Krzysztof Oliwa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Krzysztof Oliwa
Born	(1973-04-12) April 12, 1973 (age 52) Tychy, Poland
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight	245 lb (111 kg; 17 st 7 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shot	Left
Played for	GKS Katowice GKS Tychy New Jersey Devils Columbus Blue Jackets Pittsburgh Penguins New York Rangers Boston Bruins Calgary Flames Podhale Nowy Targ
National team	Poland
NHL Draft	65th overall, 1993 New Jersey Devils
Playing career	1993–2006

Krzysztof Artur Oliwa (born April 12, 1973) is a former professional ice hockey player from Poland. He played as a left winger for eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Krzysztof is the only player from Poland whose name is on the Stanley Cup. He won this famous trophy as a member of the New Jersey Devils team in 2000.

Playing Career

Krzysztof Oliwa was known as "the Polish Hammer" because he was a big (6 feet 5 inches tall), strong, and tough player. His main job on the ice was to be an enforcer. This means he protected his teammates and stood up for them during games.

Early Life and Junior Hockey

Krzysztof was born in Tychy, Poland. He started playing hockey in the youth system of GKS Tychy. He played one season in the Polish Junior League with Katowice. He also joined the Polish Under-18 team for a European championship.

When he was a teenager in Poland, Krzysztof worked full-time in a coal mine. After his shift, he would go to hockey practice every day. He dreamed of playing in the NHL. To get ready for the North American style of play, he moved to Canada for the 1992-93 season. There, he played for the Welland Flames junior team.

Reaching the NHL and Stanley Cup Win

The New Jersey Devils picked Krzysztof 65th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Devils' minor league teams right away, playing there from 1993 to 1997.

Krzysztof made his NHL debut with the Devils on March 9, 1997. He became a full-time player for the team in the 1997-98 season. He played three full seasons for the Devils. The highlight was the 1999-2000 championship season, when the Devils won the Stanley Cup.

Just before the playoffs that year, Krzysztof had a serious knee injury. He decided to have surgery, even though the team wanted him to play. Because of the surgery, he couldn't play in the 2000 playoffs. However, he had played enough games during the regular season to have his name carved onto the Stanley Cup. This made him the first player born and trained in Poland to achieve this amazing honor!

Life After the Devils

Even though he was still recovering from his knee surgery, Krzysztof was traded in June 2000. He went to the new team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. He only played ten games there before he broke his arm.

After that, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins to finish the season. He played a second season for the Penguins before being traded again, this time to the New York Rangers. His time with the Rangers was short. He was briefly suspended for an incident during a game. After his suspension, he was sent to the Rangers' minor league team.

In January 2003, Krzysztof was traded to the Boston Bruins. He played 33 games for them. As a free agent (meaning he could sign with any team), he joined the Calgary Flames for the 2003-04 season.

He signed with the Devils again in 2004, but the NHL had a lockout that year, which meant no games were played. During the lockout, Krzysztof played a season in Poland. After the lockout, in the 2005–06 season, the Devils decided to let him go to make space for another player under the new salary cap rules. Krzysztof did not play in the NHL again and retired at the end of the 2005–06 season.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing, Krzysztof Oliwa became a coach. For one season, he was the head coach of the Polish National Hockey Program. Later, he owned, managed, and coached the USPHL Kalkaska Rhinos, a junior hockey team. He also coached and was the general manager for the Walnut Grove Wolverines in a Canadian junior league.

Awards and Honors