Patrik Eliáš facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Patrik Eliáš |
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Eliáš with the New Jersey Devils in 2014
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| Born | 13 April 1976 Třebíč, Czechoslovakia |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left wing | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | Poldi SONP Kladno New Jersey Devils LTC Pardubice JME Znojemští Orli Metallurg Magnitogorsk |
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| National team |  Czech Republic |
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| NHL Draft | 51st overall, 1994 New Jersey Devils |
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| Playing career | 1992–2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | eliaspatrik.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Patrik Eliáš (born 13 April 1976) is a former professional hockey player from the Czech Republic. He played for 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils. Eliáš is a true legend for the Devils team. He holds the team records for the most points, goals, and assists. He also scored the most game-winning goals for the team, with 80!
Eliáš won the famous Stanley Cup trophy twice with the Devils, in 2000 and 2003. He is also the second-highest scoring Czech-born player in NHL history, right after Jaromír Jágr. Patrik Eliáš proudly represented the Czech national team in many big tournaments. This included four Winter Olympics and four World Championships. He won a bronze medal at the Olympics and two more bronze medals at the World Championships. He is now a member of the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
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Patrik Eliáš's Hockey Journey
Patrik Eliáš started his amazing journey in the NHL when the New Jersey Devils picked him. This happened in the second round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 51st player chosen overall.
Winning the Stanley Cup
Eliáš was a key player when the Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2000. He played alongside Petr Sýkora and Jason Arnott, forming a famous line called the "A-Line." In the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals, he scored two important goals. He also helped set up the goal that won the Stanley Cup for the Devils in double overtime against the Dallas Stars.
The very next year, Eliáš had an incredible season. He scored a team-record 96 points, which was the third-best in the entire NHL! Two years later, in 2003, he again played a big part in the Devils winning another Stanley Cup. He scored seven points in the final series against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, when NHL games were paused, Eliáš played hockey in Russia for a team called Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Returning to the Ice and Breaking Records
Patrik Eliáš missed some games at the start of the 2005–06 season due to illness. But when he returned in January 2006, he was amazing! He scored eight points in his first four games, helping the Devils win their first nine games with him back.
In the first game of the 2006 playoffs, Eliáš made history. He became one of only ten players to score six points in a single NHL playoff game. He had two goals and four assists against the New York Rangers. Even though the Devils were later eliminated, Eliáš had a fantastic playoff run, scoring 16 points in just 9 games.
After the 2006 season, Eliáš became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. He thought about joining the New York Rangers, a rival team. But in the end, he decided to stay with the Devils, signing a big seven-year contract.
Eliáš was named the Devils' new captain on 5 October 2006. This made him the seventh captain in the team's history and the first European-born captain. However, at the start of the 2007–08 season, the new coach decided to change captains. Jamie Langenbrunner became the new captain.
On 17 March 2009, Eliáš became the Devils' all-time leading scorer. He got his 702nd career NHL regular season point with an assist. This was a special night because it also helped his teammate, goalie Martin Brodeur, break the record for most wins by a goalie.
Eliáš also won the 2009 Golden Hockey Stick award, which is given to the best Czech hockey player in the world. He ended Jaromír Jágr's four-year winning streak for this award. On 12 December 2009, he scored his 300th career goal.
Even though the Devils had a tough start in the 2010–11 season, Eliáš was chosen to represent the team at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. This was his third time being picked for the All-Star Game. On 19 February 2011, Eliáš reached another milestone, getting his 800th NHL point.
In the 2011–12 season, Eliáš scored two goals on 17 December 2011. This tied and then passed John MacLean as the Devils' leading goal scorer. On 6 January 2012, Eliáš played his 1,000th career NHL game. In that game, he scored a goal and had two assists, helping his team win.
On 27 January 2013, Eliáš reached 900 career NHL points. Then, on 6 January 2015, he became the 82nd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points! Just one month later, on 6 February, he scored his 400th NHL goal. This made him the 91st player in NHL history to achieve that.
Patrik Eliáš announced his retirement from professional ice hockey on 31 March 2017.
On 3 August 2017, the Devils announced that his jersey number, 26, would be retired. This special ceremony happened on 24 February 2018. Eliáš became the first forward player to have his number retired by the Devils and only the fifth player overall.
Playing for His Country
Eliáš first played for the Czech national team in 1998. He played 40 games for his country, scoring 20 goals. He was chosen as the captain of the Czech team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Personal Life
Patrik Eliáš is married to Petra Volakova, who is also from the Czech Republic. They got married in 2007 and have two daughters together. On 11 January 2018, Eliáš became a citizen of the United States.
Amazing Records and Achievements
Patrik Eliáš holds many impressive records for the New Jersey Devils:
- Most career points (1025).
- Most career goals (408).
- Most career assists (617).
- Most playoff goals (45), assists (80), and points (125).
- Most points in a single playoff season (23).
- Most career game-winning goals (80).
- Most career overtime goals (16).
- Most career overtime points (37).
- Most career hat tricks (8).
- Most career shots on goal (3,201).
- Most career power play goals (110).
- Eliáš is the only NHL player to be given two penalty shots in overtime. Both times, he missed the shot!
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1992–93 | Poldi SONP Kladno | TCH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Poldi SONP Kladno | CZE | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1994–95 | Poldi SONP Kladno | CZE | 28 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1995–96 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 74 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 83 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 57 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 76 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1996–97 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 17 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 17 | 33 | 50 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1999–00 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 72 | 35 | 37 | 72 | 58 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 9 | ||
| 1999–00 | HC IPB Pojišťovna Pardubice | CZE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | CZE-2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 40 | 56 | 96 | 51 | 25 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 10 | ||
| 2001–02 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 28 | 29 | 57 | 22 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 26 | ||
| 2003–04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 38 | 43 | 81 | 44 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 | HC JME Znojemští Orli | CZE | 28 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | RSL | 17 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 38 | 16 | 29 | 45 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 21 | 48 | 69 | 38 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 38 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 77 | 31 | 47 | 78 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 58 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 21 | 41 | 62 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 26 | 52 | 78 | 16 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2012–13 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 48 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 65 | 18 | 35 | 53 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 69 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,240 | 408 | 617 | 1,025 | 549 | 162 | 45 | 80 | 125 | 89 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Czech Republic | EJC | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Czech Republic | WC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2002 | Czech Republic | OLY | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Czech Republic | WCH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | |
| 2006 | Czech Republic | OLY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Czech Republic | WC | 7 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2009 | Czech Republic | WC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Czech Republic | OLY | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Czech Republic | WC | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2014 | Czech Republic | OLY | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |||
| Senior totals | 40 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 28 | |||
Awards and Honours
- NHL
- Stanley Cup champion – 2000, 2003
- NHL All-Star Game – 2000, 2002, 2011, 2015
- NHL First All-Star team – 2001
- NHL Plus-Minus Award – 2001 (shared with Joe Sakic)
- NHL All-Rookie team – 1998
- No. 26 Jersey was retired by the New Jersey Devils on 24 February 2018
- International
- Winter Olympics bronze medal – 2006
- Ice Hockey World Championship bronze medal – 1998, 2011
- Golden Hockey Stick – 2009, 2012
- Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame – 2022
See also
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
- List of NHL players with 1,000 points
- List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise
