Much was expected of talented centre Radek Bonk when he entered the NHL in 1994-95. His progress took some seasoning in his first five years of pro hockey before he emerged as one of the NHL's most complete forwards in 1999-00. He began the 2001-02 season as a key factor in the Ottawa Senators' Stanley Cup dreams.
Bonk was outstanding for the junior clubs HC Opava and ZPS Zlin. After playing a year for the senior Zlin team, the young forward came to North America and suited up with the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL. He made the transition to the North American style of play look easy with 42 goals in 76 games and was the top-rated prospect by Central Scouting for much of the year. Following the season he was presented the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as the top rookie in the "I".
Bonk was picked third overall by the Ottawa Senators at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He returned to Las Vegas for the first half of the 1994-95 season while the NHL was shut down by the owners'lockout.
By the 1999-2000 season, Bonk formed an outstanding team with Marian Hossa. He recorded his first of two straight 20-goal seasons and was often used to shadow the top scoring centres on the opposition. The talented forward also suited up for the World team in the 2000 and 2001 NHL All-Star Games. Bonk's speed and two-way excellence was a major reason why Ottawa topped 100 regular season points three times in four years. He entered the 2001-02 campaign as a major factor in the club's hopes of attaining playoff success to match its regular season output and continued his strong two-way play for ten seasons, before being part of a three-way trade that landed the former first rounder in Montreal.
Over two seasons in Montreal, Bonk appeared in 135 games played, however failed to break out offensively recording only 44 points. He found himself again on the move as in the summer of 2007 the two-time all-star was signed as a free agent by the Nashville Predators
