Miroslav Šatan

Miroslav Šatan
Born	(1974-10-22) October 22, 1974 Jacovce, Czechoslovakia
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Left
Slovak Extraliga team Former teams	HC Slovan Bratislava UHC Dynamo Moscow Edmonton Oilers Buffalo Sabres New York Islanders Pittsburgh Penguins Boston Bruins
National team	Slovakia
NHL draft	111th overall, 1993 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	1992–present

Miroslav Šatan (Czech pronunciation: [ˈmɪroslau̯ ˈʃatan]; born October 22, 1974) is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga.

Playing career

Pre-NHL

In 1991–92, he played for the local HC Topolcany and did remarkably well, as he scored 30 goals and had 22 assists in just 31 games. He then graduated to the senior division within the same year. When he became 18, he joined HC Dukla Trenčín rather than enter compulsory army service for Slovakia (which stopped in 2006). He played there in the 1992–93 and 93-94 seasons, honing his craft as a forward.

Edmonton Oilers

Šatan was drafted 111th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Prior to his entry into the NHL, he played in the Czechoslovak and Slovak leagues and he had scored nine goals in eight games representing Slovakia at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

In 1994–95, Šatan played a season in the minor leagues, split between four teams including the Oilers' farm club in Cape Breton and the IHL's Detroit Vipers. While with the Vipers, he scored the winning goal in an exhibition game against Wayne Gretzky's Ninety-Niners, an all-star team put together by Gretzky during the 1994 NHL lockout.

Buffalo Sabres

After two seasons with the Oilers, the winger was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for Craig Millar and Barrie Moore. He would lead the Sabres in scoring on six occasions. During the 2004–05 NHL labor dispute, Šatan played for Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Extraliga. After the lockout, Šatan was not offered a contract by the Sabres.

New York Islanders

Šatan signed as a free agent with the New York Islanders on August 3, 2005. He led the Islanders in goals in the 2005–06 season. His 35 goals during the season were his highest goal-output since the 2001–02 season with the Buffalo Sabres. Almost half his 35 goals came on the power play (17), also a career personal best. Šatan tied for the team lead in points with 66, shared with captain Alexei Yashin. Also in 2005–06, Šatan went seven for ten (70%) and was third in the league in shooting percentage in the shootout.

On December 2, 2006, he scored his 300th career goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Earlier in the season, he had recorded his 300th career assist and his 600th career point.

On March 24, 2007, Šatan missed the Islanders' game in Philadelphia for personal reasons, ending a streak of having played in 305 consecutive games. It was the fourth longest active streak at the time, and marked the second time in his career that he has played over 250 consecutive games. He had a 256 game streak as a member of the Buffalo Sabres that ended in November 2002.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Šatan with the Pittsburgh Penguins

On July 3, 2008, Šatan signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the 2008–09 season, Šatan was placed on waivers by Pittsburgh on March 4, 2009, the same day as the NHL trade deadline, and not long after playing in his 1000th game. Having not been claimed by another team, Šatan was assigned to the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In Wilkes-Barre, Šatan had three goals and nine points in 10 games. Various reports credited him with being upbeat and a good influence, especially with the younger players.

On April 10, 2009, Šatan was recalled by Pittsburgh and cleared re-entry waivers. Miroslav re-established himself with the Penguins in the playoffs when he played against the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals on April 23, 2009. He then played in nine games and won his first ever Stanley Cup Championship as a member of the Penguins.

The Penguins did not re-sign Šatan when his contract expired at the end of the season and he was not signed during the free agency period.

Boston Bruins

On January 2, 2010, Šatan signed a US $700,000 deal with the Boston Bruins for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. The deal includes a no movement clause. He saw his first action in a game vs the Ottawa Senators on January 5 finishing as a plus two. He scored his first a goal as a Bruin on January 7, 2010 against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi. On April 21, 2010 he scored the game winning goal in double overtime to beat the Buffalo Sabres to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. On April 26, 2010, Šatan buried the series winning goal over the Buffalo Sabres with 5:11 remaining.

Dynamo Moscow

At the beginning of 2011, Šatan moved to the KHL's UHC Dynamo Moscow, signing a contract until the end of 2010–11 season. However, the club decided to not renew his contract upon its expiry.

HC Slovan Bratislava

On September 8, 2011, Šatan moved to the Slovak Extraliga, signing with HC Slovan Bratislava.

Personal life

Šatan grew up in Topoľčany, Slovakia. He married his long-time girlfriend Ingrid in 2004. They have a son, Miroslav Jr., born in March 2006 and a daughter, Viktoria, born in July 2009. He lives in Jericho, NY.

Awards

• Played in NHL All-Star Game - 2000, 2003
• Won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.

Records

• Led Buffalo Sabres in points six times
• Tenth place on Buffalo Sabres all-time scoring list with 224 goals and 232 assists (seventh in goals scored)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1991–92	Topoľčany	SVK		9	2	1	3	6		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Dukla Trenčín	SVK		38	11	6	17	—		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Dukla Trenčín	SVK		30	32	16	48	16		9	10	6	16	—
1994–95	Cape Breton Oilers	AHL		25	24	16	40	15		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Detroit Vipers	IHL		8	1	3	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Detroit Falcons	CoHL		1	0	2	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	San Diego Gulls	IHL		6	0	2	2	6		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		62	18	17	35	22		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		64	17	11	28	22		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		12	8	2	10	4		7	0	0	0	0
1997–98	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		79	22	24	46	34		14	5	4	9	4
1998–99	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		81	40	26	66	44		12	3	5	8	2
1999–00	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		81	33	34	67	32		5	3	2	5	0
1999–00	Dukla Trenčín	SVK		3	2	8	10	2		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		82	29	33	62	36		13	3	10	13	8
2001–02	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		82	37	36	73	33		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		79	26	49	75	20		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		82	29	28	57	30		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Slovan Bratislava	SVK		7	6	4	10	41		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Slovan Bratislava	SVK		18	11	9	20	14		18	15	8	23	—
2005–06	New York Islanders	NHL		82	35	31	66	38		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	New York Islanders	NHL		81	27	32	59	46		5	1	2	3	0
2007–08	New York Islanders	NHL		80	16	25	41	39		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		65	17	19	36	36		17	1	5	6	11
2008–09	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		10	3	6	9	4		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Boston Bruins	NHL		38	9	5	14	12		13	5	5	10	6
NHL totals				1,050	363	372	735	464		86	21	33	54	41
CZE/SVK totals				105	72	51	123	57		—	—	—	—	—

International play

Played for Slovakia in:

• Winter Olympic Games - 1994, 2002, 2006, 2010
• World Championships - 1994 (Pool C - gold medal), 1995 (Pool B - gold medal), 1996, 2000 (as a captain won silver medal), 2002 (as a captain won gold medal), 2003 (as a captain won bronze medal), 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012 (silver medal)
• World Cup of Hockey - 1996, 2004
• Team Slovakia - 116 caps / 69 goals

See also

• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

External links

• Miroslav Šatan career statistics at EliteProspects.com
• Miroslav Šatan career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Sports Illustrated Player profile
• Template:Espn nhl
• Miroslav Šatan biography at Legends of Hockey (archived)
• Miroslav Šatan´s hockey cards gallery