Canadiens Flashback Friday: Martin Rucinsky

Martin Rucinsky was a solid Canadiens forward for 7 years and overall had a nice career with some noteworthy highlights.

Drafted: 1st Round, 20th Overall in 1991 by Edmonton Oilers

Career Stats: 961 GP – 241 G – 371 A – 612 Pts

Every Friday we will take a look at some blasts from the past as we revisit some ex-players and moments. Today we will take a look at Martin Rucinsky, a player who was involved in 2 franchise altering trades and whose career spanned 3 decades.

Many Canadiens’ fans may not view Martin Rucinsky in a favorable light due to circumstances beyond his control. He had the unfortunate timing of being in Montreal during one of the darkest eras in the team’s history.

Rucinsky was a solid NHL winger who played parts of 16 NHL seasons with 8 teams. Before he stepped foot in the NHL, Rucinsky was involved in a history defining trade that occurred 3 years before he was even drafted. In August 1988, the Edmonton Oilers had done the unthinkable and traded Wayne Gretzky as well as Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski to the Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three 1st round draft picks and $15 million.

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The second of those three 1st round picks was used by the Oilers to select Rucinsky in 1991. By all accounts and the benefit of hindsight, Rucinsky ended up being the best player the Oilers received in that trade. The irony? He only played 2 games in Edmonton.

A year after being drafted, Rucinsky would be dealt in a minor deal to the Quebec Nordiques. It was with the Nordiques that Rucinsky began to show promise as an NHL forward. Despite showing that promise, his production would slip the next two seasons before rediscovering his game when the team moved to Colorado in 1996.

His stint with the newly formed Avalanche would last just 22 games. It was at that point, in December 1995, Rucinsky was once again a part of a history defining trade. This time it was the famed Patrick Roy Trade. The Canadiens traded Patrick Roy and captain Mike Keane to the Avalanche for Rucinsky, Andrei Kovalenko and Jocelyn Thibault.

Rucinsky once again ended up being the best piece in return for an NHL superstar. He immediately fit into the Canadiens system and ended up recording 60 points in 56 games with his new team. Expectations inflated and many felt the Canadiens had acquired the next great Czech superstar.

The honeymoon was short lived as the Canadiens seemingly grew tired of having real NHL talent. They traded multiple offensive catalysts such as Mark Recchi, Pierre Turgeon, Vincent Damphousse, Valeri Bure and more. In all of those trades, the Canadiens failed to receive anything close to what they gave up.

The complete lack of offensive talent outside of Rucinsky and Saku Koivu left the Canadiens in limbo. Despite having talent himself and having a talented center in Koivu, neither could really carry the entire Canadiens offence.

Rucinsky would play just two more years with the Canadiens. Those final two seasons were marred in inconsistency and lack of offensive production. By the time he was 30 years old and seemingly in decline, Rucinsky was dealt to the Dallas Stars. His tenure in Dallas would last just 42 forgettable games before being moved and having a mini resurgence with the Rangers.

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He would have small stints in St. Louis and Vancouver before finding himself back with the Rangers. He ended up being a very productive player in New York for nearly 2 seasons while joining fellow Czech players Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Petr Prucha, Petr Sykora, Michal Rozsival and Marek Malik.

Rucinsky would spend two seasons back in St. Louis before ending his NHL career in 2008 at the age of 36. Though he left the NHL, Rucinsky continued playing in his native Czech Republic. Rucinsky would remain productive through his 7 years back home and officially retired from hockey at the age of 44 in 2015. Since retiring, Rucinsky has been named GM of the Czech World Cup Team.

Though he never won a Stanley Cup, Rucinsky was able to help his Czech team to a league title in his final season. He also had a good run with the Czech national team at the 1998 Olympics, winning the Gold Medal with huge victories over the Americans, Canadians and Russians.