Martin Straka
A Czech playmaking wizard who orchestrated offenses on NHL ice before returning home to build and own the team he once captained.
Born 1972 (age 54)·Czech ice hockey player and entrepreneur·Birthday: September 3·Generation X
Biography
Martin Straka's hockey life is a story of two acts. The first saw the swift, creative center leave communist Czechoslovakia for the NHL, where he became a fan favorite for his deft passing and clutch performances, most notably during a long stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins alongside Jaromir Jagr. His career spanned over a decade, marked by resilience after serious injuries. The second act began upon his return to the Czech Republic. Rather than simply retire, he bought a controlling stake in his hometown club, HC Plzeň, transforming it from a financial struggler into a Czech Extraliga champion. As owner and general manager, he applied the same competitive intelligence he used on the ice, building a legacy not just as a player, but as an architect of a modern hockey franchise.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Martin was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Martin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Martin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 40
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 50
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 54 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led HC Plzeň 1929 to its first-ever Czech Extraliga championship in 2013 as the team's owner and general manager.
- Represented the Czech Republic in three Olympic Winter Games, winning a bronze medal in 2006.
- Recorded a 95-point season (29 goals, 66 assists) with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1998-99.
- Played over 950 games in the NHL across seven different teams.
- Served as captain of the Czech national team at the 2010 IIHF World Championship.
Did You Know?
He and Jaromir Jagr are close friends and former Pittsburgh Penguins teammates; Straka is the godfather to Jagr's son.
He purchased a 70% share of HC Plzeň in 2009, saving the club from financial ruin.
He won the Golden Puck award as the Czech Extraliga's best player in 2005 while playing for Plzeň.
He scored a memorable overtime goal for the New York Rangers in the 2006 playoffs against the New Jersey Devils.
His son, also named Martin, is a professional hockey player in the Czech league system.
“I left everything behind for hockey, but I always carried home with me.”
