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Born	April 13, 1972 (1972-04-13) (age 37), Radomsko, Łódź, Poland
Height Weight	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Right
Pro clubs	Boston Bruins Edmonton Oilers New York Islanders Montreal Canadiens Toronto Maple Leafs
Ntl. team	Poland
NHL Draft	106th overall, 1991 Boston Bruins
Career	1990 – 2008

Mariusz Czerkawski (pronounced [ˈmarjuʂ t​͡ʂɛrˈkafski]; born April 13, 1972 in Radomsko, Łódź, Poland) is a retired Polish ice hockey player. He played for the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). In addition to playing in the NHL, Czerkawski played for several different European-based teams. A consistent scorer, Czerkawski was the first person born and trained in Poland to play in the NHL.

He is sometimes known by his nickname the "Polish Prince."

Playing career

After a good season with the GKS Tychy in 1990–91, the Boston Bruins drafted him in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft in the 5th round, 105th overall. Czerkawski joined that year the Djurgårdens IF of the Elitserien. If his first season numbers were unimpressive, reflecting his rookie status, he posted good results in his second season in Stockholm, with 34 points in 39 games.

Czerkawski made his NHL debuts in 1993–94 with the Bruins, playing in 4 games, a long enough stint to collect two goals and an assist and introduce himself as a promising youngster. The next season, he played 47 games with Boston, collecting 12 goals and 14 assists in the shortened season.

In 1996, Czerkawski was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. He played about a season and a half there before another trade sent him to the New York Islanders. He felt home there and his numbers consequently improved; he had two seasons of 30 goals or more. He however fell from the highest to the lowest when he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2002. After 43 games, he only had 5 goals; he eventually was demoted to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. His contract was bought out and he signed a one year deal with the Islanders in 2003. The coastal air of Long Island proved to be exactly what the Polish winger needed, as he had a good 25 goals and 24 assists season. In 2000 he played in the NHL All-Star Game and made one assist there.

Next season, he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. There again, he had a disappointing season, being benched for the most part of the first half of the season. A light resurrection occurred in December when he was paired with Mats Sundin, but overall, he only gathered 5 points in the 19 games he played in. The Bruins claimed him off waivers on March 8; however, he only played 16 games with Boston, scoring four goals and one assist.

Czerkawski joined the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the NLA in 2006. He played two seasons for the Swiss team, collecting respectively 41 and 53 points. He retired in 2008.

For his contribution to the development of Polish ice hockey, he received:
Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (5th Class) in 2004.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

All Star Games

• All statistics taken from NHL.com^[1]

Awards

International

Personal life

Czerkawski was married from 1996 to 1998 to Polish-Swedish actress Izabella Scorupco, best known from the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. They have a daughter Julia (b. September 16, 1997).

References

External links

• Mariusz Czerkawski at ESPN.com

• Mariusz Czerkawski's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database