Michal Sýkora

Michal Sýkora (born July 4, 1973) is a retired Czech professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers.

He played junior hockey for Pardubice and the Tacoma Rockets from 1990 to 1993. The San Jose Sharks chose him 123rd overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He turned pro in 1993-94, splitting two seasons between the Sharks and the Kansas City Blades before becoming a regular with the Sharks in 1995-96.

Sykora was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in the middle of the 1996-97 season. In 1998 he returned to the Czech Republic to play for HC Sparta Praha, where he spent the next four years. He did return to North America twice, once to play 10 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1998-99 and once to play 49 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2000-01. Other then those instances Sykora played in his native country until his retirement in 2005.

Sykora also played for the Czech Republic in the 1996, 2000, and 2002 World Championships, the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and the 2002 Olympics.