
Tomas Plekanec (born October 31, 1982) is a Czech professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). After beginning his career for HC Kladno of the Czech Extraliga, he was selected 71st overall by the Canadiens in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Moving to North America in 2002, he played three seasons for the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, before joining the NHL club full-time for the 2005–06 campaign.