Patrik Eliáš
Patrik Eliáš | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 13, 1976 Třebíč, Czechoslovakia |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey winger (retired) |
| Years active | 1995–2017 |
| Known for | New Jersey Devils franchise records for points, goals, assists, and game-winning goals; two-time Stanley Cup champion |
Patrik Eliáš (; born April 13, 1976) is a retired Czech professional ice hockey winger who spent two decades competing in the National Hockey League (NHL) exclusively with the New Jersey Devils. He holds the franchise records for the highest totals in points, goals, and assists, as well as the most career game-winning goals, with 80. Eliáš contributed to the Devils' Stanley Cup victories in 2000 and 2003. Among Czech-born NHL players, he ranks second in overall points, trailing only Jaromír Jágr. On the international stage, Eliáš represented the Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team at four Winter Olympic Games and four World Championships, securing one Olympic bronze medal and two bronze medals at the World Championships. His achievements have earned him induction into the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Early life
Eliáš was born on April 13, 1976, in Třebíč, then part of Czechoslovakia. He is the son of Zdeňka Eliášová and Zdeněk Eliáš. Growing up, he played organized hockey alongside his older brothers, Zdenek and Radek; however, Radek’s playing career was cut short due to injury.
Initial season and progression (1994–1999)
Selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round as the 51st overall pick during the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, Eliáš was surprised by being chosen, believing that no scout from New Jersey had observed his play. Due to mandatory military service requirements in his home country, he needed to present his professional contract to avoid conscription.
After being released from training camp, he persuaded the Devils to assign him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Albany River Rats, instead of sending him to a major junior team. In the opening game of the 1995–96 AHL season, he recorded his first two goals and later matched a team record by tallying two goals and three assists in one contest. Eliáš made his NHL debut on December 7, 1995, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, having been transported via private jet arranged by team owner John McMullen. He concluded that AHL season with 27 goals and 36 assists, totaling 63 points.
During the 1996–97 season, Eliáš primarily played with Albany but was periodically called up to New Jersey. He netted his first NHL goal on December 12, 1996, against the Boston Bruins and scored his inaugural playoff goal while helping the Devils reach the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs.
At the outset of the 1997–98 season, Eliáš scored once in three games before being sidelined by a back spasm. After a brief reassignment to Albany for conditioning purposes, he impressed enough to remain with New Jersey upon recall. His performance earned him NHL Player of the Week honors on November 3 after accumulating five goals and one assist over three games. Despite a mid-season demotion to accommodate veteran defenseman Ken Daneyko, Eliáš led rookie scoring through January. He finished second among rookies with 18 goals and third with 37 points overall, becoming a finalist for the prestigious Calder Memorial Trophy awarded to the league’s top rookie.
Eliáš encountered offensive challenges early in his second NHL season, enduring a 16-game scoreless stretch and multiple benchings by coach Robbie Ftorek. His fortunes improved when paired with Petr Sýkora and Jason Arnott on what became known as the "A-Line," New Jersey’s premier offensive trio. Although his performance fluctuated at times, Eliáš concluded the regular season fifth on the team with totals of 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points, contributing significantly to securing a playoff spot. In the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, he assisted on both of Sýkora’s goals during Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, even though their line struggled afterward. Eliáš ended that postseason with five assists as New Jersey was eliminated from contention.
