Former New York Ranger Tragically Passes Away in a Skiing Accident at the Young Age of 45

We are dismayed at the news of Tomas Kloucek's death at the age of 45. He died in a skiing accident in Medvedin.

Klouek's career in professional hockey was remarkable, in which he participated in 141 games in the NHL between 2000 and 2006.

During his time in the league, he registered 10 points (2 goals and 8 assists) for the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, and Atlanta Thrashers.

In addition to the NHL, he also had a long professional stint, participating in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Milwaukee Admirals, Chicago Wolves, and Syracuse Crunch.

He also played for some European teams including HC Zlin, Barys Astana, Lev Poprad, HC Ocelari Trinec, HC Kosice, Orli Znojmo, Rytiri Kladno, and Wildcats d'Épinal before retiring in 2017.

Throughout his playing life, Kloucek has achieved quite a bit of milestones. He played for the 2000 Calder Cup-winning team of Hartford Wolf Pack and went on to capture a Slovak Extraliga championship with HC Kosice in 2014.

He played for Czechia at the 1996 World U17 Hockey Challenge internationally, which showed the world his potential at the start of his professional career. His passing is a huge loss for the world of hockey.

We would like to take this time to offer our deepest condolences to all of Tomas' family and friends during this very tragic time.