Jiří Šlégr
Jiří Šlégr is a Czech professional ice hockey executive and player who is the general manager of the Czech men's national team. Playing as a defenceman, he was a member of the 2001–02 Detroit Red Wings that won the 2002 Stanley Cup after he was acquired in a late-season trade. Šlégr was inducted into the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame on 12 December 2019.
In 2010, Šlégr, a candidate of the Czech Social Democratic Party, was elected into the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.
Playing career
Šlégr was drafted 23rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL entry draft. Šlégr played parts of three seasons with the Canucks, before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Roman Oksiuta, where he played for parts of two seasons. He spent the 1996–97 season playing in Södertälje SK in Sweden. He then returned to the NHL, where he had been traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third-round draft pick, and played three and a half seasons there, wearing number 71 that would later be more associated with Evgeni Malkin. In January 2001, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for a third-round draft pick. Atlanta traded Šlégr to the Detroit Red Wings for Yuri Butsayev and a third-round draft pick in March 2002 and won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings that season.He signed as a free agent with Vancouver in September 2003, but was traded to the Boston Bruins in January 2004 for a conditional pick after falling out of favor with Vancouver Canucks coach Marc Crawford. Šlégr spent the 2004–05 NHL lockout season with HC Litvínov in the Czech Republic before returning to the Boston Bruins for the 2005–06 season. After leaving the NHL, Šlégr returned to the Czech Republic to play for HC Litvínov, and for EHC Biel of the NLA during the 2007 playoffs.
International play
Šlégr won a gold medal in the 2005 World Championships and the 1998 Winter Olympics with the Czech Republic, and a bronze medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics as member of Czechoslovakia. Along with the Stanley Cup he won with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, Šlégr won all three major trophies in ice hockey, gaining entry to the Triple Gold Club.Political career
In the 2010 elections, Šlégr was elected into the Chamber of Deputies as a candidate of the Czech Social Democratic Party in the Ústecký kraj, a region in northern Bohemia. Although the Social Democrats won the elections, they found themselves isolated and a right-wing government led by Petr Nečas was formed instead, forcing the Social Democratic Chairman, Jiří Paroubek, to resign.Šlégr, loyal to Paroubek, followed the former chairman in 2011 when he left the Social Democrats and founded a new party, the National Socialists – 21st Century Left. Since he had refused to resign, Šlégr remained in the Parliament as an unaffiliated MP.
Šlégr announced on June 14, 2013 that he was "going back to the clean environment among athletes" and stepped down from his position.
Return to hockey
At 42 years of age, Šlégr returned to play two more seasons for Litvínov, finally retiring for good as a player in 2015. In his last season, he also served as the team's assistant coach, which began a transition into an off-ice career. He would serve as Litvínov's head coach, general manager and club president before leaving in 2020.On 10 October 2024, Šlégr was named the new general manager of the Czech men's national team. He replaced former teammate Petr Nedvěd, who had resigned due to family reasons.
Personal life
He is the estranged son of former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Jiří Bubla. He legally changed his surname from Bubla to his stepfather's surname Šlégr as a child.Šlégr was married 15 years with Kateřina Šlégrová. The couple split in November 2010 and divorced in February 2013. Šlégr married Lucie Králová in May, 2015.