Litvínov, Calgary and New York Reichel began his elite playing career at the age of 16 when he joined
CHZ Litvínov of the
Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League. Anticipating future availability of eastern European players to their teams,
National Hockey League (NHL) general managers selected several Soviet Bloc players at the
1989 NHL entry draft. Reichel was selected in the fourth round, 70th overall, by the
Calgary Flames. Reichel remained with Litvínov for the 1989–90 season where he had one of the greatest seasons in Czechoslovak history; in 52 games combined between the regular season and playoffs, Reichel scored 49 goals, the second highest total in the history of the Czechoslovak First League. He was named an all-star and
forward of the year and finished as runner-up to
Dominik Hašek as player of the year. Upon his departure to Calgary for the
1990–91 NHL season, Reichel was considered Czechoslovakia's top
prospect. He made his NHL debut on October 8, 1990, against the
Winnipeg Jets and scored his first point and goal on October 20, against
Boston Bruins' goaltender
Réjean Lemelin. Reichel completed his first NHL season with 41 points, then improved to 54 points in
1991–92. A
labour dispute resulted in the cancellation of the first half of the
1994–95 NHL season, and Reichel spent the time with the
Frankfurt Lions of the
Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He recorded 43 points in 21 games for Frankfurt before returning to the NHL, where he added 35 points in 48 games for Calgary. He made
C$ 725,000 in 1994–95, and was offered
US$1 million to remain with Frankfurt. Unable to come to terms with Calgary, Reichel returned to Frankfurt for the 1995–96 season. The Flames sent him to the
New York Islanders on March 18, 1997, in exchange for
Marty McInnis,
Tyrone Garner and a sixth round selection in the
1997 NHL entry draft. In 12 games with the Islanders to finish the season, Reichel recorded 19 points and finished the year with 62 combined between the two teams. A restricted
free agent following the season, Reichel sought a contract worth $3 million per season. When he was unable to attract interest at that price, Reichel opted to return to Litvínov, now in the
Czech Extraliga. He played two seasons with Litvínov and averaged greater than a point per game. In his first season with the Maple Leafs,
2001–02, he scored 20 goals – the seventh time in his NHL career he had done so – and 51 points. His production declined over the following two seasons, recording 42 points in
2002–03 and 30 in
2003–04. He led the
1990 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in scoring with 21 points. In doing so, he became the only player in history to lead both the European and World Junior Championships in scoring. Having earned a spot with the senior team at the
1990 World Championships, Reichel was placed on a
line with two other young players,
Bobby Holík and
Jaromír Jágr. The line starred at the event; Reichel recorded 11 points in the tournament as Czechoslovakia won the bronze medal. Reichel was named to the tournament all-star team. Two more all-star appearances followed, in
1996 and
2001, The Czechs went on to defeat
Russia in the final to win the nation's first Olympic gold medal. The victory touched off celebrations throughout the Czech Republic. ==Personal life==