Mike Komisarek

Mike Komisarek
Komisarek with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013
Born	(1982-01-19) January 19, 1982 (age 41) West Islip, New York, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	243 lb (110 kg; 17 st 5 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Right
Played for	Montreal Canadiens Toronto Maple Leafs Carolina Hurricanes
National team	United States
NHL Draft	7th overall, 2001 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	2002–2014

Michael Komisarek (born January 19, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who spent his career with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Komisarek played in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New York Islanders minor ice hockey team. ^[1]

Komisarek began playing competitively on Long Island, New York, starting off in the Suffolk PAL organization.^{[ citation needed ]} He played two years of Varsity hockey at St. Anthony's High School.^{[ citation needed ]} He then played for the New England Jr. Coyotes of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) under legendary coach Gary Dineen.^{[ citation needed ]} He was then picked up by USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.^{[ citation needed ]} He is a student of the respected Lithuanian hockey coach Aleksey Nikiforov.^{[ citation needed ]}

College

Komisarek played two seasons at the University of Michigan, compiling 46 points and 145 penalty minutes in 80 games. He helped the Wolverines men's ice hockey team to a 55–24–10 mark, a Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) title and two trips to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. ^[2] One of his teammates was fellow Long Islander Eric Nystrom. Komisarek was also named a First Team Division I All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association in 2002.^{[ citation needed ]}

Professional

After two seasons with the University of Michigan, Komisarek was selected seventh overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He was signed to a contract by the team on July 24, 2002. ^[3] He played his first NHL game in the 2002–03 season with the Canadiens. He re-signed with the Canadiens in 2007 for a two-year, $3.5 million, along with his friend Chris Higgins, who is also from Long Island.^{[ citation needed ]}

Komisarek scored his first NHL goal on March 20, 2006, against the Washington Capitals, where he was named the first star of the game. ^[4] His willingness to stand up for his teammates and his hard-hitting style made him a fan favorite in the Bell Centre.^{[ citation needed ]}

In the 2006–07 season, Komisarek tied Mike Commodore of the Calgary Flames for most shorthanded goals scored by a defenseman with two. ^[5]

During the 2007–08 season, Komisarek led the league with 227 blocked shots and finished second in hits with 266 having played only 75 games.^{[ citation needed ]}

On January 5, 2009, Komisarek played in the NHL All-Star Game, where he was named a starter as voted by the fans alongside his Canadiens defense partner, Andrei Markov.^{[ citation needed ]}

In July 2009, Komisarek signed a five-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs worth an average of $4.5 million per season. On January 2, 2010, Komisarek injured his shoulder in a game against the Calgary Flames, and on February 3, it was revealed that he would require season-ending surgery. This also meant Komisarek would miss the 2010 Winter Olympics, as he was chosen to represent United States. ^[6]

On March 20, 2013, Komisarek was placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs. On March 21, 2013, he cleared waivers and with his permission was assigned to the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. With one year left on his contract with the Maple Leafs, Komisarek was released as a free agent after his contract was used in a compliance buy-out on July 2, 2013. ^[7]

On July 5, 2013, as a free agent, Komisarek signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. ^[8]

In September 2014, Komisarek was signed to a professional try-out (PTO) contract by the New Jersey Devils, but was released from it shortly after.

Personal life

Komisarek is of Polish descent. His father, Roman Komisarek, was 24 when he moved to the United States, where he eventually opened an auto-body repair shop on Long Island. ^[9] Roman Komisarek left his wife Kathy behind in Poland until he could earn enough to afford an apartment and support her. Komisarek stated that, "At that time, my parents knew they wanted to start a family and give me and my sister a better opportunity. [...](My father) moved to Brooklyn, found a job and didn't know the language at all. He just had the clothes on his back. Now, we have a nice home on Long Island, and my parents provided everything we ever needed. I always carried that with me. I always wanted to make them proud." ^[10] Komisarek also has a sister named Joanne, who is two years younger than he is. His sister is a graduate of Boston College. ^[9] He also speaks Polish.

