Michal Handzuš facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michal Handzuš |
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Handzuš with the Los Angeles Kings in 2009
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| Born | 11 March 1977 Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia |
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| 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 |
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| National team |  Slovakia |
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| NHL Draft | 101st overall, 1995 St. Louis Blues |
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| Playing career | 1995–2017 | ||
Michal Handzuš (born March 11, 1977) is a former professional ice hockey player from Slovakia. He played as a centre, which is a forward position in the middle of the ice.
Handzuš started his career with his hometown club, HC ’05 Banská Bystrica, in Slovakia. Later, he joined the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1998. He played for several NHL teams, including the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and the Chicago Blackhawks. He achieved a major victory with the Blackhawks, winning the Stanley Cup in 2013.
Michal Handzuš also proudly represented Slovakia in many international ice hockey tournaments. These included the 2002, 2010, and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Contents
Hockey Journey: Playing Career
Early Days and NHL Draft
Michal Handzuš, often called "Zeus" by his teammates, showed his talent early. In 1991, he played in the famous Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a youth team from Poprad, Slovakia.
In 1995, he was chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL Entry Draft. This is where NHL teams pick young players to join their clubs. Handzuš was the 101st player picked that year. He played for the Blues for two and a half seasons, starting in 1998. He was part of a special line with Pavol Demitra and Ľuboš Bartečko, known as the "Slovak Pack" line. In the 1999 season, he was almost named the NHL's best defensive forward, finishing second for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.
Moving Teams and Big Moments
Handzuš moved to the Phoenix Coyotes in 2001 and played there for two seasons. In 2002, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. A cool moment happened on December 5, 2002, when he scored a rare penalty shot goal in overtime. He was only the second player in NHL history to do this! In the 2003 season, he was one of the top scorers for the Flyers.
During the 2004–05 NHL season, when there was a break in the NHL, Handzuš played for HKm Zvolen in Slovakia. His team made it to the playoff finals.
In 2006, Handzuš joined the Chicago Blackhawks. However, he got a serious knee injury (a torn ACL) early in the season, which kept him from playing for the rest of the year.
Time with the Kings and Sharks
After his injury, Handzuš signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007. He played many games for them, showing his skill as a reliable centre.
In 2011, he signed with the San Jose Sharks. During the 2012–13 NHL season, which was shorter than usual, Handzuš was traded back to the Chicago Blackhawks in April 2013.
Stanley Cup Champion
On June 24, 2013, Michal Handzuš and the Chicago Blackhawks won the ultimate prize in hockey: the Stanley Cup! They defeated the Boston Bruins in an exciting Game 6. This was a huge achievement in his career.
After winning the Cup, Handzuš signed another one-year contract to stay with the Blackhawks. On March 19, 2014, he played in his 1,000th career NHL game, which is a very impressive milestone for any hockey player.
In May 2014, during the playoffs, Handzuš scored a game-winning goal in double-overtime against the Los Angeles Kings. Even though the Blackhawks were later eliminated, it was a memorable moment. After that season, the Blackhawks decided not to re-sign him, and he became a free agent.
Life After Playing: Management Career
After retiring from playing hockey, Michal Handzuš joined the leadership of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. This organization manages hockey in Slovakia. However, in September 2022, he decided to leave his position. He resigned because the organization chose to let national team members play in the KHL, even though there was an ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Handzuš stated that it was a "fundamental value issue" for him, meaning it went against his strong beliefs.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993–94 | ŠK Iskra Banská Bystrica | SVK U20 | 40 | 23 | 36 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | ŠK Iskra Banská Bystrica | SVK-2 | 22 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Iskra Zlatý Bažant Banská Bystrica | SVK U20 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Iskra Zlatý Bažant Banská Bystrica | SVK | 19 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | HC ŠKP PS Poprad | SVK | 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 | 82 | 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 | SVK | 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 | SVK | 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 | ||
| 2014–15 | HC '05 Banská Bystrica | SVK | 22 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | HC '05 Banská Bystrica | SVK | 40 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 36 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2016–17 | HC '05 Banská Bystrica | SVK | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | ||
| SVK totals | 183 | 61 | 85 | 146 | 167 | 64 | 13 | 31 | 44 | 24 | ||||
| NHL totals | 1,009 | 185 | 298 | 483 | 498 | 116 | 16 | 30 | 46 | 52 | ||||
 Handzuš (left) is knocked down by Swedish centre Henrik Sedin during the 2010 Winter Olympics. |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Slovakia |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2002 Sweden | |
| Silver | 2000 Russia | |
| Silver | 2012 Finland/Sweden | |
International Play
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Slovakia | EJC B | 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 | |
| 2012 | Slovakia | WC | 8 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Slovakia | OG | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 17 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | |||
| Senior totals | 51 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 22 | |||
Awards and Achievements
Here are some of the awards and achievements Michal Handzuš earned during his career:
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| AHL Player of the Week | 5 April 1998 |
| Slovak Extraliga All-Stars Team | 2004–05 |
| IIHF World Championship Medal | Gold: 2002, Silver: 2000, 2012 |
| Stanley Cup champion | 2013 |
See also
In Spanish: Michal Handzuš para niños
- Slovaks in the NHL
