swiss_redwingfan 5 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 (edited) According to several Reports in Swizerlands Media former Atlanta and Dallas Player Patrik Stefan is forced to retire. The Czech forward singed earlyer this year a deal with the SC Bern of Switzerlands National League. But after a few games, the problems with his Hips returned instantly. There's no chance for Stefan to play hockey again. Sad Story! http://www.blick.ch/sport/eishockey/drama-um-scb-star-72991 http://www.hockeyfans.ch/news_portal/news....r=07&modus= Edited October 5, 2007 by swiss_redwingfan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yzermaniac192005 0 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 wow. And he had such promise too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteLightning91 105 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 Anyone know what warranted this guy ever being drafted first overall??? Looking at his statistics from the years before he was drafted, he scored only 50 points in 58 games in the F'n IHL. He should have twice that in order to be considered even a first rounder...I never understood what Atlanta saw in this guy... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 (edited) Anyone know what warranted this guy ever being drafted first overall??? Looking at his statistics from the years before he was drafted, he scored only 50 points in 58 games in the F'n IHL. He should have twice that in order to be considered even a first rounder...I never understood what Atlanta saw in this guy... It's been a few years and my memory gets worse with each passing one, but I believe that draft year was considered one of the worst in two decades. The thing is, Stefan did have some talent but he was injury prone even before he was drafted and he never panned out. You could make the argument that next to Daigle, this guy was the 2nd worst bust of any #1 overall draft pick in the NHL. EDIT: I just looked at the draft that year and for being a 'bad draft year' it produced some decent NHLers; notably the Sedin twins, Tim Connolly, Barret Jackman and Martin Havlat. The buzz on the street about Stefan was that he was big and talented and we all know how much GM's like size with some skill. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl1999e.html Edited October 5, 2007 by Hank Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingsfan40 0 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 I never like to see a player forced to retire because of injuries....Hopefully he find something else he enjoys doing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hiei 192 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 I say that his downfall started in January of 07. DAL @ EDM. This vid never gets old... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StaticWithABeat 0 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 I say that his downfall started in January of 07. DAL @ EDM. This vid never gets old... Unfortunately the only things he'll be remembered for are that disgraceful maneuver and being among the worst #1 picks of all time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBadOne 0 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 I say that his downfall started in January of 07. DAL @ EDM. This vid never gets old... I still love Ray Ferraro's reaction to that. "Patrik Stefan, you should be embarrased for what you've just done, that dos NOT belong in the National hockey league!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shy Ranger 0 Report post Posted October 5, 2007 I say that his downfall started in January of 07. DAL @ EDM. This vid never gets old... Wow, holy cow. I had never seen that before. Just...wow. :whoa: *golf clap* Bad time for a bad bounce. Does sort of balance out, though...Stefan wasn't Daigle, aye?... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joshy207 156 Report post Posted October 6, 2007 Anyone know what warranted this guy ever being drafted first overall??? Looking at his statistics from the years before he was drafted, he scored only 50 points in 58 games in the F'n IHL. He should have twice that in order to be considered even a first rounder...I never understood what Atlanta saw in this guy... You have to remember, that was the IHL's heyday. The league had lots of teams in big markets and had aspirations of rivaling the NHL as another major league at some point in the future. Only a handful of IHL teams were affiliated with NHL clubs; the rest were filled with veteran players, some career minor-leaguers and others former NHLers still looking for another shot at the Show. IHL teams were also known for signing NHL holdouts. The caliber of play was at least as good as, if not better than, the AHL. The IHL was probably one of the top 5 leagues in the world at the time. And for Stefan to put up the points he did as a 17- and 18-year old, playing mostly against men in their mid 20s to early 30s, well, that's not too shabby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kp-Wings 3 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 Stefan had fairly decent potential, but it still surprised me he went #1 overall and not Pavel Brendl. Of course, Brendl's NHL career didn't exactly pan out either. The 1999 draft produced some talent, like Connolly, the Sedins, and Havlat, but it sucked overall. It is probably the 2nd worst draft in the recent era: the 1996 draft takes the cake as being the worst. