Ex-NHL star Tomas Kloucek tragically took his last breath on Sunday, March 16, 2025, after a skiing accident in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czechia.
Kloucek leaves behind his wife, Barbara Klouckova, 36, and their two children: 9-year-old son Honzik and 7-year-old daughter Karolina.
Barbara and Kloucek walked the aisle on August 15, 2015. They had been married for 9 years.
Kloucek’s death was the result of a devastating skiing accident in his native Czechia. Reports indicate that while skiing at the popular Špindlerův Mlýn resort near the Polish border, he collided with a power pole on the edge of the slope.
Despite the rapid response of a helicopter and mountain rescue services, Kloucek succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
It was his wife, Barbara Klouckova, who confirmed the heartbreaking news via an emotional Instagram post on Monday, March 17, writing:
I cannot even describe in words the incredible pain I feel inside me right now. Yesterday, after a tragic accident, my husband, my universe, my love, the father of our children, but also your friend Tomas Kloucek left us forever.
Likewise, his former team, The New York Rangers, also expressed their sorrow. Head Coach Oceláři Třinec, one of his former Czech teams, also paid homage, noting,
We are saddened by the news that Tomas Kloucek has died after a tragic accident. The sharp defender played a total of 90 matches for Ocelar.
Tomas Kloucek Retired After Two Decades of Hockey Career in 2017!
Born on March 7, 1980, in Czechia, Tomas Kloucek’s hockey journey began long before he made his mark in the NHL.
Kloucek began his hockey career with local club Slavia before the New York Rangers selected him 131st overall in the 1998 NHL Draft.
After developing his game with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Hockey League and the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, Kloucek made his NHL debut with the Blueshirts in the 2000-01 season.
He had earned a Calder Cup in 2000 at the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Over the course of his NHL career, Kloucek played 141 games across three teams: the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, and Atlanta Thrashers. He accumulated 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) and 250 penalty minutes from 2000 to 2006.
After his stint in North America, Kloucek returned to Europe. He played for teams such as Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League and Slovakia, where Kloucek won a Slovak Extraliga title in 2014.
His professional career spanned nearly two decades, concluding with his retirement in 2017 after two seasons with Épinal in France’s Ligue Magnus.
Internationally, he represented Czechia at the 1996 World U17 Hockey Challenge.