A-line prominence and Stanley Cup triumphs (1999–2003)
Eliáš sat out the opening three weeks of the 1999–00 season due to stalled contract talks, eventually agreeing to a three-year deal on 25 October. Although he signed, he voiced frustration over the negotiations, feeling at a disadvantage as a younger player. Once back on the ice, Eliáš notched seven game-winning goals and established a franchise record by scoring in 15 consecutive games during January. He completed the regular season as the Devils’ top scorer with 35 goals and 37 assists, playing a pivotal role in their qualification for the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Leading the Devils in postseason points, Eliáš tallied seven goals and 13 assists. Noteworthy moments included contributing three points in Game 4 against the Florida Panthers to clinch that series and assisting on an NHL record-setting fast goal versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Devils overcame a 3–1 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Final against Philadelphia, with Eliáš netting both goals in Game 7 to secure advancement to the Stanley Cup Finals. The "A-Line"—comprising Eliáš, Sýkora, and Arnott—accumulated 17 points across six Finals contests. In Game 6, Eliáš teamed with Arnott to score the double-overtime goal that sealed the Stanley Cup victory over Dallas. Afterward, Eliáš and his teammates brought the trophy to Sýkora’s hospital room while he was recovering from injury.
The start of the 2000–01 campaign was marked by the absence of Arnott and Sýkora due to contract disputes and injury, resulting in a six-game losing streak for New Jersey. Following their return, Eliáš achieved his first career hat-trick and led the "A-Line" with impressive output despite midseason challenges that led coach Larry Robinson to temporarily disband the trio. Demonstrating adaptability, Eliáš found chemistry playing alongside Nemchinov and Mogilny and earned NHL Player of the Week honors after recording four goals and seven assists over four games. Responding to criticism, he delivered an overtime hat-trick late in a win against Edmonton, extending New Jersey’s winning streak to ten games. He concluded the season third in NHL scoring with 96 points—a franchise milestone that stood until 2023.
During the 2001 playoffs, Eliáš contributed nine goals and 14 assists as New Jersey reached the Stanley Cup Finals for a second straight year but fell short against Colorado. While the "A-Line" was vital during early rounds, their effectiveness waned deeper into the postseason.
The 2001–02 season began poorly with four straight losses before Eliáš recorded two hat-tricks by November. The "A-Line" experienced separation due to inconsistent performances; Eliáš briefly played alongside Gomez and Stevenson before reuniting with Arnott and Sýkora. An infected finger sidelined him in January amid coaching changes that saw Kevin Constantine replace Robinson. After Arnott suffered a back injury, Eliáš shifted to center and later joined Nieuwendyk and Langenbrunner following Arnott’s trade. Despite a late-season push to reach the playoffs, New Jersey was ousted in the first round by Carolina. Subsequently, Sýkora was traded to Anaheim.
Following an early playoff exit, Constantine was replaced by Pat Burns as head coach. Under Burns’ leadership, the Devils secured their second Stanley Cup title in three years, with Eliáš contributing seven points (three goals, four assists) during the finals against Anaheim.
Health setbacks, leadership challenges, and recovery (2003–2008)
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Eliáš competed in the Russian Superleague representing Metallurg Magnitogorsk. While there, he contracted Hepatitis A, resulting in nearly a month-long hospitalization in the Czech Republic. This illness caused his weight to drop from 195 to 168 pounds, which affected his agility and forced him to miss the initial three months of the 2005–06 season. He returned to play on 3 January 2006 against the Florida Panthers, quickly contributing two goals and six assists over his first four games back, aiding the Devils in sustaining a winning streak. Nevertheless, a back and rib injury sustained during the 2006 Winter Olympics hampered his performance throughout the remainder of that season, leading to his placement on injured reserve in March. He concluded the regular season with totals of 16 goals and 29 assists.
In the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, Eliáš was instrumental in the Devils’ clean sweep of the New York Rangers, highlighted by a six-point effort in Game 1—ranking as the second-highest single-game point total in franchise playoff history—and solidifying his position as the team’s top playoff scorer. He finished those playoffs with six goals and ten assists across nine games. Ahead of free agency, Eliáš initially negotiated independently but subsequently engaged an agent after direct discussions with GM Lou Lamoriello. Despite receiving a $7.5 million offer from the Chicago Blackhawks, he initially consented to a $7 million contract with the Rangers; however, that agreement collapsed due to the absence of a no-movement clause. Ultimately, Eliáš secured a seven-year, $42 million deal with the Devils that included his requested clause.
