Todd Sloan Elik (born April 15, 1966) is a Canadian 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 played eight seasons 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) between 1989 and 1997. After leaving the NHL he spent several years in Europe, retiring in 2008.
Biography
Elik grew up in
Bolton, Ontario
Bolton (2021 population 26,795) is an unincorporated village that is the most populous community in the town of Caledon, Ontario. It is located beside the Humber River in the Region of Peel, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Toronto. In r ...
and played Midget hockey with the St. Michael's Midgets. He was granted a walk-on try out with the OHL's Kingston Canadians in 1983 and made the club.
Elik played three seasons in the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...
with the
Kingston Canadians
The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
History
The Kingston Canadians arrival in the Ontario ...
and
North Bay Centennials
The North Bay Centennials were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, who played from 1982–2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario.
History
The North Bay Centennials or "Cents" as they were popularly known, were named afte ...
before turning professional. He made his pro debut with the
International Hockey League's
Colorado Rangers
The Colorado Rangers Law Enforcement Shared Reserve (known publicly as the Colorado Rangers) is a governmental police agency in the U.S. state of Colorado. Colorado Rangers are sworn, Colorado P.O.S.T. Certified police officers who serve as forc ...
, and he scored 100 points (44 goals and 56 assists) in his first season.
Elik made his NHL debut with the Kings in the
1989–90 season. In a season and a half with the Kings, Elik scored 31 goals and added 60 assists. The
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
acquired Elik before the
1991–92 season, giving up
Randy Gilhen
Randy Gilhen (born June 13, 1963) is a German-born Canadian former ice hockey forward. Gilhen played 457 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). As a member of the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins, Gilhen was the first German-born player to win the ...
,
Jim Thomson, and a fourth-round draft pick (which became
Alexei Zhitnik
Oleksiy Mykolaiovych "Alexei" Zhitnik ( uk, Олексій Миколайович Житник, russian: Алексей Николаевич Житник; born October 10, 1972) is a Ukrainian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Zhitnik has ...
) for him.
After a season and a half with Minnesota, Elik joined 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 ...
. After playing in 18 games with the Oilers, Elik was placed on waivers and claimed by the
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
. In the
1993–94 season, he scored 25 goals and added 41 assists for the Sharks.
After a brief stint with 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 ...
and two seasons with 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 ...
organization, Elik left North America to play professionally in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. He played for seven seasons in
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 ...
's
Nationalliga A and, in the 2005–06, 2006–2007 seasons, he went to
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
to play for Innsbruck EV. On December 13, 2007, Elik signed to play for HDD Olimpija Ljubljana, a Slovenian team playing in the
Erste Bank Hockey League
The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League), known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria, it currently f ...
. He is signed to play for Tilia Olimpija also in 2008–09. He joined on 30 January 2009 from Slovenian capital city Ljubljana club
HDD Olimpija Ljubljana
Hokejsko drsalno društvo Olimpija Ljubljana, commonly referred to as HDD Olimpija or simply Olimpija, was a Slovenian professional ice hockey club from Ljubljana. They played their home games at the Tivoli Hall. Olimpija has won 13 Yugoslav ch ...
of the
Erste Bank Hockey League
The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League), known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria, it currently f ...
to
SCL Tigers
SC Langnau Tigers are a professional ice hockey team from Langnau im Emmental, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL). The team plays its home games in the 6,000-seat Ilfis Stadium, which is currently one of the smallest arenas in the N ...
.
Elik appeared in 448 NHL games in his career, scoring 111 goals and adding 218 assists. He also appeared in 52
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
playoff games, scoring 15 goals and recording 27 assists.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elik, Todd
1966 births
Living people
ATSE Graz players
Boston Bruins players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Slovenia
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Switzerland
Canadian ice hockey centres
Colorado Rangers players
Denver Rangers players
Edmonton Oilers players
HC Davos players
HC Lugano players
HDD Olimpija Ljubljana players
HC Thurgau players
HC TWK Innsbruck players
HK Acroni Jesenice players
EV Zug players
Kingston Canadians players
Los Angeles Kings players
Minnesota North Stars players
New Haven Nighthawks players
North Bay Centennials players
Sportspeople from Brampton
Providence Bruins players
San Jose Sharks players
SC Langenthal players
SCL Tigers players
St. Louis Blues players
Undrafted National Hockey League players