Just a quick question on Mariusz. What exactly happened to him? I know this is going back some time but he was a very good player (even an all-star at times) but then seemed to fade into oblivion especially when traded to Montreal. Just wondering.
He was comfortable here. He was one of those guys who plays well with confidence.
But most importantly he got big minutes here. When he put up those big numbers he was on the first pp unit, he was on the first line, he was on the ice late in the game, etc. He just never got that opportunity elsewhere (rightly so).
His best year here was actually his last one here (imo). He started playing a bit more all around. It was too late though and he was past his prime. Good little player. But not a good player on a good team.
Just a quick question on Mariusz. What exactly happened to him? I know this is going back some time but he was a very good player (even an all-star at times) but then seemed to fade into oblivion especially when traded to Montreal. Just wondering.
I'm not sure when his last year was, but was likely a victim of the 04-05 lockout.
He's not as bad as he is usually portrayed, merely a good offensive player who's stats were augmented by big minutes.
Yea he had a few good offensive seasons for us but he was always hated on bc he was one dimensional player. I personally liked him a lot, reminds me of when i first started getting into hockey
As the Islander boards resident Czerkawski expert... After his time here he played a year in the SEL with Djurgardens where he actually put up some decent numbers. In 2005 he tried an NHL comback with toronto where he had 4 goals in 19 games before being sent to Boston where he had 4 goals in 16 games. Not terrible but he was already done by that point. From 06 thru 08 he joined Rapperswil-Jona of the Swiss league where he was a point per game player. He retired in 09 and last time I heard from him he was taking a position I believe(not positive) as the president of hockey operations for the country of Poland.
Overall the Polish Prince of hockey was a great player IF he was on and IF he had the right linemates(Yashin). I quote a conversation I had with Butch "He was a great guy to have on the team, but he always left me wanting more" That pretty much sums it up. One game he would look like a 40 scorer...the next 5 he litterally disapeared. Still the best at pulling off a spim-o-rama move by far. No matter what people say he was still a good Islander and was the best players on a **** team for a number of years.
As the Islander boards resident Czerkawski expert... After his time here he played a year in the SEL with Djurgardens where he actually put up some decent numbers. In 2005 he tried an NHL comback with toronto where he had 4 goals in 19 games before being sent to Boston where he had 4 goals in 16 games. Not terrible but he was already done by that point. From 06 thru 08 he joined Rapperswil-Jona of the Swiss league where he was a point per game player. He retired in 09 and last time I heard from him he was taking a position I believe(not positive) as the president of hockey operations for the country of Poland.
Overall the Polish Prince of hockey was a great player IF he was on and IF he had the right linemates(Yashin). I quote a conversation I had with Butch "He was a great guy to have on the team, but he always left me wanting more" That pretty much sums it up. One game he would look like a 40 scorer...the next 5 he litterally disapeared. Still the best at pulling off a spim-o-rama move by far. No matter what people say he was still a good Islander and was the best players on a **** team for a number of years.
In terms of inconsistency, he sounds a lot like Comeau. Very good in all facets for 10 games or so and pretty useless in the next 10.
When Chow wasn't scoring he wasn't doing anything else.
The worst defensive game I can ever remember at the NHL level, refused to hit, and held the puck forever.
When Chow wasn't scoring he wasn't doing anything else.
The worst defensive game I can ever remember at the NHL level, refused to hit, and held the puck forever.
He also had the most PPG in one season (barring Yashin) for the Islanders since Ziggy Palffy.
Look, I'm not saying that scoring is the only thing that matters. IMO there is a line at some point where if you score a good amount of points, you are definitely a positive contributor.
Czerkawski was a stand up guy for the Islanders. He wasn't as inconsistent as some make him out to be. He's only flaw was that he wasnt a good defensive player and a bit soft. He's also not really a first line kind of player as the Islanders was forced to use him in but a second liner who brings that much needed secondary scoring.
Czerkawski was a stand up guy for the Islanders. He wasn't as inconsistent as some make him out to be. He's only flaw was that he wasnt a good defensive player and a bit soft. He's also not really a first line kind of player as the Islanders was forced to use him in but a second liner who brings that much needed secondary scoring.
On a team with any chance of winning, Czerkawski is a 4th liner who can play on the powerplay.
He was a good offensive player, but if you are utterly useless in 2 out of 3 zones, you shouldn't get the kind of minutes that he did on those bad Isles teams.
I loved Czerkawski definitely my favorite Islander during that era... Why does Chow get all the hate on here??? The current team "Czerkawski" could be Grabner!!! Grabs is streaky but is terrible defensively and also floats... Just my opinion...
On a team with any chance of winning, Czerkawski is a 4th liner who can play on the powerplay.
He was a good offensive player, but if you are utterly useless in 2 out of 3 zones, you shouldn't get the kind of minutes that he did on those bad Isles teams.
That's a slight exaggeration. You can pull out a lot of winning teams from the past that had a Czerkawski-caliber player in their top 6 (I'm only talking his best year).
In regards to minutes, it's chicken and the egg. He got plenty of icetime, but he also faced the top defensive pairing with crappy teammates.
