Mariusz Krzysztof Czerkawski (pronounced ; born 13 April 1972) is a
Polish 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 ...
player who played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL) for 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...
,
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 ...
and
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
. In addition to playing in the NHL, Czerkawski played for several different European-based teams. A consistent scorer, Czerkawski was the first player born and trained in Poland to play in the NHL. Internationally, Czerkawski represented
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
at several international tournaments, including the
1992 Winter Olympics
)
, nations = 64
, athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women)
, events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines)
, opening = 8 February 1992
, closing = 23 February 1992
, opened_by = President François Mitterrand
, cauldron ...
and the
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...
and
2002 World Championships.
Playing career
Czerkawski first played hockey when he was 8-years-old, and from a young age was part of the
GKS Tychy program. After a strong season with GKS Tychy in
1990–91, where he scored 40 points in 24 games, 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 ...
drafted him in the
1991 NHL Entry Draft
The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was g ...
in the fifth round, 105th overall, while Czerkawski joined
Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm.
Name
The club is nam ...
of the
Elitserien
Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan.
Elitserien leagues at present:
* Elitserien (badmin ...
for the
1991–92 season. He was the first foreign player to play for Djurgårdens since Canadian
Steve Cardwell in
1976–77. Czerkawski did not play often during his first season, and finished with 13 points in 39 games.
Loaned to
Hammarby of the second-tier
Division 1 for
1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, Czerkawski greatly improved, and was brought back to Djurgårdens for
1993–94, recording 34 points in 39 games.
After the season ended Czerkawski went to North America, making his
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL) debut at the end of the
1993–94 NHL season with the Bruins, playing his first game on April 9 against the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play ...
. He scored his first goal on April 13, his third game, against the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...
, and finished the season with two goals and one assist in four games. Though previous NHL players had been born in Poland, Czerkawski was the first Polish-trained NHLer. The next season, he played 47 games with the Bruins, collecting 12 goals and 14 assists in a
lockout-shortened season.
In 1996, Czerkawski was traded to 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 ...
. He played season and a half there before another trade sent him to the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...
, where he would have his most productive years, including two 30-goal plus seasons and being named to the
2000 NHL All-Star Game
The 2000 NHL All-Star Game was the 50th National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star Game in the National Hockey League. It took place on February 6, 2000, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 1st National Hockey ...
. However, after being traded to 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 ...
in 2002, he found himself sent to their
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Hamilton Bulldogs. His contract was then bought-out by Montreal, after which he signed a one-year contract with the Islanders in 2003, recording another 25-goal season.
The
2004–05 NHL lockout
The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play.
The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...
saw the NHL not play in 2004–05, so Czerkawski joined Djurgårdens for the season, where he had 24 points in 46 games. Returning to the NHL, he signed as a free agent with the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
. He played 19 games for the Maple Leafs, scoring 5 points, before being put on
waivers and being claimed by the Boston Bruins on 7 March 2006. He played 16 games with the Bruins, scoring four goals and one assist.
Czerkawski joined the
Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
The SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers are a professional ice hockey club from Rapperswil, Switzerland and are members of the National League.
History
The Lakers were founded in 1945 and were known as SC Rapperswil-Jona until 2005, when the club changed ...
of the Swiss
National League A
The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league ...
(NLA) in 2006. He played two seasons for the club, collecting respectively 41 and 53 points. He retired in 2008, though returned to play one final match for Tychy in January 2009.
International play
Czerkawski's first international tournament with the
Polish national under-18 team was at the
1989 European U18 Division BChampionship, where he recorded 11 points in 5 games and helped Poland earn promotion to the top level for 1990. Joining the team at the
1990 tournament, he had 12 points in 6 games. He also played for
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
at the
1990 World Junior Championship, scoring one goal in seven games.
Poland was relegated to Pool B (the second tier) for
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
, where Czerkawski had 12 goals and 3 assists, for 15 points, in 7 games. He also made his debut for the
Polish senior team that year, playing in Pool B at the
1991 World Championships and scoring 8 points in 7 games and helping Poland earn promotion to the top tier for the following year.
At the
1992 Winter Olympics
)
, nations = 64
, athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women)
, events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines)
, opening = 8 February 1992
, closing = 23 February 1992
, opened_by = President François Mitterrand
, cauldron ...
Czerkawski played five games, and had one assist. He played a further 6 games at the
1992 World Championships, but did not score any points. It would not be until 1998 that Czerkawski again played internationally, joining Poland at the renamed Group B of the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, where he had 3 points in 3 games. He would return again in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
and had 11 points in 7 games. Poland had earned promotion to the
2002 World Championship and Czerkawski scored 4 points in 3 games, though Poland was relegated back to the second tier (then known as Division I).
His final tournament would be at the
2006 World Championship Division I, where he had 7 points in 5 games.
Personal life
Czerkawski was married from 1996 to 1998 to
Polish-
Swedish actress
Izabella Scorupco, and they have a daughter.
Since 1 September 2007, he has been married to Emilia Raszyńska, with whom he has a son. After retiring from ice hockey, he took up golf.
For his contribution to the development of Polish ice hockey, Czerkawski received the Knight's Cross of the
Order of Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...
(5th Class) in 2004.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
All Star Games
*
''All statistics taken from NHL.com''
Awards
International
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Czerkawski, Mariusz
1972 births
Living people
Boston Bruins draft picks
Boston Bruins players
Djurgårdens IF Hockey players
Edmonton Oilers players
Espoo Blues players
GKS Tychy (ice hockey) players
Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players
Hammarby Hockey (1921–2008) players
Ice hockey players at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Montreal Canadiens players
National Hockey League All-Stars
New York Islanders players
Olympic ice hockey players of Poland
People from Radomsko
Polish expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Polish expatriate sportspeople in Finland
Polish expatriate sportspeople in Sweden
Polish expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Polish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Polish ice hockey right wingers
SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers players
Sportspeople from Łódź Voivodeship
Toronto Maple Leafs players