Glen David Metropolit (born June 25, 1974) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
former professional
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 ...
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
who most notably played over 400 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 ...
(NHL)
Playing career
Early years
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Metropolit was never drafted by an OHL or NHL team, yet managed a 10-year NHL career and 407 games played. After a GTHL career mostly in AA hockey, Metropolit played two seasons for the Richmond Hill Riots Jr.B. hockey club (OHA) before heading west to play for the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL.
After graduating Tier II Jr.A. hockey, Metropolit started out playing for the
Nashville Knights
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
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 ...
in the 1995–96 season. He also played for the
Pensacola Ice Pilots
The Pensacola Ice Pilots were a professional ice hockey team located in Pensacola, Florida. The team was previously affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders (2006–07), and the Chicago Blackhawks. They h ...
and
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey, hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National H ...
before making his NHL debut in 1999–2000 for the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
. For the next three seasons, he alternated between the Capitals and the
AHL's
Portland Pirates
The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks fr ...
, and also played two games for
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...
in 2001–02.
Overseas
In 2003 Metropolit crossed the Atlantic to play in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
with
Jokerit
Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...
for the 2003–04 season. In a brilliant first season, he scored the most points on the team, 50, with 15 goals and 35 assists, the fifth-highest total during the regular season. He scored six goals during seven playoff games that year, but Jokerit were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
In the 2004–05 season Metropolit and
Marko Jantunen were the team's best goal scorers during the regular season, both scoring 16 goals, and Metropolit scored the most points on the team with 31 assists, totalling 47 points; the eighth-highest total in the league. In the playoffs, he scored five goals and six assists, including a 3-on-5 shorthanded goal against
Ilves
Ilves (; Finnish for " Lynx") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Tampere. They play in the Liiga at the Tampere Deck Arena.
The colors of Ilves, green, yellow, and black, were taken from what was then the coat of arms of the city ...
's
Vesa Toskala
Vesa Tapani Toskala (born May 20, 1977) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender.
After initially playing for his hometown team Ilves of the SM-liiga, Toskala played the majority of his professional career in the National Hockey Le ...
in the quarterfinals. The team went on to win the silver medal.
Metropolit became a very popular player with the Jokerit fans, who had a number of chants dedicated to him. He is remembered as a gifted playmaker, with one of his favorite spots, on the outside of the left faceoff circle in the offensive zone, being called "Metro's office" by TV commentators and fans, in honour of
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
's "office" behind the goal. He and Marko Jantunen formed a memorable duo on the penalty kill, scoring several short-handed goals. His player number in Jokerit was #50.
After two years with Jokerit, Metropolit moved to
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
where he won the
Nationalliga A championship with
HC Lugano
Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships.
History
The founding of HC Lugano took ...
. He also led the league in scoring during the regular season, which is where his infamous nickname "The Underlying Theme" was born by announcer Darren Bavister.
Atlanta/St. Louis/Boston
In 2006, Metropolit returned to North America when he was signed by the Atlanta Thrashers. After limited playing time with Atlanta, Metropolit was dealt near the trade deadline to the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...
, along with a package of draft picks, in exchange for Blues centre/wing
Keith Tkachuk
Keith Matthew Tkachuk (; born March 28, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) in a 18-year career with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers, ...
.
Metropolit became a free agent at the end of the season before being invited by the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
to the team training camp. Just prior to the
2007–08 season on October 3, 2007, he signed a one-year contract with the Bruins. Having established a role within the checking lines and on the power play, he excelled with the Bruins, posting a career high 33 points in 82 games.
Philadelphia/Montreal
Metropolit signed a two-year contract with the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
as a free agent on July 1, 2008. He was placed on waivers and picked up near the trading deadline on February 27, 2009, by the Montreal Canadiens in need of a veteran centreman. He trained with the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
on the morning of February 27 before being claimed in the afternoon. Later that night, he played against his former team with the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
. He scored his first goal with Montreal on March 10 against
Dwayne Roloson
Albert Dwayne Roloson (born October 12, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former goaltending coach of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently the Goaltending Coach and Director of Pla ...
from 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 ...
.
In the
2009–10 season on March 30, 2010, it was announced that Metropolit would miss the final 6 games of the season with a torn shoulder muscle, after enjoying a career high 16 goals with Montreal. An extremely speedy recovery allowed him to be back on the ice on April 19, 2010, for the third game of the playoff series against the Washington Capitals.
After the NHL
On August 2, 2010, Metropolit left the NHL as a free agent and signed a two-year contract to return the Swiss
NLA with
EV Zug
EV Zug is a professional men's ice hockey team from Zug, Switzerland. It is a member of the National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena.
History
EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 season, and the second one in t ...
. Upon completion of his contract with Zug, Metropolit moved to return to sign a two-year contract with
HC Lugano
Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships.
History
The founding of HC Lugano took ...
. In the
2013–14 season, on February 5, 2014, Metropolit was traded to
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English language, English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. ...
in exchange for
Mikko Lehtonen. After four years in Switzerland, he moved to Germany, spending a two-year stint at
Adler Mannheim
The Adler Mannheim (English: ''Mannheim Eagles'', formerly Mannheimer ERC) is a professional ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest-level ice hockey league in Germany. The team is based in Mannheim, a city in the northern pa ...
, capturing the German national championship in 2015.
On October 20, 2016, he signed with Italian club
HC Bolzano, a member of the Austrian top-flight
EBEL
Ebel is a Swiss luxury watch company that was founded in 1911 at La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
History
Ebel was established in 1911 by Eugène Blum and his wife, Alice (née Lévy). The brand name originates from th ...
. He parted ways with the club on February 6, 2017 due to family reasons.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metropolit, Glen
1974 births
Living people
Adler Mannheim players
Anaheim Bullfrogs players
Atlanta Knights players
Atlanta Thrashers players
Bolzano HC players
Boston Bruins players
Canadian ice hockey centres
EV Zug players
Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL) players
HC Lugano players
Sportspeople from Toronto
Jokerit players
Long Island Jawz players
Montreal Canadiens players
Nashville Knights players
New Jersey Rockin' Rollers players
Pensacola Ice Pilots players
Philadelphia Flyers players
Portland Pirates players
Quebec Rafales players
SC Bern players
St. Louis Blues players
Tampa Bay Lightning players
Undrafted National Hockey League players
Vernon Lakers players
Washington Capitals players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland