Christopher J. Cichocki (born September 17, 1963) is an American retired

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

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. He played 68 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

and

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

between 1985 and 1988. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1985 to 1998, was mainly spent in the minor leagues. After his playing career Cichocki was a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

. Since 2009 has been a

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for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Professional career

Minor league hockey

While playing for the Grosse Pointe Bruins in midget AAA, Cichocki put up 50 goals and 70 assists in 70 games to lead the league with 120 points for the 1979–80 season. He then spent two years playing in the

Great Lakes Junior Hockey League The Great Lakes Junior Hockey League (GLJHL) was an American inline hockey league. Sanctioned by the AAU, the league is based in the Great Lakes region of the Midwestern United States. From 2008 until 2012, the league was a USA Hockey-sanction ...

before deciding to attend college at

Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...

. In 1983 he was chosen to represent team USA in World Junior Tournament in Leningrad Russia. In both his sophomore & junior seasons he led the Huskies in scoring. The hockey world took notice of his skills and Cichocki was signed as a free agent by his hometown team, the

, on June 28, 1985.

Playing in the NHL

Cichocki began playing for his hometown Red Wings during the 1985–86 season. He played 59 games of the season and posted 21 points on the season. However the Red Wings were going through roster changes, trying to find a winning combination to play alongside

Steve Yzerman Stephen Gregory Yzerman (; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player currently serving as executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he spent all 22 seasons of his NHL playing c ...

and Gerard Gallant, and Cichocki didn't always fit into the equation. For the 1986–87 season, Cichocki only played two games for the Detroit club, but was a powerful force on Detroit's farm team, the Adirondack Red Wings. In 55 games he contributed 65 points and helped Adirondack march into the playoffs. However, in Detroit's effort to find veteran leadership, Cichocki was traded before the end of the season on March 9, 1987, to the

. Mel Bridgman made the trip to Detroit for Cichocki and Detroit's 3rd round draft pick. Cichocki finished out the 1986–87 season with the

Maine Mariners Maine Mariners may refer to: * Maine Mariners (AHL), an ice hockey team in Portland, Maine, which operated from 1977 to 1992 * Maine Mariners (ECHL) The Maine Mariners are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2018 ...

, scoring four points in seven games. The following seasons saw Cichocki start fresh, playing for New Jersey's farm team the Utica Devils. He scored 66 points in 1987–88 and 63 points in 1988–89. During that span he played in seven games for the New Jersey Devils, scoring one goal, one assist and four penalty minutes. In 1989, Cichocki chipped in an assist during Utica's short playoff run. After beginning the 1989–90 season with Utica, Cichocki was traded to the Hartford Whalers for Jim Thomson on October 31, 1989. Cichocki was quickly placed on Hartford's farm team the

Binghamton Whalers The Binghamton Whalers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, playing in Binghamton, New York, USA, at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The Whalers were generally a successful team, making the playoffs seven time ...

and again started to put up big numbers. In four seasons with the Binghamton Whalers (renamed the

Binghamton Rangers The Binghamton Rangers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The market was previously served by: : Broome Dusters of the NAHL (1973� ...

in 1990), Cichocki chalked up 221 points, including three 50-point seasons and 18 points within three playoff runs, all of which ended in the semi-finals to division rival the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

. After the 1992–93 season, Cichocki's contract was over and he decided to continue his career with the

Cincinnati Cyclones The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heritage Bank Cen ...

of the International Hockey League. Cichocki acquired 120 points in four seasons of play for the Cyclones, with his largest total of 52 coming in the 1994–95 season. Still the Cyclones could not find post-season success, never being able to reach the finals in four years of postseason play. After playing just six games for the Cyclones in 1997–98, Cichocki officially retired on October 23, 1997.

Cichocki the coach

The Cyclones needed an

assistant coach A sports coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''coach'' is that of a Coach (carriage), horse-drawn carriage, deriving ultima ...

and Cichocki was retiring at just the right time. Cichocki took over the position and would remain assistant coach until the IHL folded at the end of the 1999–2000 season. He helped lead the Cyclones to winning records each year and into the playoffs. After Cincinnati, Cichocki was offered the head coaching job and the position of Director of Hockey Operations for the Arkansas RiverBlades of the ECHL. He accepted and led the RiverBlades to a 34-24-14 record and their first shot at the playoffs, eventually losing in the second round to the

South Carolina Stingrays The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Co ...

. After two more winning seasons, including 2002–03 in which Arkansas saw Cichocki setting team records in both wins and points, Cichocki was invited to return to Cincinnati to Head Coach the new Cyclones for the 2003–04 season and received a warm welcome as the fans reacted to having him back. However the excitement was short-lived as the Cyclones finished dead-last in the Northern division with a 25-43-4 record, and with the lowest point total in the franchise's history. The Cyclones suspended operations the following season and Cichocki decided to take the year off from coaching after his dismal season. But he decided to return to coaching when he took over the Head Coach position for the newly formed Stockton Thunder in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

. The Thunder finished with an 18-40-14 record, good enough for last in the Pacific division. Cichocki was given another chance and in the 2006–07 season, turned the club around with a 36-point increase, finishing with a record of 38-22-10 and reaching the

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

Playoffs for the first time in the club's history. The Thunder lost in the Semi-finals to the

Idaho Steelheads The Idaho Steelheads are an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Boise, Idaho, and a member of the ECHL. The Steelheads play in the Mountain Division of the ECHL's Western Conference since the 2016–17 season. In 1996, th ...

after an intense six-game series. That season also saw Cichocki selected as one of four coaches to coach in the 2007 Rbk Hockey ECHL All-Star Game. On April 5, 2007, Cichocki was granted a three-year contract extension to coach the Thunder through 2010. However, he was fired on December 29, 2008. Currently he is a Pro Scout with the

Personal life

Cichocki has a wife Val and two children, Quinn and Carly.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cichocki, Chris 1963 births Living people Adirondack Red Wings players American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey right wingers Binghamton Rangers players Binghamton Whalers players Cincinnati Cyclones (IHL) players Detroit Red Wings players ECHL coaches Edmonton Oilers scouts Ice hockey coaches from Michigan Ice hockey people from Michigan Ice hockey people from Detroit Maine Mariners (AHL) players Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey players New Jersey Devils players Undrafted National Hockey League players Utica Devils players Sportspeople from Detroit