Michal Handzuš facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michal Handzuš
Handzuš with the Los Angeles Kings in 2009
Born	(1977-03-11) 11 March 1977 (age 48) Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	HC ’05 Banská Bystrica HK Poprad St. Louis Blues Phoenix Coyotes Philadelphia Flyers HKm Zvolen Chicago Blackhawks< Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks
National team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	101st overall, 1995 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	1995–2017

Michal Handzuš (born 11 March 1977) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey player. He played as a centre, which is a forward who plays in the middle of the ice. Handzuš started his career with his hometown club, HC ’05 Banská Bystrica, in Slovakia.

He later joined the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1998. In the NHL, he played for several teams, including the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and the Chicago Blackhawks. He won the famous Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

Michal Handzuš also proudly represented Slovakia in many international ice hockey tournaments. This included the 2002, 2010, and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Playing Ice Hockey

Michal Handzuš, often called "Zeus," started playing hockey at a young age. In 1991, he played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a youth team from Poprad, Slovakia. This is a big tournament for young hockey players.

He was chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. This means the Blues picked him to join their team. He played for them for two and a half seasons, from 1998 to 2000. While with the Blues, he was part of a famous line of players called the "Slovak Pack." This line included Pavol Demitra, Ľuboš Bartečko, and Handzuš.

After the 1999 season, Handzuš was recognized as one of the best defensive players in the NHL. He finished second in the voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is given to the league's top defensive-forward.

On March 13, 2001, Handzuš was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. A trade in hockey means players are exchanged between teams. He played two seasons with the Coyotes.

In 2002, Handzuš was traded again, this time to the Philadelphia Flyers. On December 5, 2002, he made history by scoring a penalty shot goal in overtime. This was only the second time this had happened in NHL history! A penalty shot is a special play where one player gets to try and score against the goalie without anyone else on the ice.

During the 2003 season, he was one of the top scorers for the Flyers. He then signed a new contract to stay with Philadelphia. When the NHL had a lockout in 2004–05 (meaning no games were played), he went back to Slovakia to play for HKm Zvolen.

In 2006, Handzuš was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. However, he got a serious knee injury early in the season. This injury kept him from playing for the rest of that year.

After recovering, Handzuš signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007.

Handzuš with the Chicago Blackhawks in October 2013

On July 1, 2011, he signed a two-year contract with the San Jose Sharks. During another NHL lockout in 2012–13, Handzuš was traded back to the Chicago Blackhawks in April 2013.

Just a few months later, on June 24, 2013, Handzuš and the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup! This is one of the biggest achievements in ice hockey. They beat the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. After this big win, he signed another contract to stay with the Blackhawks. On March 19, 2014, he played in his 1,000th career NHL game, which is a huge milestone for any player.

In May 2014, during the playoffs, Handzuš scored a game-winning goal in double-overtime against the Los Angeles Kings. This was a very important goal, even though his team was later eliminated from the playoffs. After that season, the Blackhawks decided not to re-sign him, and he became a free agent.

Life After Playing Hockey

After he stopped playing professional hockey, Michal Handzuš joined the leadership of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. This organization manages ice hockey in Slovakia. However, he resigned in September 2022. He left because he disagreed with the organization's decision to let national team members play in a league called the KHL. He felt it was a "fundamental value issue" for him, meaning it went against his strong beliefs.

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

Awards and Achievements

Here are some of the awards and achievements Michal Handzuš earned:

See also

In Spanish: Michal Handzuš para niños

• Slovaks in the NHL