Zedník is known for sustaining and surviving a life-threatening injury during a February 2008 NHL game when the skate of his teammate Olli Jokinen accidentally sliced his common carotid artery.\n', '

Zedník was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals, in the tenth round, 249th overall, after playing junior hockey for the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL).\n', '

Zedník scored 35 goals in his rookie year with the Winter Hawks during the 1994–95 season. In his second year with the major junior team, he scored 44 goals which earned him Second Team All-Star honours. Zedník made his professional debut at the end of the 1995–96 season, playing in a single game with the Capitals before joining their minor league affiliate, the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL), for their Calder Cup finals playoff run. Zedník made the Capitals\' roster out of training camp in 1996 and scored his first career NHL goal in the season opener on October 5 against Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks. After one goal in nine games, Zedník was sent down to Portland before being recalled briefly in March 1997.\n', '

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