Krzysztof Oliwa

Krzysztof Oliwa
Born	(1973-04-12) April 12, 1973 Tychy, Poland
Occupation(s)	Professional ice hockey player (retired), coach
Known for	Sole Polish player with name on Stanley Cup

Krzysztof Artur Oliwa (born April 12, 1973) is a retired Polish professional ice hockey left winger who competed for eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He holds the distinction of being the sole Polish player to have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup, achieved with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.

Playing career

Known by the moniker "the Polish Hammer", Oliwa stood 6'5" tall and served as a physical enforcer, primarily tasked with protecting elite players such as Mario Lemieux. Originating from Tychy, Poland, he advanced through the GKS Tychy youth ranks and spent one season competing in the Polish Junior League with Katowice. Prior to relocating to Canada for the 1992-93 season to acclimate to North American hockey styles, he also represented Poland’s national junior squads.

Selected 65th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Oliwa spent multiple years developing within their minor league affiliates before making his NHL debut in 1997. He secured a permanent roster spot with the Devils during the 1997-98 campaign and contributed over three seasons, including New Jersey’s championship-winning 1999-2000 season. Despite being sidelined by a knee injury during that year's playoffs, Oliwa participated in enough regular-season contests to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, marking him as the first player trained in Poland to receive this honor.

In June 2000, while still recuperating from injury, Oliwa was traded to the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets but managed only ten appearances before suffering a broken arm. Subsequently, he was traded mid-season to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he completed that season and played an additional one before being dealt to the New York Rangers. His stint with the Rangers was short-lived; following a suspension and multiple healthy scratches, he was placed on waivers and reassigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

Oliwa was traded to the Boston Bruins in January 2003, appearing in 33 games for them. For the 2003-04 season, he signed a one-year deal with the Calgary Flames. After the NHL lockout, he returned to New Jersey but was waived due to salary cap limitations during the 2005–06 season. The Devils chose not to recall him, effectively ending his NHL tenure. Oliwa retired at that season’s conclusion.

Coaching career

Following his retirement from playing, Oliwa took on the role of head coach for Poland’s National Hockey Program for one season. He later became owner, manager, and coach of the Kalkaska Rhinos junior team in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). Additionally, he served as both coach and general manager of the Walnut Grove Wolverines competing in Canada’s Independent Junior League.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1990–91	GKS Katowice	POL		5	4	4	8	10		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	GKS Tychy	POL		10	3	7	10	6		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Welland Flames	GHJHL		30	13	21	34	127		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Albany River Rats	AHL		33	2	4	6	151		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Raleigh IceCaps	ECHL		15	0	2	2	65		9	0	0	0	35
1994–95	Saint John Flames	AHL		14	1	4	5	79		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Detroit Vipers	IHL		4	0	1	1	24		—	—	—

NHL totals			GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
NHL totals ! 410 ! 17 ! 28 ! 45 ! 1447 ! 32 ! 2 ! 0 ! 2 ! 47 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"			AHL totals ! 197 ! 22 ! 36 ! 58 ! 876 ! 24 ! 7 ! 1 ! 8 ! 84 |} International Year Team Tournament GP G A Pts PIM 1991 Poland EJC 5 0 2 2 6 1992 Poland WJC B 6 1 1 2 14 2002 Poland WC 6 1 2 3 22 2005 Poland OGQ 6 1 1 2 34 Junior career totals 11 1 2 3 20 Senior career totals 12 2 3 5 56 Awards and honors Award Year NHL Stanley Cup winner (New Jersey Devils) 2000 Transactions June 12, 2000 – Traded from New Jersey to Columbus, along with future considerations (including Deron Quint), in exchange for Columbus' third-round selection (Brandon Nolan) in the 2001 Entry Draft and future considerations (Turner Stevenson). January 14, 2001 – Traded by Columbus to Pittsburgh for San Jose's third-round draft pick (Aaron Johnson) in the 2001 Entry Draft. June 23, 2002 – Pittsburgh traded him to the New York Rangers in return for the Rangers' ninth-round pick (later dealt to Tampa Bay, used to select Albert Vishnyakov) in the 2003 Entry Draft. January 6, 2003 – Exchanged from New York Rangers to Boston Bruins for Boston's ninth-round draft choice (later traded to San Jose, selecting Brian Mahoney-Wilson) in the 2004 Entry Draft. July 30, 2003 – Signed as a free agent by the Calgary Flames. July 15, 2004 – Joined New Jersey Devils as a free agent. October 1, 2004 – Signed as a free agent with Nowy Targ (Poland). External links VIDEO Fights Oliwa