Wojtek Wolski

The end of the Poland Adventures brings us to present time, and a Polish-born player by the name of Wojtek Wolski.  Born in Zabrze, Poland, he would move to Toronto in 1989 with his parents and his brother.  He would play his junior hockey with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL.  In 2004, he would be a first round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, and play his first season in 2005-06.  A trade to Phoenix at the deadline in 2009-10 season would be followed by a trade midseason to the New York Rangers the following season.  To date, he has scored 91 goals and 155 assists, numbers that aren't exactly becoming for an offensive force that has been in the NHL for six years in the face of an offense-friendly league since the lockout of 2004-05.  This coming season, the Rangers will be looking to him for some secondary scoring behind Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik.

Krzysztof Oliwa

Today's player is the definition of "Polish Power" when it comes to the NHL.  Born in Tychy, Poland, Krzysztof Oliwa was drafted in 1993 by the New Jersey Devils and made his NHL debut in the 1996-97 season.  In his career, Oliwa's legacy in the NHL was that of enforcer.  He parlayed that into a Stanley Cup in 2000 with the Devils.  He was taken by Columbus in the Expansion Draft after the 1999-2000 season, but only suited up for 10 games before going to Pittsburgh midseason.  He would spend a year and a half with Pittsburgh before going to the New York Rangers the following season.  He would make one more Stanley Cup Final appearance with Calgary in the 2003-04 season and finish his NHL career with New Jersey in 2005-06.  17 goals and 28 assists for a player that was in the NHL for a decade isn't impressive, but almost 1,500 PIM should tell you all there was to Krzysztof Oliwa's game.

Mariusz Czerkawski

Born in Radomsko, Poland, Mariusz Czerkawski is perhaps the most successful Polish-born NHLer to date. He was also the first Polish-born player to have also been trained in the country, playing with GKS Tychy prior to being drafted by the Boston Bruins in 1991.  He would spend three years after that playing in the Swedish leagues before making his debut with Boston in the 1993-94 season.  The lockout-shortened 1994-95 season would be his official rookie year, one that would see him amass 12 goals and 14 assists.  Midway through the 1995-96 season, he would be traded to Edmonton, where he would spend a season and a half.  The New York Islanders would acquire him in 1997, and from 1997 through 2002, he would put up his best offensive numbers, topping the 30 goal mark twice.  The 2002-03 season was split between Montreal and its minor league affiliate in Hamilton, ON.  He returned to Long Island the following year and posted 25 goals.  His last NHL season was in 2005-06, where he split time between Toronto and Boston.  He would play two more seasons in the Swiss Leagues before retiring.  His NHL totals included 215 goals and 220 assists; respectable numbers and good enough to be at the head of the Polish line.

Peter Sidorkiewicz

Today's trek to Poland takes us to the more recent times of the late 80's and early 90's, and to a goalie named Peter Sidorkiewicz.  Born in the small town of Dabrowa Bialostocka, Poland, he would move with his parents to Oshawa, ON, where he would play his junior hockey.  Drafted by the Washington Capitals in 1981, he would not suit up for the parent club, and he would eventually be traded to Hartford in 1985.  In fact, he would not see NHL action until the 1987-88 season.  He would become a regular the following season, and would be the undisputed starter the season after.  In 1992, he would be claimed by the Ottawa Senators in the Expansion Draft, but only play one season with the team.  Though he was an All-Star in his only season with Ottawa, he was also in most of the games when Ottawa had its worst season ever, with Sidorkiewicz being on the hook for 46 of the losses and a 4.43 GAA.  He would be traded to New Jersey in 1993, but would only see four games in the rest of his career (3 in 1993-94 and one more in 1997-98), as most of his time was spent in the minors.

Nick Harbaruk

Day 2 of the Polish Invasion brings us to right winger that played five seasons in the NHL and two and a half more in the WHA by the name of Nick Harbaruk.  Born in Drohiczyn during the time of World War II, he would immigrate to Toronto with his family at the age of five.  Prior to the 1969-70 season, Harbaruk would toil in the AHL, CPHL, WHL, and CHL before being acquired by Pittsburgh.  He would spend four seasons with the franchise before being traded to St. Louis prior to the 1973-74 season.  A year later, he would sign with the Indianapols Racers of the WHA and play two and a half seasons with the team before finishing his playing career in 1976-77 with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the CHL.

Joe Jerwa

Part one of the NHL players born in Poland series begins with the first player to play in the NHL that had origins in the Kielbasa capital of the world in Joe Jerwa.  Born in Warsaw in 1907, he, like many other Polish-born players who followed, would move to North America as a child.  His first NHL season was in 1930-31 with the New York Rangers.  In that season, he would split time between the Rangers and Springfield Indians of the CanAm League.  A trade to the Boston Bruins the following year began a time in which he spent most of the four years in the Bruins system playing for the Boston Cubs of the CanAm League.  He would suit up for the Bruins for a time in the 1931-32 and 1933-34 seasons.  In 1935, he was traded to the New York Americans, where he would spend a year there before going back to the Bruins the following year.  His return to Boston was short-lived however, as he went back to the Americans in the middle of the 1936-37 season.  His last NHL season was in 1938-39 with the Americans.  He would finish his playing career with the Cleveland Barons of the AHL.  In all, he would go on to play over 200 games in the NHL, and his best year would be his first stint with the Americans, amassing 9 goals and 12 assists.  For more information on Jerwa, the Hockey Hall of Fame site is a good place to go.

Off to the Land of Kielbasa

Summer is traditionally a slow season for a lot of things, and being that this is mostly a hockey blog, it is doubly so for the sport.  No dramas about where the big fish will sign (read: Ilya Kovalchuk and his adventures last year), no impending doom scenarios (NBA lockout this year), and nothing of major note to talk about (my own adventures).  So, how does one fill time and space for this blog?  Why, take a (virtual) trip to a land that doesn't produce many NHL players, past and present, of course.  This week, it just so happens to be the country of Poland, as you can tell by the flag that is being shown, and if you didn't know that, now you know.  Despite being in the Eastern Bloc of Europe, Poland doesn't quite churn out the NHL players that their counterparts in Russia do, but they do field a team for international play, and like many who do field a team, there are a handful of players who have, at some point or another, played in the NHL.  Through the magic of research, I will do my best to write something about the players who have Polish origins this coming week (and longer, if needed).