Marek Svatoš | |||
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Svatoš in 2007
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Born |
Košice, Czechoslovakia |
17 June 1982||
Died | 5 November 2016 Lone Tree, Colorado, U.S. |
(aged 34)||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Right Wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for |
Košice Colorado Avalanche Avangard Omsk Nashville Predators Ottawa Senators Slovan Bratislava |
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National team | Slovakia | ||
NHL Draft | 227th overall, 2001 Colorado Avalanche |
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Playing career | 2002–2014 |
Marek Svatoš (17 June 1982 – 5 November 2016) was a Slovak professional ice hockey winger. He last played during the 2013–14 season in the Slovak Extraliga with Košice, the same club with which he began his career in 1999. Svatoš played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several seasons, mostly with the Colorado Avalanche; his last stint in the NHL was in the 2010–11 season, during which he played with the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators after beginning the season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Avangard Omsk.
Svatoš was drafted 227th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He played his first NHL games for the Avalanche in the 2003–04 season. Following a strong performance in the Avalanche's second round loss in the playoffs, he returned to the Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, during the 2004 NHL Lockout. Svatoš recorded his first career hat trick in the NHL against the Calgary Flames in a 7–3 win on 10 October 2005. He was chosen to play in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, as part of the Slovak national team.
On 9 March 2006, it was announced that Svatoš sustained a fracture to his right shoulder that forced him to miss the rest of the 2005–06 season. At the time of his injury, Svatoš led the NHL in game-winning goals with nine, which tied an NHL record for game-winning goals by a rookie. He was also one of the top rookie scorers with 32 goals in 61 games.