Peter Budaj: Biography in Details
Who is Peter Budaj?
Peter Budaj is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League (NHL).
He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, by whom he was drafted to the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings.
He is known for having the popular character Ned Flanders from The Simpsons painted on his mask.
Peter Budaj: Age, Parents, Siblings, Ethnicity, Education
Budaj was born as Peter Budaj on 18 September 1982, in Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia. His nationality is Slovak and his ethnicity is Asian-European.
His mother’s name is Ľubica Budajova and his father’s name is Jozef Budaj. He has a brother named Jozef Budaj.
There is no information on Peter’s academic background.
Is Peter Budaj active on social media?
Peter is active on Instagram. He has more than 11.8k followers on Instagram, and more than 615 followers on Facebook. Furthermore, he is not active on Twitter.
Peter Budaj: Professional Life and Career
Peter Budaj started his career playing for HC Banska Bystrica U18 in Slovakia U18 in the 1996-97 season. He continued with the team for the next 2 seasons as well. Budaj moved to Mississauga Steelheads of OHL in 1999-2000, continuing with the club for the next 2 seasons.
Peter Budaj was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2001 draft as the first pick for the Avalanche and 63rd overall. Budaj played for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
In his first NHL season in 2005–06, he appeared in 34 games. He recorded a combined 47 wins in the next 2 seasons. His first NHL playoff appearances came in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs in relief of Théodore in Colorado’s second-round matchup against the eventual champions Detroit Red Wings.
Peter Budaj played his 100th NHL game on 3 November 2007, against the Vancouver Canucks. For the 2008–09 season, He was named the starting goalie for the Colorado Avalanche for the first time.
On 29 June 2009, Budaj was re-signed by the Avalanche to a one-year contract for the 2009–10 season. He started the season playing as the Avalanche backup goalie. Before his first appearance on the net, Budaj was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus & completely isolated from the rest of the team until he was cleared to play by the coaching staff. Budaj finally made his first appearance of the season on 4 November, against the Phoenix Coyotes.
On 1 April 2011, Peter Budaj became the first Slovakian goaltender to reach 100 career NHL wins.
Budaj signed as a free agent to a two-year contract worth $2.3 million with the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2011. During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, his second year as a backup to Carey Price, he carried an 8–1–1 record in 13 games, to earn a two-year contract extension with the Canadiens on 10 April 2013.
On 5 October 2014, Budaj was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in return for Eric Tangradi. He was waived less than a day later. On the following day, he was assigned to St. John’s IceCaps, Winnipeg’s American Hockey League affiliate, after clearing waivers. Budaj remained with the IceCaps for the duration of the 2014–15 season.
As a free agent from the Jets, Peter Budaj was unable to secure an NHL contract & on 28 August 2015, agreed to sign a try-out contract to attend the Los Angeles Kings training camp. On 9 October 2015, it was announced that Budaj signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Los Angeles Kings & was subsequently waived & assigned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL to begin the 2015–16 season. Budaj led the league most statistical categories, to earn the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s best goaltender.
On 11 February 2016, he was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings on an emergency basis & made a victorious debut over the New York Rangers. Upon his return to Ontario, he was signed to a one-year contract extension to remain with the Kings on March 2, 2016.
In the 2016–17 season, he was again recalled by the Kings in October 2016. In gaining an NHL starting role for the first time since 2011 with the Avalanche, Budaj responded by recording his best statistical year in the league. He was returned to the backup role upon Quick’s return on February 25, 2017.
On February 26, 2017, the Kings traded Budaj to the Tampa Bay Lightning exchange for goaltender Ben Bishop.
Apart from that, Peter Budaj has also represented Slovakia in many tournaments. This includes WJC18, WJC, OG, and WC.
How much is the net worth of Peter Budaj?
As of 2022, Peter Budaj has a net worth of $2 million and his salary is $600,000.
Peter Budaj: Rumors, and Controversy
Peter Budaj has not been dragged into much greater controversies or rumors. He, however, has been dragged into rumors regarding his injury. He has, thus far, managed to keep a clean image in the eyes of the public and fans.
Body Measurements: Height, Weight
Peter Budaj has a height of 6 feet. His body weighs 89kg. He has light brown hair and brown eyes.
Peter Budaj’s Birthday Dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | September | Wednesday |
| 2025 | September | Thursday |
| 2026 | September | Friday |
| 2027 | September | Saturday |
| 2028 | September | Monday |