Mark Borowiecki

Mark Borowiecki
Borowiecki with the Binghamton Senators in 2012
Born	(1989-07-12) July 12, 1989 (age 35) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	Ottawa Senators Nashville Predators
NHL draft	139th overall, 2008 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2011–2023

Mark Borowiecki (pronounced BOR-vee-ETZ-kee; born July 12, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He ended his career with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first Ottawa native to be drafted by the Ottawa Senators when he was selected 139th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. ^{[1] [2]} Fans have nicknamed him "Boro Cop". ^[3]

Playing career

Amateur

Borowiecki played two seasons of junior hockey with the Smiths Falls Bears of the Central Junior Hockey League (CJHL) from 2006 until 2008. Borowiecki then chose to go to Clarkson University. Borowiecki was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Borowiecki played three seasons with the Golden Knights team in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, scoring 12 goals and 20 assists. He served as team captain for the 2010–11 season.

Professional

Ottawa Senators

On March 11, 2011, the Ottawa Senators signed Borowiecki to a two-year entry-level contract. ^[4] He joined the Senators' American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. After playing nine regular season games, Borowiecki contributed two assists and eight penalty minutes in twenty-one playoff games as the Senators won the 2011 Calder Cup.

On January 17, 2012, Borowiecki was called up by the Senators and joined the team on a western road trip. ^[5] On January 19, Borowiecki made his NHL debut in a 4-1 Ottawa victory over the San Jose Sharks. He joined Chris Phillips on the third pairing. ^[6] Borowiecki was returned to Binghamton one week later.

Following the resolution of the 2012–13 NHL lock-out Borowiecki began the season in Ottawa, replacing the injured Jared Cowen in the Ottawa line-up. His strong physical presence kept him in the line-up. GM Bryan Murray stated that the defenceman's willingness to compete is "out of sight". ^[7] Borowiecki was returned to Binghamton after six games with Ottawa.

Borowiecki scored his first NHL goal on November 7, 2013 against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. On August 18, 2014, Borowiecki and the Senators agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension worth about $3.3 million. ^[8]

On October 5, 2017, the Senators re-signed Borowiecki to a two-year, $2.4 million contract extension. ^[9]

On October 23, 2018, Borowiecki elbowed Boston Bruins' defenceman Urho Vaakanainen during a scrum in the Senators' crease. He was not penalized on the play, but received a one-game suspension for the incident. ^[10] In his first game back on October 28 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Borowiecki delivered an illegal hit to the head of Cody Eakin. Borowiecki was issued a five-minute major penalty on the play, and given a three-game suspension. ^[11]

Nashville Predators

On October 9, 2020, Borowiecki was signed as a free agent to a two-year, $4 million contract with the Nashville Predators. ^[12] In his first season with Nashville, Borowiecki suffered a concussion in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes and missed time. ^[13] On June 1, Borowiecki released a statement on his Instagram account about dealing with problems with his mental health and concussions. ^[14] On February 15, 2022, Borowiecki signed a one-year extension with the Predators. ^[15] On April 11, 2022, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins was suspended for four games after delivering an illegal cross-check to Borowiecki's face. ^[16] On October 22, 2022, Borowiecki was seriously hurt in an awkward collision along the boards with Morgan Frost in a game versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Borowiecki left the ice on a stretcher after briefly falling unconscious. ^[17] He was taken to the hospital but discharged later that night. He was placed on injured reserve on October 31, 2022 and Jordan Gross was recalled to take his place on the roster. ^[18] Borowiecki would remain out for the rest of the season, and on May 3, 2023, he announced his retirement. ^[19]

Personal life

Borowiecki married his wife Tara in 2015. ^[20] Their son was born in 2020. ^[21]

In a December 2019 off-ice incident in Vancouver, British Columbia, Borowiecki prevented a theft, and attempted a citizen's arrest, earning him the nickname 'Boro Cop.' ^[22] Borowiecki was shopping for baby clothes and witnessed a man breaking into a car, stealing a backpack. Borowiecki stopped the suspect, retrieving the pack, but the suspect fled. ^[22]

