Where Are They Now? Robert Svehla

Robert Svehla is a name many Panthers fans will remember for a long time. Svehla played a major role in the success of the 96 Panthers, picking up 57 points (8 goals, 49 assists) is 81 games.

The one thing a lot of Panthers fans will remember most about Robert is his dedication to the organization. Svehla spent all but one year of his National Hockey League career with the Florida Panthers. He played with the Cats from 1994-1995 to 2001-2002, picking up 290 points during his stay in Sunrise.

After Svehla's one year stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2002-2003 he decided to call it quits and retired from the National Hockey League.

Ever since Robert called it quits it seemed as if he fell off the face of the earth. No news ever came out about him, anywhere. The biggest surprise came when he was a no show at the 96 reunion game at the BankAtlantic Center in 2007. Many really began to wonder what exactly happened to Robert Svehla.

Well a photo appeared on the internet of Svehla a while after the 96 reunion game took place. It is understandable why Robert decided not to join in on the on ice activities during the event. I am not here to pick on the guy, but lets just say he is enjoying retirement.

Well people knew what Robert looked like now, but there was still no information about what he was doing. He was just enjoying his life, living away from hockey in Slovakia, his native country. But everyone knows you can never fully leave hockey behind.

On January 2009 Robert Svehla signed a contract with HC Dukla Trenčín as an assistant coach. Finally, some solid news on the most mysterious Florida Panthers alumni member.

I wish there were more to say about Svehla and what he has been up to. I searched the web for hours in search of anything about Robert, and came up with what I wrote.

If any of my readers have any other pieces of information about what Robert has been up to since his retirement please contact me and I will add it to the article.

As always you can send your comments, questions, and now info about Robert Svehla to FloridaFlyer86@hotmail.com