Ľuboš Bartečko

Ľuboš Bartečko (born July 14, 1976) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey forward. He began and concluded his career with hometown club, HK ŠKP Poprad in the Slovak Extraliga. He most notably played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers. He also competed at three Winter Olympics.

Playing career
Before Bartečko started his career in the NHL he played for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and Drummondville Voltigeurs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and for the Worcester Ice Cats of the American Hockey League (AHL). He started his NHL career in 1998–99 with the St. Louis Blues.

His best year was the 1999–2000 season when he scored 16 goals and 39 points in 67 games and often played on a line with his fellow countrymen Pavol Demitra and Michal Handzuš. In 2001, he moved to Atlanta, playing for the Atlanta Thrashers. Since the 2003–04 season he returned to Europe, where he played for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga and for HC Dynamo Moscow of Russian Superleague (RSL), where he won the league title in 2004–05.

After completing his 21 professional season, with his original club HK ŠKP Poprad in 2015–16, Bartečko announced his retirement from professional hockey and return to North America, in accepting an assistant coaching role in Illinois, with McKendree University Bearcats who compete in the ACHA Division II on August 24, 2016.