Darius Kasparaitis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Darius Kasparaitis |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Kasparaitis with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2006
|
|||
| Born | October 16, 1972 Elektrėnai, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Dynamo Moscow New York Islanders Pittsburgh Penguins Colorado Avalanche New York Rangers Ak Bars Kazan SKA Saint Petersburg Hockey Punks Vilnius |
||
| National team |  Unified Team Russia and Lithuania |
||
| NHL Draft | 5th overall, 1992 New York Islanders |
||
| Playing career | 1988–2009 2013–2018 |
||
Darius Kasparaitis (born October 16, 1972) is a Lithuanian–American former professional ice hockey player. He was a defence player known for his tough and physical style. He played most of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL) for teams like the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche, and New York Rangers. Darius is a four-time Olympian and won three medals: one gold, one silver, and one bronze. He is a respected figure in hockey, inducted into the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.
Contents
Hockey Journey
Early Years and Soviet Hockey
Darius Kasparaitis was born in Elektrėnai, Lithuania. When he was 14, he moved to Russia to play ice hockey at a higher level. He joined Dynamo Moscow, a top team in the Soviet Union, at age 16. He helped them win the Soviet League championship in 1992.
Joining the NHL
In 1992, the New York Islanders picked Darius as the fifth overall player in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He quickly became known in the NHL for his very physical playing style. He often led his teams in the number of hits he made on opponents.
In 1996, Darius was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. While playing for the Penguins, he made a strong hit on Eric Lindros in 1998. Lindros was a star player who had to miss many games because of the hit. Later, Darius was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 2002. He then joined the New York Rangers in July 2002.
Life with the Rangers
During the 2005–06 season, Darius was an alternate captain for the Rangers. He was known for starting a special tradition after every home win. He would gather the team at center ice, and they would all raise their sticks to salute the fans. The Rangers still do this tradition today.
Darius played for Russia in the 2006 Winter Olympics. He later left the Rangers and played for SKA Saint Petersburg in Russia. He officially retired from professional hockey in 2010 due to an injury.
Playing for Lithuania
After retiring from the NHL, Darius wanted to play for his home country, Lithuania. He finally got the chance in 2018. He played for the Lithuanian national team in the World Ice Hockey Championships Division 1B.
International Achievements
Junior and Early Senior Play
Darius first played internationally at the 1990 European Junior Championships. He helped his team win a gold medal. The next year, he won a silver medal at the 1991 World Junior Championships. In 1992, he won another gold medal at the World Junior Championships.
Olympic Success
Darius won a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics as part of the Unified Team. After that, he played for the Russian national team.
He competed in the 1998 Winter Olympics, where Russia won a silver medal. Four years later, at the 2002 Winter Olympics, Darius scored a goal in the bronze medal game against Belarus. This helped Russia win the bronze medal. He also played in the 2006 Winter Olympics, which was his last Olympic appearance.
Playing Style and Impact
Darius Kasparaitis was known as a "stay-at-home" defenceman. This means his main job was to defend his team's goal and stop opponents from scoring. He was also famous for his hard hits and for being a "pesky" player. He would often annoy opposing star players to throw them off their game.
For example, in 1993, he often got "in the face" of Mario Lemieux, a famous player. Later, when Darius hit Eric Lindros in 1998, it was a very hard hit. Even though they had tough moments on the ice, Darius and Lindros later became teammates and friends when Darius joined the New York Rangers.
Darius was always in control of his emotions on the ice. He made sure his tough playing style helped his team and did not become a problem.
Life After Hockey
After retiring from playing, Darius became an assistant coach for SKA Saint Petersburg in Russia in 2010.
In 2015, Darius co-founded a real estate company in Florida called Verzasca Group. He is the president of this company. The company focuses on building homes and other properties.
Personal Life
Darius Kasparaitis is a citizen of both Lithuania and the United States. He has six children. He has a daughter from his first marriage. His current wife, Lisa, is a designer from Sweden. They have twin daughters and three sons together. From 2009 to 2011, Darius lived in Sweden.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1988–89 | Dynamo Moscow | USSR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Dynamo Moscow | USSR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Dynamo Moscow | USSR | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Dynamo–2 Moscow | USSR-3 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Dynamo Moscow | CIS | 24 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1991–92 | Dynamo–2 Moscow | CIS-3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Dynamo Moscow | IHL | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Islanders | NHL | 79 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 166 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 31 | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Islanders | NHL | 76 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 142 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1994–95 | New York Islanders | NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | New York Islanders | NHL | 46 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | New York Islanders | NHL | 18 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 57 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 84 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 81 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 127 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1998–99 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 48 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 73 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 146 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 2000–01 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 77 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 111 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 26 | ||
| 2001–02 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 69 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 123 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 18 | ||
| 2002–03 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 28 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 118 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | New York Rangers | NHL | 67 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 97 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | New York Rangers | NHL | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | SKA Saint Petersburg | RSL | 33 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 83 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 49 | ||
| 2008–09 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Hockey Punks Vilnius | LTU | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Hockey Punks Vilnius | LTU | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Hockey Punks Vilnius | LTU | 3 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Hockey Punks Vilnius | LTU | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Energija Elektrėnai | LTU | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| RSL/KHL totals | 146 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 267 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 55 | ||||
| NHL totals | 863 | 27 | 136 | 163 | 1379 | 83 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 107 | ||||
International Play Statistics
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Unified Team & Russia |
||
| Winter Olympics | ||
| Gold | 1992 Albertville | Ice hockey |
| Silver | 1998 Nagano | Ice hockey |
| Bronze | 2002 Salt Lake City | Ice hockey |
| Representing Lithuania |
||
| World Championship Division I | ||
| Gold | 2018 Lithuania | Ice hockey |
Representing  Soviet Union &  CIS |
||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Gold | 1992 Germany | Ice hockey |
| Silver | 1991 Canada | Ice Hockey |
| European Junior Championships | ||
| Silver | 1990 Sweden | Ice Hockey |
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Soviet Union | EJC | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 12 | |
| 1991 | Soviet Union | WJC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 | |
| 1992 | CIS | WJC | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |
| 1992 | Unified Team | OLY | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1992 | Russia | WC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1996 | Russia | WC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1996 | Russia | WCH | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | |
| 1998 | Russia | OLY | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Russia | OLY | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2004 | Russia | WCH | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 2006 | Russia | OLY | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2018 | Lithuania | WC D1B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 19 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 36 | |||
| Senior totals | 51 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 50 | |||
Awards and Honors
- 1990: European Junior Championship All-Star Team
- 1992: World Junior Championships Best Defenceman
- 1992: Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR (a high sports title)
- 2016: Russian Hockey Hall of Fame
