Miroslav Dvorak, the Flyers first Czech player, has passed away at age 56, according to an
article posted on the official Czech Hockey Federation website.
A longtime chain smoker, Dvorak had been ill for some time.
"Cookie" -- as he was affectionately known during his time with the Flyers -- was a star defenseman in Czechoslovakia for HC Ceske Budejovice and HC Dukla Jihavla as well as the Czechoslovakian national team in the mid 1970s to early 1980s.
Prior to coming to the NHL, Dvorak played the Czechoslovak Olympic team in both 1976 (silver medal) and 1980, was part of eight World Championship teams (two gold medals, five silvers, one bronze), and played against NHLers at the Canada Cups of 1976 (second place) and 1981 (third place).
In 1982, communist officials allowed Dvorak (who by then was 31 years old) to come to North America to play in the NHL. It was part of a program to discourage defections and raise money by allowing veteran players to come to the NHL.
The NHL ruled that, regardless of age, European players could only enter the NHL through the draft, prohibiting teams from signing overage European players as free agents. As a result, the Flyers drafted Dvorak in the third round (46th overall) of the 1982 draft.
Dvorak enjoyed three productive seasons with the Flyers, and was very well-liked among his teammates. Despite a language barrier, he became especially close with fellow defenseman
Brad Marsh.
Colorful stories abound from Dvorak's time with the Flyers.
Dvorak spoke little English (and none when he first arrived) but he and Marsh hit it off immediately, becoming close friends as well as defensive partners. Marsh bought a Czech-English dictionary and took the player under his wing off the ice.
"I remember the first time I met Miro at the airport," Marsh recalled in The Greatest Players and Moments of the Philadelphia Flyers. "I shook his hand and he didn't know a word of English. That night, we roomed together after an exhibition game. I knew how to say 'beer' in Czech (pivo). So I ordered up some beers from room service. With my dictionary, it was amazing what I could accomplish over a couple of beers."
Marsh and Dvorak made quite a second defensive pair behind Howe and Glen Cochrane for Bob McCammon's 1982-83 Flyers. The chain-smoking, beer guzzling Dvorak was also a very solid two-way defenseman, who was able to adapt quickly to the smaller NHL rink and more physical style. The stay-at-home Marsh posted a plus-20 rating (with 13 points), while the more offensive minded Dvorak had 37 points and a plus-27.
"Dvorak lived close to me, so I got in the habit of picking him up on the way to practice. I did a lot of things for him, but I wouldn't have done them if I didn't like him. In time, he became one of my closest friends," said Marsh.
By today's hockey standards, Dvorak would have been considered an out-of-condition player. He frequently asked for his favorite foods from home (pork dumplings, gulas, pickled sausages) and was disappointed that they weren't available in the States. But he took to life in America very quickly, and everyone who played with him said he was a delight to be around.
Back in the 1980s, a few teams still practiced a rookie hazing ritual in which the first-year players were held down while their veteran teammates shaved off their hair. A rookie Pelle Lindbergh fell victim to it but, despite being a first-year player, Dvorak was spared because of his age and experience in the sport. He had already earned his stripes in the sport.
Even so, whenever Dvorak saw Paul Holmgren and some of the other veteran ringleaders nearby, he'd wag his finger and say in very heavily accented English, "No touch Cookie!" causing everyone around him (and eventually Dvorak himself) to laugh.
Dvorak even managed the near-impossible feat of making Mike Keenan laugh out loud. Keenan liked to do things for shock effect and one time he grabbed an unlit cigarette from Dvorak's lips and tossed it away. Dvorak shrugged and opened his jacket, revealing an entire carton of smokes.
On the ice, Dvorak was a reliable second-pairing defenseman who posted 85 points in 193 games for the Flyers, to go along with a career plus-58 defensive rating.
At age 34, Dvorak returned to Europe. He played three seasons in West Germany for the Kassel Huskies before playing a final season where he started his career, HC Ceske Budejovice. He retired as an active player after the 1988-89 season.
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Note: Part II of the Entry Draft preview will be posted late tonight.
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