Mariusz Czerkawski

Mariusz Krzysztof Czerkawski (pronounced [ˈmarjuʂ t͡ʂɛrˈkafski]; born April 13, 1972) is a retired Polish ice hockey player. He played for the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). In addition to playing in the NHL, Czerkawski played for several different European-based teams. A consistent scorer, Czerkawski was the first player born and trained in Poland to play in the NHL.

Playing career
After a good season with the GKS Tychy in 1990–91, the Boston Bruins drafted him in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft in the 5th round, 105th overall. Czerkawski joined that year the Djurgårdens IF of the Elitserien. His first season numbers were unimpressive, reflecting his rookie status. He posted good results in his second season in Stockholm, with 34 points in 39 games.

Czerkawski made his NHL debut in 1993-94 with the Bruins, playing in 4 games, a long enough stint to collect two goals and an assist and introduce himself as a promising youngster. The next season, he played 47 games with Boston, collecting 12 goals and 14 assists in the shortened season.

In 1996, Czerkawski was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. He played about a season and a half there before another trade sent him to the New York Islanders, Where he would play his best seasons, reaching 30+ goals twice, and hitting the 70 point mark once, Czerkawski also participated in the 2000 NHL All-Star Game, where he notched one assist. Despite his great years with the Islanders, Czerkawski was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2002 for Arron Asham and a 5th round pick. However, he struggled with the Canadiens, finding himself waived to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. His contract was bought out and he signed a one-year deal with the Islanders in 2003, Where he once again had a great season, netting 25 goals and putting up 49 points.

The next season, he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. There again, he had a disappointing season, being benched for the most part of the first half of the season. A light resurrection occurred in December when he was paired with Mats Sundin, but overall, he only gathered 5 points in the 19 games he played in. The Bruins claimed him off waivers on March 8; however, he only played 16 games with Boston, scoring four goals and one assist.

Czerkawski joined the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the NLA in 2006. He played two seasons for the Swiss team, collecting respectively 41 and 53 points. He retired in 2008.

After retiring from Hockey, he actively plays golf, where after 2 years he plays to a handicap 5.

For his contribution to the development of Polish ice hockey, he received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (5th Class) in 2004.

Personal life
Czerkawski was married from 1996 to 1998 to Polish-Swedish actress Izabella Scorupco, best known as Natalya Simonova from the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. They have a daughter Julia (b. September 16, 1997). Since September 1, 2007, he is married to Emilia Raszyńska (1st runner-up Miss Poland, 1999); they have a son named Iwo, born in 2009.