Krzysztof Oliwa Explained

Birth Date:April 12, 1973
Birth Place:Tychy, Poland
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lb:245
Position:Left Wing
Shoots: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
Ntl Team:POL
Draft:65th overall
Draft Year:1993
Draft Team:New Jersey Devils
Career Start:1993
Career End:2006

Krzysztof Artur Oliwa (pronounced ; born April 12, 1973) is a Polish former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, he played eight seasons in the National Hockey League. To date, he is the only player from Poland with his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup, as a member of the New Jersey Devils' 2000 championship team.

Playing career

Nicknamed "the Polish Hammer",[1] Oliwa was a big (6' 5"), intimidating, physical player who played the role of an enforcer. After Mario Lemieux returned from retirement, Oliwa was picked up to protect Lemieux.[1]

Born in Tychy, Poland,[2] Oliwa played in the GKS Tychy youth system. He played one season in the Polish Junior League with Katowice, joining the Polish Under-18 team for the European Under-18 championship. Oliwa then graduated to the senior Tychy team in the Polish League for the 1991-92 season. Oliwa was named to the Polish national junior team for the 1992 IIHF U-20 Division 1 tournament. During his teenage years in Poland, Oliwa worked full-time in a coal mine, followed by a daily hockey practice.[3] With a goal of making the NHL, Oliwa played the 1992-93 season in Canada for the Welland Flames junior team to adapt to the North American style of play.

Oliwa was drafted 65th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. He joined the Devils organization immediately, playing for their minor league teams from 1993 until 1997. Oliwa made his NHL debut as a callup on March 9, 1997, and made the Devils full-time in the 1997-98 season. He played three full seasons for the Devils, culminating in the Devils' 1999-2000 championship season. Just before the playoffs, Oliwa suffered a serious knee injury. Against the team's wishes, which wanted him to play in the playoffs, Oliwa had surgery and did not participate in the 2000 playoffs.[4] However, Oliwa played enough regular season games to qualify to have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup, making him the first player born and trained in Poland to have this honor.

Although still recovering from his knee surgery, in June 2000, Oliwa was traded to the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets. He only played ten games for the team before breaking his arm.[4] He was then traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins to finish the season. Oliwa played a second season for the Penguins before joining the New York Rangers as a free agent. His stay with the Rangers was brief. In his ninth game with the Rangers, Oliwa was suspended two games for his part in an on-ice brawl. After his suspension ended, he was a healthy scratch for six games, then placed on waivers.[5] He cleared waivers and was demoted to the Rangers' AHL Hartford Wolf Pack team. In January 2003, Oliwa was traded to the Boston Bruins for a ninth-round draft pick, and appeared in 33 games for the Bruins. As a free agent, he joined the Calgary Flames for 2003-04 on a one-year contract. He signed with the Devils as a free agent after the 2003–04 season, however the NHL lockout intervened and Oliwa played a season in Poland during the lockout. After the lockout, in the 2005–06 season, Oliwa was waived by the Devils to make room for Patrik Elias under the new salary cap. After clearing waivers, the Devils chose not to demote Oliwa to their minor league team in Albany and instead sent him home. Under the rules at the time, half of Oliwa's salary would have counted against the Devils' salary cap should he have been recalled and claimed by another team.[6] Oliwa did not play again in the NHL. He retired at the end of the 2005–06 season.

Coaching career

After retiring, Oliwa took up the position of head coach of the Polish National Hockey Program for a season. Later, Oliwa owned, managed and coached the USPHL Kalkaska Rhinos junior hockey team.[7] He also was the coach and general manager of the Walnut Grove Wolverines of the Canadian Independent Junior League.[8]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
1990–91POL544810
1991–92GKS TychyPOL1037106
1992–93Welland FlamesGHJHL30132134127
1993–94Albany River RatsAHL33246151
1993–94Raleigh IceCapsECHL1502265900035
1994–95Saint John FlamesAHL1414579
1994–95Detroit VipersIHL401124
1994–95Albany River RatsAHL2011277
1994–95Raleigh IceCapsECHL502232
1995–96Albany River RatsAHL5151116217
1995–96Raleigh IceCapsECHL910153
1996–97New Jersey DevilsNHL10005
1996–97Albany River RatsAHL601314273221571849
1997–98New Jersey DevilsNHL73235295600023
1998–99New Jersey DevilsNHL64571224010002
1999–00New Jersey DevilsNHL6961016184
2000–01Columbus Blue JacketsNHL1002234
2000–01Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL26123131500016
2001–02Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL57022150
2002–03New York RangersNHL900051
2002–03Hartford Wolf PackAHL1501130
2002–03Boston BruinsNHL33000110
2003–04Calgary FlamesNHL65325247202026
2004–05Podhale Nowy TargPOL200012
2005–06New Jersey DevilsNHL30000
NHL totals41017284514473220247

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1991PolandEJC5 0 2 2 6
1992PolandWJC B6 1 1 2 14
2002PolandWC612322
2005PolandOGQ6 1 1 2 34
Junior totals 1112320
Senior totals 1223556

Awards and honors

AwardYear
NHL
Stanley Cup champion (New Jersey Devils)2000

Transactions

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Top 5 Toughest Pittsburgh Penguins of the Black & Gold Era . Dan . Kingerski . pittsburghhockeynow.com . 15 April 2020 . May 2, 2023.
  2. Web site: nhl.com . Krzysztof Oliwa Stats and News . May 2, 2023.
  3. Web site: Enforcer Olympics – New Jersey Devils . Craig . Jones . hockeyfights.com . July 9, 2021 . May 2, 2023 . October 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221001184322/https://www.hockeyfights.com/enforcer-olympics-new-jersey-devils . dead .
  4. News: triblive.com . Oliwa eager to start anew . Joe . Starkey . January 26, 2001 . May 2, 2023.
  5. News: New York Post . Rangers Send Oliwa Packing . Larry . Brooks . December 5, 2002 . May 2, 2023.
  6. Book: Martin . Brodeur . Damien . Cox . Denis . Brodeur. 32–33 . Beyond the Crease . 2008.
  7. Web site: Raising The Stanley Cup, Now Raising Men In Kalkaska . Northern Express . October 9, 2015 . May 1, 2023.
  8. Web site: CIJHL: Walnut Grove Wolverines hire Krzysztof Oliwa as Head Coach and General Manager . Pete . Judge . May 6, 2014 . May 2, 2023.