Czech It Out

Throughout Rangers history, the team has had several forward lines that not only produced on the ice, but also were labeled with a nickname that immediately made the trio identifiable.
The first great line in franchise history, which featured brothers Bill Cook and Bun Cook on the wings and Frank Boucher at center, was dubbed the "A Line" in recognition of the subway line that ran underneath the Old Garden. Then came the Bread Line that included brothers Neil Colville and Mac Colville, along with Alex Shibicky, and the Powerhouse Line of Lynn Patrick on left wing, Phil Watson at center, and Bryan Hextall on right wing.
Throughout the generations, the Rangers have had lines dubbed the "Old Smoothies", the "Bulldog Line", and the "F-L-Y Line", just to name a few. And, of course, there was the "Goal-A-Game (G-A-G) Line" that featured Rangers legends Vic Hadfield at left wing, Jean Ratelle at center, and Rod Gilbert on right wing.
For two seasons in the early 2000s, the Rangers had a line that featured three players who were all of Czech nationality. Left wing Jan Hlavac, center Petr Nedved, and right wing Radek Dvorak were instantly identified as the "Czechmates", and their on-ice chemistry was as instantaneous as the name of their line. Nedved, Hlavac, and Dvorak took different paths to get to the Rangers for the 1999-00 season.

Nedved, who was the veteran of the group, was 28 years old and in his second stint with the Rangers. He rejoined the Rangers the previous season as part of a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he was struggling to score during the first half of the season in 1999-00.
Hlavac was 23 years old and had been acquired by the Rangers as part of a trade with the Calgary Flames in the summer of 1999. Although the Islanders drafted him in 1995, Hlavac remained in his homeland for the next four seasons, and the 1999-00 season was his first in North America and the NHL.
Dvorak was the youngest of the trio at 22 years old, but the 1999-00 season was his fifth in the NHL. He was drafted by the Florida Panthers with the 10th overall pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft and immediately joined the team as an 18-year-old. Midway through the 1999-00 season, Dvorak was traded to the Rangers as part of a three-team trade in which the Rangers sent Todd Harvey to the San Jose Sharks.
Dvorak played center in his first two games with the Rangers. But prior to his third game as a Ranger on January 5, 2000, head coach John Muckler decided to put Hlavac, Nedved, and Dvorak together on a line. The results were almost instantaneous.
In their first game as a trio, the Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs, 3-2, in overtime at MSG. Nedved opened the scoring in the game, and Hlavac and Dvorak each assisted on the goal. In the following game - which was also against the Maple Leafs in Toronto - Nedved tallied a hat trick to lead the Rangers to their second consecutive win.
At this point, the line had already been dubbed the "Czechmates", and their on-ice success was just beginning. Over the first 10 games they played as a line, the Rangers posted a 9-1-0-0 record, which included a seven-game winning streak, and the Czechmates tallied 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) in the 10 games.
Hlavac, Nedved, and Dvorak each had at least one hat trick during the course of the line's first 18 games together. Hlavac's first career NHL hat trick came on February 11, 2000 against Boston at MSG, and the promotion that night happened to be a Rangers hat. The ice at MSG was covered with hats following the hat trick. To cap off Hlavac's joy, his first child was born the next night.
In 41 games as a line during the 1999-00 season, Hlavac, Nedved, and Dvorak combined for 102 points (43 goals, 59 assists), maintaining a "goal-a-game" pace that earned the Hadfield-Ratelle-Gilbert trio its nickname three decades prior. The following season, each of the three Czechmates registered 28 or more goals (Hlavac - 28; Nedved - 32; Dvorak - 31); to date, the Czechmates are the last Rangers line to have all three players score at least 28 goals in the same season.
The Czechmates' tenure with the Rangers ended in the summer of 2001, when Hlavac was sent to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the trade in which the Rangers acquired Eric Lindros. Although Hlavac, Nedved, and Dvorak were together for a relatively short period of time, they still created memories that will be remembered fondly by Rangers fans who were fortunate enough to witness them.