Žigmund Pálffy

Žigmund Pálffy’s senior ice hockey career began in 1990 with HK Nitra in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, before he moved to HK Dukla Trenčín for two seasons, coming in third in the Czechoslovak Extraliga in 1991 and first in 1992. During that time, he was also third with the Czechoslovakian national team in 1991 and fifth in 1992 at the World Junior Championships.

With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Pálffy moved to the National Hockey League (NHL), although for the 1993-94 season he spent only five games with the New York Islanders and 57 with the affiliated Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the International Hockey League (IHL). He also attended the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics during that time, where a newly-independent Slovakia was sixth. For the 1994-95 season, he split his time between the Islanders and the Denver Grizzlies of the IHL, before becoming a regular with the Islanders for the next four seasons. He also represented Slovakia at the World Championships in 1996 and 1999, placing tenth and seventh respectively. Pálffy was then traded to the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, where he remained through 2004. He also made another appearance at the Olympics, this time coming 13th in Salt Lake City. He did, however, win the World Championships with Slovakia that year, and came in third in 2003. He would also be fifth at the 2005 edition. The 2004-05 NHL lockout led him to play a season with HC Slavia Praha in Czech Extraliga, before returning to the United States to play with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. He retired mid-season, however, due to lingering injuries.

Pálffy’s retirement did not last, although he spent the rest of his career, from 2007 through 2013, with HK 36 Skalica of the Slovak Extraliga. He also attended a third edition of the Olympics, in 2010 in Vancouver, as Slovakia’s flagbearer in the opening ceremony, and just missed a medal when his country lost the bronze medal match to Finland.