Komisarek's mother, Kathy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2005 and died in November 2005. She was 51. ^[11]

In 2011 TMZ reported that Komisarek was accused of punching a woman at a nightclub causing her nose to bleed. ^[12]

In 2014, Komisarek announced that he would be resuming studies at the University of Michigan through the athletic department's Degree Completion Program. ^[13] On January 9, 2015, Michigan Wolverines head coach Red Berenson announced that Komisarek would join the coaching staff as an undergraduate student assistant. ^[14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998–99	New England Jr. Coyotes	EJHL		53	17	24	41	10		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	U.S. NTDP Juniors	USHL		51	5	8	13	124		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	U.S. NTDP U18	NAHL		1	0	0	0	16		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	U.S. NTDP U18	USDP		6	0	0	0	12		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	University of Michigan	CCHA		41	4	12	16	77		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	University of Michigan	CCHA		39	11	19	30	68		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		56	5	25	30	79		23	1	5	6	60
2002–03	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		21	0	1	1	28		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		18	2	7	9	47		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		46	0	4	4	34		7	0	0	0	8
2004–05	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		20	1	4	5	49		4	0	1	1	8
2005–06	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		71	2	4	6	116		6	0	0	0	10
2006–07	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		82	4	15	19	96		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		75	4	13	17	101		12	1	2	3	18
2008–09	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		66	2	9	11	121		4	0	0	0	20
2009–10	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		34	0	4	4	40		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		75	1	9	10	86		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		45	1	4	5	41		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Toronto Marlies	AHL		7	0	0	0	10		6	0	1	1	9
2013–14	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		32	0	4	4	14		—	—	—	—	—
AHL totals				101	8	36	44	185		33	1	7	8	77
NHL totals				551	14	67	81	679		29	1	2	3	56

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000	United States	WJC18	8th		6	0	0	0	12
2001	United States	WJC	5th		7	0	0	0	0
2002	United States	WJC	5th		7	0	2	2	14
2006	United States	WC	7th		7	0	1	1	4
2011	United States	WC	8th		7	1	1	2	6
Junior totals					20	0	2	2	26
Senior totals					14	1	2	3	10

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-CCHA Rookie Team	2000–01
All-CCHA First Team	2001–02	[15]
CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman	2001–02
AHCA West First-Team All-American	2001–02
CCHA All-Tournament Team	2002	[16]
AHL
All-Rookie Team	2002–03
NHL
All-Star Game	2009

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
2. Bo Rottenborn (2009-01-08). "On Ice: Winter Wonderland". ncaa.com. Retrieved 2009-01-22.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. "Offseason NHL transactions". CBC Sports. October 2, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
4. "Recap: Montréal @ Washington". nhl.com. Associated Press. 2006-03-16. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
6. "Leafs' Komisarek to have season-ending surgery". February 3, 2010.
7. "Maple Leafs use compliance buy-out on Komisarek". The Sports Network. 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
8. "Hurricanes give Mike Komisarek a shot". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
9. Pat Hickey (2008-03-11). "Hits keep coming for Komisarek". The Gazette . Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
10. http://www.nhl.com/intheslot/read/college/college111501.html . Retrieved March 12, 2008.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)^{[ dead link ]}
11. Herb Zurkowsky (2005-12-07). "A son mourns his mother". The Gazette . Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
12. "Woman claims Leafs' Komisarek punched her in nightclub". Toronto. 2011-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
13. "Balle Courbe, le sport sans bon sens".
14. "Komisarek Joins Staff as Undergraduate Assistant". Michigan Go Blue. 2015-01-09. Archived from the original on 2015-11-20. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
15. "All-CCHA Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
16. "2012-13 CCHA Media Guide". ISSUU.com. Retrieved 2014-04-23.

External links

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

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Marcel Hossa	Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick 2001	Succeeded by Alexander Perezhogin
Sporting positions
Preceded by Andrew Hutchinson	CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman 2001–02	Succeeded by Brad Fast