Tomas Vokoun's NHL debut could best be described as a baptism by fire. The Montreal Canadiens had had a very poor run against the Philadelphia Flyers and then-coach Mario Tremblay decided, in an effort to shake up his team and change their luck, to summon Tomas Vokoun from their farm club and give him the start. The young rookie was no match for the talented Flyers and was lit up for four goals in the first period before being lifted from the game.
His next chance at the NHL would be much better, though. Vokoun was selected by the Nashville Predators in the 1998 Expansion Draft and after Eric Fichaud stumbled in their nets, Vokoun was called up and played 37 games for them. His 2.95 goals against average was the best on the team and he had earned himself a permanent NHL job. Upon his arrival in Nashville, Vokoun went on to see most of the action and subsequently became the number one netminder during the 2002-03 season. In his first full season as Nashville's number one, Vokoun finished with a 25-31-11 record and a 2.20 goals against average before turning in a career year in 2003-04.
One year after being named the number one guy in Nashville, Vokoun surpassed his totals in 2003-04, finishing the season with a 34-29-10 record with a 2.53 goals against average and made his first NHL All-Star Game appearance in 2004. Vokoun was instrumental in leading the Predators to their first playoff appearance in franchise history. However, the young Preds' drew the Presidents' Cup champion Detroit Red Wings who would eliminate Vokoun and the Preds' in six games.
The following season Vokoun would post a 27-12-4 with a 2.40 goals against average and .920 save percentage in 44 games, however the club would fall short of it's goal in the playoffs. On the day of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Tomas Vokoun was sent to the Florida Panthers three draft picks.
In Florida, Vokoun continued his strong play and established himself as one the top goaltenders in the NHL. Despite being one of the busiest goalies in the league, both in terms of games played and shots faced, Vokoun never registered a goal-against-average over 2.68 in four season with the Panthers.
In the summer of 2011, Vokoun found himself an unrestricted free agent. In a move that surprised many in the hockey world, Vokoun accepted a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals worth a reported $1.5 million, well below his believed market value.
On the international stage, Vokoun has represented his homeland at the 1996 World Junior Championships, is a four-time member of its World Championship team (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010) as well as participated at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games held in Vancouver.
