The Spaz
04-30-2004, 09:47 PM
http://live82.ihwc.net/image/large/2207.jpgTo hear him speak, you would never know Thomas Vanek was Austrian, so American is his English accent. To see him play hockey, you would never, EVER know he was Austrian! No slight to Austrian hockey, but Vanek is already the finest hockey player that skiing-crazy nation has ever produced. And here's the best part—he's only 20 years old.
This is Vanek’s first IIHF World Championships. He played in his second World Junior Championships just three months ago, and now, here in Prague, he is the tournament's leading scorer with two goals and seven points and is leading his undefeated Austrians into the Qualifying Round starting Friday.
While the World Championships often offers stories of Canadians who play for European countries (see this web site's previous story on Sebastien Bordeleau, for instance), Vanek's story is the mirror opposite.
Thomas is the son of Zdenek Vanek, a Czech who played pro hockey in Zell am See, Austria a generation ago and who influenced his son's career path. Thomas was born in Graz, Austria, on January 19, 1984, and started skating when he was three or four.
What's amazing, though, is that even at 14, Tomas pursued hockey with a single-mindedness that would impress the most hockey-conscious fan. At 14, living in Austria, which at that time had produced exactly zero NHL players, Tomas decided to move to Lacombe, Alberta, to play hockey, go to school, and learn the game seriously.
"Hockey wasn's that great back home, and I wanted to get away and chase my dream of playing in the National Hockey League," Vanek said. "One of my dad's friends knew someone in Lacombe, and I wound up going there, trying out for a few teams, and playing midget AA."
"I always followed the NHL when I was a kid, and I still do. I watched Gretzky and Lemieux especially. My dad told me that if I ever have the chance to play pro, and if I really want to do it, then it's all up to me. Both my mom and dad have supported me ever since I was 14 and moved to Canada. And in both Canada and the States, I had great host families and they made me feel at home."
http://live82.ihwc.net/english/teams/article.ihwc?team=AUT&aId=1702
This is Vanek’s first IIHF World Championships. He played in his second World Junior Championships just three months ago, and now, here in Prague, he is the tournament's leading scorer with two goals and seven points and is leading his undefeated Austrians into the Qualifying Round starting Friday.
While the World Championships often offers stories of Canadians who play for European countries (see this web site's previous story on Sebastien Bordeleau, for instance), Vanek's story is the mirror opposite.
Thomas is the son of Zdenek Vanek, a Czech who played pro hockey in Zell am See, Austria a generation ago and who influenced his son's career path. Thomas was born in Graz, Austria, on January 19, 1984, and started skating when he was three or four.
What's amazing, though, is that even at 14, Tomas pursued hockey with a single-mindedness that would impress the most hockey-conscious fan. At 14, living in Austria, which at that time had produced exactly zero NHL players, Tomas decided to move to Lacombe, Alberta, to play hockey, go to school, and learn the game seriously.
"Hockey wasn's that great back home, and I wanted to get away and chase my dream of playing in the National Hockey League," Vanek said. "One of my dad's friends knew someone in Lacombe, and I wound up going there, trying out for a few teams, and playing midget AA."
"I always followed the NHL when I was a kid, and I still do. I watched Gretzky and Lemieux especially. My dad told me that if I ever have the chance to play pro, and if I really want to do it, then it's all up to me. Both my mom and dad have supported me ever since I was 14 and moved to Canada. And in both Canada and the States, I had great host families and they made me feel at home."
http://live82.ihwc.net/english/teams/article.ihwc?team=AUT&aId=1702