Career statistics

Bold indicates led league

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006–07	Smiths Falls Bears	CJHL		53	3	25	28	85		6	0	0	0	10
2007–08	Smiths Falls Bears	CJHL		46	2	24	26	80		15	1	10	11	22
2008–09	Clarkson University	ECAC		33	1	1	2	24		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Clarkson University	ECAC		35	8	11	19	59		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Clarkson University	ECAC		31	3	8	11	67		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Binghamton Senators	AHL		9	0	0	0	6		21	0	2	2	8
2011–12	Binghamton Senators	AHL		73	5	17	22	127		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Ottawa Senators	NHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Binghamton Senators	AHL		53	4	10	14	157		3	1	0	1	4
2012–13	Ottawa Senators	NHL		6	0	0	0	18		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Binghamton Senators	AHL		50	2	6	8	158		4	0	0	0	4
2013–14	Ottawa Senators	NHL		13	1	0	1	48		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Ottawa Senators	NHL		63	1	10	11	107		6	0	0	0	6
2015–16	Ottawa Senators	NHL		63	1	1	2	107		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Ottawa Senators	NHL		70	1	2	3	154		2	0	0	0	2
2017–18	Ottawa Senators	NHL		52	3	8	11	64		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Ottawa Senators	NHL		53	1	4	5	89		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Ottawa Senators	NHL		53	7	11	18	58		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Nashville Predators	NHL		22	0	1	1	38		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Nashville Predators	NHL		57	0	4	4	151		2	0	0	0	0
2022–23	Nashville Predators	NHL		4	0	0	0	12		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				458	15	41	56	848		10	0	0	0	8

References

1. At Borowiecki's date of birth, Kanata, was a separate municipality to the City of Ottawa, but within Greater Ottawa.
2. "Sens call up reinforcements". Vancouver Sun . January 17, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
3. Brennan, Don. "With his wife out of town, Borowiecki passes the time with his love of CNN". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
4. "Bulletin: Senators sign defenceman Mark Borowiecki to an entry-level contract" (Press release). Ottawa Senators. March 11, 2011.
5. "Bulletin: Senators recall Mark Borowiecki and Andre Petersson from Binghamton (AHL)" (Press release). Ottawa Senators. January 17, 2012.
6. "Milestone night at hand for Senators rookie, veteran" (Press release). Ottawa Senators. January 19, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
7. "Mark Borowiecki enjoys impressive home ice debut for Senators". Windsor Star . January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
8. Senators, Borowiecki agree to terms on a three-year extension
9. "Senators sign Mark Borowiecki to two-year extension". Ottawa Citizen . October 5, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
10. "Senators' Borowiecki suspended one game for elbowing Vaakanainen". Sportsnet. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
11. Warren, Ken. "Senators' Mark Borowiecki hit with three-game suspension". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
12. "Predators sign Mark Borowiecki to a two-year, $4 million contract". Nashville Predators. October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
13. Nashville Predators [@PredsNHL] (March 13, 2021). "#Preds defenseman Mark Borowiecki will miss tonight's game and is week-to-week with an upper-body injury" (Tweet). Retrieved March 21, 2023– via Twitter.
14. Bratten, Brooks (June 2, 2021). "Borowiecki Reveals Health Issues, Looks Toward Bright Future with Preds". Nashville Predators. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
15. "Predators Sign Mark Borowiecki to One-Year Contract". Nashville Predators. February 15, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
16. "NHL suspends Penguins star Malkin four games for cross-checking Preds D Borowiecki". North Shore News. The Canadian Press. April 11, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
17. "Predators' Mark Borowiecki taken off ice on stretcher after hit into boards". Sportsnet. October 22, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
18. Kimmel, Ann (October 31, 2022). "Preds Place Mark Borowiecki on IR; Recall Jordan Gross from Milwaukee". The Hockey News. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
19. Kimmel, Ann (May 3, 2023). "Mark Borowiecki Announces Retirement". The Hockey News .
20. Brennan, Don (July 22, 2015). "Newlywed Boro feeling fine". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved February 12, 2019. Borowiecki, who wed fiancé Tara Lewandowsky July 4
21. Garrioch, Bruce (February 10, 2020). "Mark Borowiecki and his wife Tara welcome their first child into the world". Ottawa Sun . Retrieved August 9, 2020.
22. Little, Simon (December 3, 2019). "'Put the bag down, bro': How Ottawa Senator Mark Borowiecki stopped a Vancouver thief". Global News. Retrieved October 9, 2020.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database