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 Too bad the only thing he'll be remebered for is his brutal empty net miss in Edmonton last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 Too bad...i guess this signing turned out to be a Swiss miss. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HockeyCrazy3033 168 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 That empty net miss is the first thing I think of when someone brings up Stefan. Sad, but true. lol Sucks he has to retire though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OkThatSmells 0 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 I say that his downfall started in January of 07. DAL @ EDM. This vid never gets old... So true. It really does never get old. Never. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SweWings 45 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 Never fun when a career - no matter how bad and unfulfilling - end in injury. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eva unit zero 271 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 It's been a few years and my memory gets worse with each passing one, but I believe that draft year was considered one of the worst in two decades. The thing is, Stefan did have some talent but he was injury prone even before he was drafted and he never panned out. You could make the argument that next to Daigle, this guy was the 2nd worst bust of any #1 overall draft pick in the NHL. You could make that argument, except it would make yo ua moron because in its two essential points it has two fatal flaws. Stefan was a FAR worse bust than Daigle, and Daigle is not even close to the worst bust of a #1. EDIT: I just looked at the draft that year and for being a 'bad draft year' it produced some decent NHLers; notably the Sedin twins, Tim Connolly, Barret Jackman and Martin Havlat. The buzz on the street about Stefan was that he was big and talented and we all know how much GM's like size with some skill. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl1999e.html The best player from the 99 draft was the guy I said in 98 would be the best player available. I'll give you a hint; his current linemates are Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donaldjr2448 43 Report post Posted October 7, 2007 I say that his downfall started in January of 07. DAL @ EDM. This vid never gets old... I actually watched that game live, I usually watch The Wings rivals during the season, just to see how we match up, and I love watching hockey. I remember saying to myself, how in the F did he miss the net and why did he wait so long to shoot. I personally would have buried that shot between the circles. The most amazing thing was how Edmonton took the puck back up the ice and scored!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sergei Fedorov91 24 Report post Posted October 8, 2007 (edited) I watched his first NHL game, an exhibition at Van Andel arena verses the Blues. I was kind of following him and he seemed real tentative. I remember reading he had concussion problems even before he was drafted by the Thrashers. The other thing I got from the game was Pronger was freaking huge. But his name is Christina now. Edited October 8, 2007 by Sergei Fedorov91 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hank 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2007 (edited) You could make that argument, except it would make yo ua moron because in its two essential points it has two fatal flaws. Stefan was a FAR worse bust than Daigle, and Daigle is not even close to the worst bust of a #1. I don't know if you can say that Stefan was a far greater bust than Daigle. At the time, Daigle had just as much fan-fare as Sidney Crosby did coming into the league. Stefan did have some hype but it was maybe a 10th of what Daigle had. Stefan was a bust no doubt, but if you did a comparison, Stefan was a Cherry bomb compared to Daigle's Hydrogen bomb. P.S. Are you ever in a good mood or are you always pissed off at the world? Edited October 8, 2007 by Hank Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightfall 871 Report post Posted October 8, 2007 I say that his downfall started in January of 07. DAL @ EDM. This vid never gets old... As a hockey player, I hate to see people that are forced to retire because of injury. I can't imagine not playing the game as it is the best game on the planet. If I couldn't play anymore, it would be a void that would be very very hard to fill. As for that video, my wife was in the living room with me when that happened. I was watching it on my center ice package. When he missed that empty netter, my wife looked over at me and said, "I think hockey fans are going to remember him for that situation than anything else in his career." She didn't know that he didn't have a outstanding hockey career to begin with but thats very true. If that happened to Steve Yzerman, it would be on a gag reel somewhere gathering dust. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted October 8, 2007 Too bad...i guess this signing turned out to be a Swiss miss. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
