Michal Handzuš

Michal Handzuš
225px Handzuš during his tenure with the Los Angeles Kings
Born	(1977-03-11) March 11, 1977 Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
Slovak Extraliga team Former teams	HC ’05 Banská Bystrica St. Louis Blues Phoenix Coyotes Philadelphia Flyers Chicago Blackhawks Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks
National team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	101st overall, 1995 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	1995–present

Michal Handzuš (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmɪxal ˈɦandzuʃ]; born March 11, 1977) is a Slovak professional ice hockey centre currently playing for HC ’05 Banská Bystrica of the Slovak Extraliga. Since joining the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1998, Handzuš has played for the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and, most recently, the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he won the Stanley Cup with in 2013.

Handzuš has represented Slovakia at several international ice hockey tournaments, including the 2002, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Playing career

Michal Handzuš, nicknamed "Zeus," was drafted 101st overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, playing with them for two-and-a-half seasons from 1998–99 to 2000–01. The Blues' line of Pavol Demitra, Ľuboš Bartečko and Handzuš were known as the "Slovak Pack" line. Handzuš finished second in voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's top defensive-forward, following the 1999–2000 season.

Handzuš was traded on March 13, 2001, along with Ladislav Nagy, Jeff Taffe and two first-round draft picks, to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Keith Tkachuk. Handzuš then spent two seasons with Phoenix.

On June 12, 2002, Handzuš was traded along with Robert Esche to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Brian Boucher and a third-round draft pick. On December 5, 2002, he became only the second player in NHL history to score a penalty shot goal in overtime. In the 2003–04 season, he finished second on the Flyers with 58 points and later signed a three-year contract extension with Philadelphia during the ensuing off-season. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he played for the HKm Zvolen, which reached the playoff finals in the Slovak Extraliga.

On August 4, 2006, Handzuš was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Kyle Calder. Only eight games into his season with Chicago, however, Handzuš suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which sidelined him for the remainder of the 2006–07 season.

On July 2, 2007, Handzuš signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings.

On July 1, 2011, Handzuš signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the San Jose Sharks. During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, on April 1, 2013, Handzuš was traded back to Chicago in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.

“It doesn’t matter where you play. You don’t complain, you play. You make your mark, for the team.”

Michal Handzuš about lines.

On June 24, 2013, Handzuš and the Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins 3–2 in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals to win the Stanley Cup. In the following off-season, on July 5, Handzuš re-signed to a one-year contract to remain with the team. On March 19, 2014, he played in his 1,000th career NHL game.

On May 28, 2014, with the Blackhawks facing elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Handzuš scored a game-winning goal in double-overtime against Los Angeles Kings, the eventually Stanley Cup champions. On June 16, after the Blackhawks had been eliminated from playoff contention, the team announced that they would not be re-signing Handzuš after the season. He subsequently became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1993–94	SK Iskra Banská Bystrica	Slovak-Jr.		40	23	36	59			—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	SK Iskra Banska Bystrica	Slovak-2		22	15	14	29	10		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	SK Iskra Banska Bystrica	Slovak-Jr.		6	6	7	13	4		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	SK Iskra Banska Bystrica	Slovak		19	3	1	4	8		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	HK ŠKP PS Poprad	Slovak		44	15	18	33	24		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Worcester IceCats	AHL		69	27	36	63	54		11	2	6	8	10
1998–99	St. Louis Blues	NHL		66	4	12	16	30		11	0	2	2	8
1999–00	St. Louis Blues	NHL		81	25	28	53	44		7	0	3	3	6
2000–01	St. Louis Blues	NHL		36	10	14	24	12		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		10	4	4	8	21		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		79	15	30	45	34		5	0	0	0	2
2002–03	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	23	21	44	46		13	2	6	8	6
2003–04	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	20	38	58	82		18	5	5	10	10
2004–05	HKm Zvolen	Slovak		33	14	24	38	34		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		73	11	33	44	38		6	0	2	2	2
2006–07	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		8	3	5	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	7	14	21	45		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	18	24	42	32		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		81	20	22	42	38		6	3	2	5	4
2010–11	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		82	12	18	30	20		6	1	1	2	0
2011–12	San Jose Sharks	NHL		67	7	17	24	18		2	0	0	0	0
2012–13	HC ’05 Banská Bystrica	Slovak		15	9	10	19	22		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	San Jose Sharks	NHL		28	1	1	2	12		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		11	1	5	6	4		23	3	8	11	6
2013–14	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		59	4	12	16	16		19	2	1	3	8
NHL totals				1009	185	298	483	498		116	16	30	46	52
Slovak totals				111	41	53	94	64		17	5	10	15	6

220px Handzuš (left) is knocked down by Swedish centre Henrik Sedin during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Medal record
Representing Slovakia
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2012 Finland
	2002 Sweden
	2000 Russia

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995	Slovakia	EJC		5	5	3	8	4
1996	Slovakia	WJC		6	0	3	3	2
1997	Slovakia	WJC		6	2	4	6	2
2000	Slovakia	WC		6	1	4	5	4
2002	Slovakia	OG		2	1	0	1	6
2002	Slovakia	WC		6	1	4	5	4
2005	Slovakia	WC		7	3	0	3	2
2009	Slovakia	WC		6	0	4	4	6
2010	Slovakia	OG		7	3	3	6	0
2011	Slovakia	WC		5	0	2	2	0
2014	Slovakia	OG		4	0	2	2	0
Junior totals				17	7	10	17	8
Senior totals				43	9	19	28	22

Awards and achievements

This is the list of achievements of Michal Handzuš:

Award	Year(s)
AHL Player of the Week	Apr 5, 1998
Slovak Extraliga All-Stars Team	2004–05
IIHF World Championship Medal	Gold: 2002, Silver: 2000, 2012
Stanley Cup champion	2013

See also

• Slovaks in the NHL

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Michal Handzuš at NHLPA

• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/sports/hockey/handzus-helps-shape-blackhawks-and-kings.html?_r=0