Patrik Štefan

Patrik Štefan (born 16 September 1980) is a Czech retired professional ice hockey player who was drafted 1st overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. At the NHL level, Štefan is regarded by most as one of the biggest draft busts in league history.

Playing career
Prior to being drafted by the Thrashers, Štefan played for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Republic, and the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL.

Štefan played six seasons for the Atlanta Thrashers scoring 177 points. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Štefan played for Ilves Tampere in the SM-liiga. In 37 games, Štefan collected a total of 41 points including 28 assists. In the playoffs, Štefan had six assists and a goal in seven games.

On 24 June 2006, Štefan was traded to the Dallas Stars along with Jaroslav Modrý for Niko Kapanen and a 7th round draft pick in 2006.

Štefan earned significant notoriety when on a breakaway towards an empty net, the puck hit bad ice and bounced up and over his stick, causing him to miss the goal and fall against the Edmonton Oilers on 4 January 2007. He accidentally cleared the puck in the direction of the Oilers. . After that Aleš Hemský scored with two seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. However, the Stars later won 6-5 in the shootout.

After Štefan's contract expired in 2007, the Dallas Stars chose not to re-sign him. Štefan signed with SC Bern of the Nationalliga A, but he only played three games for them before retiring in October 2007, largely due to a serious hip injury, the latest of several chronic injuries that plagued his career. He is currently a player agent in Laguna Beach, California, and a coach at Orange County Ice Palace.

Honours and achievements
2006]]
 * Won silver medal on [[2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships|Ice Hockey World Championships