David Pastrnak named Czech player of the year

Boston Bruins forward David Pastrňák won his fourth consecutive Golden Hockey Stick award for best Czech hockey player of the year tying Jaromir Jagr’s record. He won the vote by 149 points over the second place Dominik Kubalík of the Chicago Blackhawks. Jakub Voráček of the Philadelphia Flyers, the 2015 winner finished third.

The 24-year-old Pastrňák also won the NHL’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy this year for the most goals scored in the season.

A native of Havířov, Pastrňák, who became the youngest winner of the Golden Hockey Stick in history in 2017, joined Vladimír Martinec with his fourth victory. Dominik Hašek is a five-time winner, and Jaromír Jágr won the award twelve times.

“I appreciate it. Every Golden Hockey stick means a lot to me. At the same time, it’s inspiration and motivation for the next seasons. It’s always the most important thing for me. I always want to improve,” said Pastrňák.
Next season, he could beat Jagra with his fifth triumph in a row. “The motivation is great. To improve my game, but also as a person. Motivation means a lot to me. And I feel that it is a great honor for me to be equal to our Czech hockey legend,” said Pastrňák.

“But the ideas and goals are mainly to succeed with the team, and I play team sports. Win the World Cup, the Olympics or the Stanley Cup. That’s the main thing. I appreciate gold sticks, but it’s still an individual trophy. We don’t play tennis or golf. For me, team trophies mean the most, “Pastrňák emphasized.