| Italic Title: | no |
| Artist: | Jon Krawczyk |
| Year: | 2008 Official opening September 29, 2009 |
| Type: | Stainless steel |
| Dimensions: | (height) |
| City: | Prudential Center Newark, New Jersey |
The Hockey Player statue is a sculpture located at Championship Plaza, adjacent to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, home of the New Jersey Devils hockey team,[1] installed in 2009. Entitled Stanley by the artist[2] it has been colloquially known as Iceman, Man of Steel, and the Iron Man.[3]
The stainless steel work of an anonymous hockey player taking a slapshot is 22feet tall and weighs 7000lb. It was created by Jon Krawczyk, a native of Boonton Township, New Jersey, and a lifelong Devils fan.[4] It was fabricated in his Malibu, California, studio and shipped cross country in three sections. A Prudential Center Opening Night hat and puck and a Scott Stevens jersey are encapsulated inside.[5]
Of the work, Krawczyk said that it was made in a way to appear like blocks of ice molded together. “Especially with the stainless steel-look with the grind marks, it gives it the look that ice has when it breaks, and you get an almost diamond quality. I wanted to do something where you had that movement, and with lights nearby, the statue changes as you move around it. I wanted to have as much motion in it as possible, with it still being a solid sculpture.”[5]
Krawczyk is also the creator of another statue at Prudential Center, The Salute, an homage to Martin Brodeur dedicated in 2016.[6] [7] [8]