Former Washington Capitals goaltender Vítek Vanecek suffered an indignity on Sunday, and I’m not talking about his 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalance.
In a true Natinals or BALTCHE moment, Vanecek’s last name was misspelled on the back of his Fanatics-branded San Jose Sharks jersey, featuring an A where another E should be: V-A-N-A-C-E-K.
Sharks beat writer Max Miller, an NHL.com contributor, pointed out the issue, which went viral.
Whoops 😬. Vitek Vanecek’s name is spelled wrong on his jersey tonight. #SJSharks Photo credit: INDTV USA pic.twitter.com/oYJfzdAf3F
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) October 21, 2024
After a quick cek, I mean, check online, the Sharks did not appear to comment on the mistake or try to play it off on social media.
The happy-go-lucky Vanecek, a 2014 second-round pick, spent seven seasons in the Capitals organization, before being jettisoned by then GM Brian MacLellan in 2022. Since then, Vanecek played two seasons with the New Jersey Devils until a trade took him to San Jose at the 2024 Trade Deadline last March.
Due to injury, Vanecek did not make his Sharks debut last season. He’s started three games for the young, winless 0-4-2 team this year, posting an 0-3 record along with a 3.14 goals against average and an .884 save percentage. However, MoneyPuck has Vanecek ranked 38th in goals saved above expected (-0.8), ahead of both Capitals goaltenders, Charlie Lindgren (-1.6, 49th) and Logan Thompson (-1.2, 45th).
If we want to be technical, no NHL jersey worn by Vanecek has ever been spelled 100 percent correctly. The Czech netminder’s last name is actually spelled Vaněček with carons over the e and c.