Eliáš was appointed as the Devils' seventh captain on 5 October 2006 but later admitted that carrying the captaincy negatively influenced his play during the 2006–07 season. With new head coach Brent Sutter at the helm, he was relieved of captain duties before the 2007–08 season and succeeded by Jamie Langenbrunner. Eliáš revealed he was never provided an explanation for this change.
Establishing franchise milestones (2008–2012)
On 17 March 2009, Eliáš became the all-time points leader for the Devils by earning his 702nd NHL regular-season point through an assist on Brian Gionta's shorthanded goal. On that same evening, teammate Martin Brodeur set a personal record by achieving his 551st win; Eliáš honored Brodeur by presenting him with the game puck. That year, Eliáš earned the prestigious Golden Hockey Stick award as the top Czech hockey player, ending Jaromír Jágr's four-year reign.
After sitting out the first 13 games of the 2009–10 season due to a groin injury, Eliáš returned strongly, tallying three goals and seven assists within his first ten games back. He reached a career milestone by netting his 300th goal on 12 December 2009 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Eliáš was selected as the Devils’ only participant at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game held in Raleigh, marking his third appearance at this event. He was chosen by Team Staal during the inaugural NHL All-Star "fantasy draft." On 19 February 2011, Eliáš notched his 800th NHL point by contributing three assists in a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Then on 1 April 2011, he recorded his eighth career hat trick in a win against Philadelphia.
On 17 December 2011, Eliáš surpassed former Devil John MacLean to become New Jersey’s all-time leading goalscorer with his 347th and 348th goals. He celebrated his 1,000th NHL game on 6 January 2012 facing off against the Florida Panthers, scoring once and assisting twice during a 5–2 triumph. On 3 February 2012, Eliáš was assessed a $2,500 fine by the NHL Department of Player Safety for delivering an illegal hit on Michael Blunden in a contest against the Montreal Canadiens.
Later career and retirement (2012–2017)
On January 27, 2013, Eliáš achieved his 900th NHL point by contributing a goal and two assists in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. Later that year, on July 4, he secured a three-year contract worth $16.5 million to continue playing with the Devils.
Throughout the 2015–16 season, Eliáš broke multiple personal and team records. He reached a significant milestone on January 6, 2015, becoming the 82nd player in NHL history to accumulate 1,000 career points. Exactly one month later, on February 6, he netted his 400th goal, ranking as the 91st player to reach this achievement, aiding the Devils in a 4–1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Eliáš officially retired from professional hockey on March 31, 2017.
The New Jersey Devils announced on August 3, 2017, that they would retire his number 26 jersey during a ceremony scheduled for February 24, 2018, prior to a matchup with the New York Islanders—the team against which Eliáš logged the most appearances (91) and accumulated the highest point total (86). He was honored as the first forward and fifth player overall in franchise history to have his number retired.
International play
Eliáš made his initial appearance for the Czech national team in 1998. By the conclusion of the 2010/2011 season, he had played in 40 international contests and scored 20 goals. He also served as captain of the Czech team during the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver.
Personal life
In 2007, Eliáš married Petra Volakova, who is also Czech; together they have two daughters. On January 10, 2018, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Following his battle with Hepatitis A, Eliáš was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2006 and later volunteered with Czech UNICEF programs in Belize in 2008.
