Former Flyers goalie Roman Čechmánek, ‘an acrobat in goal,’ passes away at 52

Former Flyers goalie Roman Čechmánek has died at the age of 52. The goalie died in his native Czechia. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

A native of Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia, (now Zlin), Čechmánek was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NHL draft at the age of 29. He played three seasons with the Flyers, racking up a record of 92-43-22 in the regular season with a 1.96 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and an eye-popping 20 shutouts. Čechmánek went 9-14 in 23 postseason games for the Flyers before finishing his NHL career with one season in Los Angeles with the Kings.

“The Philadelphia Flyers are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of former goaltender Roman Cechmanek. A late-round draft pick, Cechmanek spent three seasons with the team from 2000 through 2003 where he was highly successful and made an instant impact to our club on the ice and in the locker room,” a statement from Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones, who played eight games with Čechmánek in 2000-01, read. “Beyond his numbers, which were outstanding, he was beloved by fans and teammates for his personality, distinct style and pride in stopping the puck. ... His passing at too young of an age is heartbreaking to us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”

In his rookie season, Čechmánek was named to the 2001 NHL All-Star Game and the second NHL All-Star Team at the end of the season. He finished as the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy and fourth for the Hart Trophy after going 35-15-6 with a 2.01 GAA and .921 save percentage. Čechmánek finished second in the league with 10 shutouts, one behind countryman Dominik Hašek, who was named the NHL’s top goalie.

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His first two victories were memorable ones for the Flyers, an 18-save shutout win against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 4, 2000, and a 28-save shutout win against the Edmonton Oilers five days later. He became the first goalie since 1938 to pitch shutouts in each of his first NHL wins.

“Truthfully, the minute he got here, there was no doubt in my mind he was NHL-ready, and it turns out he was more than NHL-ready because he ended up being the starter that year and pretty much took my job,” current Flyers TV analyst Brian Boucher said. “He was a talented guy that at 29 years old, you can tell he had experience and, you know, it’s kind of a head-scratcher to me why it took him so long to get over to the NHL because he was he made an impact right away.”

Boucher fondly remembered Čechmánek as someone with a warm smile and always pleasant to be around, even when he revealed with a laugh that the Czech star would often tell him to stay ready because he wasn’t feeling it in warmups — and then would pitch a shutout.

The pair were a goalie tandem for two seasons, and won an Atlantic Division title in 2001-02, before Čechmánek tag-teamed with Robert Esche in 2002-03. The duo combined to win the organization’s second William M. Jennings Trophy, awarded to the goalies on the team that allowed the fewest goals against. They shared it with New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who won the Vezina that season; Čechmánek finished seventh as he showcased a flashy, rarely-seen style in between the pipes.

“Roman was an acrobat in goal,” Ken Hitchcock, who was his coach in 2002-03, told The Inquirer via text. “He would use any part of his body to stop the puck. One of the characters of the game.”

“He was unorthodox, there’s no doubt about that,” Boucher added. “His style was not one that we would typically see in North America, but he competed. You could tell that there was a method to his madness pretty much, very similar in some ways to Dominik Hašek. ... Roman had a similar way about him in that he was an orthodox but he he found ways to block pucks. There’s no other way to say it.”

A two-time Olympian for the Czech Republic, he won gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics as the backup to Hašek. Čechmánek won two IIHF World Championships (1999, 2000) along with one bronze medal, and a bronze medal at world juniors in 1991.

He leaves behind three children, Jakub, Roman Jr., and Katerina.