Records
- All-time leader in points for New Jersey Devils (1025)
- Franchise leader in goals scored for Devils (408)
- Career assists leader for New Jersey Devils (617)
- Devils' all-time playoff leader in goals (45), assists (80), and total points (125)
- Highest point total recorded by a Devil during a single playoff season (23)
- Leader in game-winning goals throughout Devils' history (80)
- Franchise record holder for overtime goals (16)
- Most career points scored in overtime (37)
- Record holder for most hat tricks with the Devils (8)
- Most shots on goal by any Devil player (3,201)
- Leader in power-play goals for New Jersey Devils (110)
- Top playoff points scorer during the 2000s decade (102)
- Sole NHL player to have been awarded two penalty shots in overtime—both missed against the New York Islanders
Regular season and playoffs
"|2006–07 NHL season" "|New Jersey Devils" "|NHL" "|75"| "21"| "48"| "69"| "38" "|10"| "1"| "9"| "10"| "4" "|2007–08 NHL season" "|New Jersey Devils" "|NHL" "|74"| "20"| "35"| "55"| "38" "|5"| "4"| "2"| "6"| "4" "|2008–09 NHL season" "|New Jersey Devils" "|NHL" "|77"| "31"| "47"| "78"| "32 " "|7"| "1"| "2"| "3"| "2" "|2009–10 NHL season" ("|New Jersey Devils") ("|NHL") ("|58 "| "19 "| "29 "| "48 "| "40 ") ("|5 "| "0 "| "4 "| "4 "| "2 ") ("|2010–11 NHL season ") ("|New Jersey Devils ") ("|NHL ") ("|81 "| "21 "| "41 "| "62 "| "16 ") ("|— |— |— |— |— ) ("|2011–12 NHL season ") ("|New Jersey Devils ") ("|NHL ") ("|81 "|26 "|52 "|78 "|16 ") ("|24 "|5 "|3 "|8 "|10 ) ("|2012–13 NHL season ") ("|New Jersey Devils ") ("|NHL ") ("|48 "|14 "|22 "|36 "|22 ") ("|— |— |— |— |— ) ("|2013–14 NHL season ") ("|New Jersey Devils ") ("|NHL ") ("|65 "|18 "|35 "|53 "|30 ") ("|— |— |— |— |— ) ("|2014–15 NHL season ") ("|New Jersey Devils ") ("|NHL ") ("|69 "|13 "|21 "|34 "|12 ") ("|— |— |— |— |— ) ("|2015–16 NHL season ") ("|New Jersey Devils ") ("|NHL ") ("|16 "|2 "|6 "|8 "|10 ") ("|— |— |— |— |— ) ("! colspan=3 | NHL totals ") ("!1,240 !!408 !!617 !!1,025 !!549 ") ("!162 !!45 !!80 !!125 !!89 ")| 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 | ||
| 2000–01 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 40 | 56 | 96 | 51 | 25 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 10 | ||
| "2001–02 NHL season" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "29"|"32"|"61"|"36" | "2"|"4"|"6"|"6" | ||||||||||
| "2002–03 NHL season" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "28"|"29"|"57"|"22" | "5"|"8"|"13"|"26" | ||||||||||
| "2003–04 NHL season" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "38"|"43"|"81"|"44" | "3"|"2"|"5"|"2" | ||||||||||
| "2004–05 Czech Extraliga season" | "HC JME Znojemští Orli" | "CZE" | "8"|"20"|"28"|"65" | "—"|"—"|"—"|"—" | ||||||||||
| "2004–05 Russian Superleague season" | "Metallurg Magnitogorsk" | "Russian Superleague" | "5"|"9"|"14"|"28" | "—"|"—"|"—"|"—" | ||||||||||
| "2005–06 NHL season" | "New Jersey Devils" | "NHL" | "16"|"29"|"45"|"20" | "6" | "10"| "16"| "4" | ||||||||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | 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 career totals | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |||
| Senior career totals | 40 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 28 | |||
Awards and honours
- NHL
- Two-time Stanley Cup winner – 2000, 2003
- Selected for NHL All-Star Games in 2000, 2002, 2011, and 2015
- Named to the NHL First All-Star Team for the 2001 season
- Co-recipient of the NHL Plus-Minus Award in 2001 alongside Joe Sakic
- Included in the NHL All-Rookie Team during the 1998 season
- Jersey number 26 retired by the New Jersey Devils on February 24, 2018
- International
- Honoured with the Golden Hockey Stick in both 2009 and again in 2012
- Inducted into the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in the year 2022