From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013
looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their
Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 8 looks at blue-collar center Michal Handzus.
Michal "Zeus"Handzus was born on March 11th, 1977 in Banska Bystrica, Czechoslovakia. Handzus began his playing career in 1993-1994 at the age of sixteen by playing with SK Iskra Banska Bystrica Jr. in the Slovak Junior League, posting twenty-three goals and thirty-six assists in forty games. He stepped up to the Slovak second-tier league in 1994-1995, appearing in twenty-two games with fifteen goals and fourteen assists. He also made his first representation of Slovakia in the European Junior Championship, scoring five goals and three assists in five games. His success in Slovakia earned him NHL consideration, and he was drafted 101st overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Handzus stayed in the Iskra organization in 1995-1996, playing with their Slovak Extraliga team, but he only had three goals and an assists in nineteen games. He was also invited to play in the World Junior Championship in 1996, chipping in three assists in six games. In 1996-1997, Handzus joined SKP PS Poprad, playing in forty-four games and recording fifteen goals and eighteen assists, followed by another appearance at the World Juniors, scoring two goals and supplying four assists in six games. Handzus came to North America in the 1997-1998 season, playing for the Worcester IceCats of the American Hockey League, scoring twenty-seven goals and notching another thirty-six assists in sixty-nine games. His production was deemed worthy of an NHL promotion in 1998-1999, and he appeared in sixty-six games with the Blues, scoring four goals and passing twelve assists. Handzus played a larger role in 1999-2000, playing in eighty-one of the eighty-two games in an NHL season, and scoring at a twenty-five goal and twenty-eight assist pace. This earned him a chance to represent his native Slovakia at the World Championships, where he had one goal and four assists in six games while his country earned the silver medal. His postseason numbers in the NHL only showed five assists in eighteen games, which is reasonable given the preference by coaches for veterans in the playoffs. Also, Handzus' had a strong defensive game which was rewarded by a nomination for the Frank J. Selke trophy, which honors the league's best defensive forward. The 2000-2001 season was not as spectacular for Handzus, who struggled to a line of ten goals and fourteen assists in thirty-six games with the Blues before being traded with Ladislav Nagy, Jeff Taffe, and their first round selection to the Phoenix Coyotes for the star Keith Tkachuk. With the Coyotes, Handzus had four goals and four assists in ten games. The following season proved to be busy for Handzus, who remained with the Coyotes and played in seventy-nine games, scoring fifteen goals and dishing thirty assists during the regular season before going pointless in the postseason over five games. He also represented Slovakia internationally twice during the season, playing two games at the Salt Lake City Olympics and scoring one goal, followed by one goal and four assists during six games at the World Championships, where Slovakia won the gold medal. Despite all of that, the Coyotes parted ways with Handzus at the draft in 2002, trading him and Robert Esche to the Philadelphia Flyers for Brian Boucher and the third round pick they had previously acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators, which was used to select Joe Callahan. Handzus played the full eighty-two games for the first time in his career in 2002-2003 with the Flyers, posting a line of twenty-three goals and twenty-one assists, and then two more goals and six assists in thirteen postseason games, preventing him from going to the World Championships. The 2003-2004 season was fairly similar for Handzus, playing in every game and owning a twenty goal and thirty-eight assist statistics line, while supplying another five goals and five assists in eighteen playoff games. Handzus had to put his Flyers career on hold during the 2004-2005 season due to the season-cancelling NHL lockout, so he returned home to Slovakia and played with HKm Zvolen in the Slovak Extraliga, scoring fourteen goals and twenty-four assists in thirty-three games. He also represented Slovakia at the World Championships for the first time in three years, scoring three goals in seven games. After the labor disagreement was settled, Handzus returned to play in seventy-three games with the Flyers in 2005-2006, while scoring only eleven goals with thirty-three assists, and then just two assists in six postseason games. The Flyers traded Handzus to the Chicago Blackhawks in the offseason for Kyle Calder. This proved to be an unfortunate choice, as Handzus tore his ACL in his eighth game of the 2006-2007 season with Chicago, after scoring three goals and five assists in what looked like a promising season. Nonetheless, Handzus received a four-year contract from the Los Angeles Kings on July 2nd, 2007, worth $16 million. Many would think this might be an overpayment for a player with durability questions in a salary cap era, but Handzus proved the doubters wrong in 2007-2008, playing in all eighty-two games and scoring seven goals and fourteen assists. Notably from the season was that no health questions persisted, but now production was the subject with Handzus. So again, he quelled the doubts by doubling his point total in 2008-2009, scoring eighteen goals and twenty-four assists while playing in every game. He also made another representation for Slovakia at the World Championships, scoring only four assists in six games. The story was similar in 2009-2010, when Handzus missed only one game while scoring twenty goals and twenty-two assists, while seeing the Kings make the playoffs for the first time while he had played for them. In the postseason, he had three goals and two assists over six games. Handzus also represented Slovakia at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, potting three goals and three assists in seven games. This likely kept his mind from having to watch his previous two teams play for the 2010 Stanley Cup, which the Blackhawks won. In 2010-2011, Handzus played in every game again at the age of thirty-three, but his production slipped to twelve goals and eighteen assists in the contract year, and he only had one goal and one assist in six more playoff games. The Kings had seen enough, and let the defensive forward walk at the end of the year, and walk he did to the San Jose Sharks, signing a two-year and $5 million contract after playing at the 2011 World Championships to the tune of two assists in five games. In the 2011-2012 season, Handzus played in only sixty-seven games, while scoring seven goals and passing seventeen more assists, followed by a lackluster postseason of only two games, with no points. Even worse, he watched another former team, the Kings, hoist the Stanley Cup without him. Handzus again had to take his talents overseas when the NHL locked out their players in 2012, and he played in fifteen games with his hometown team in Slovakia, HC '05 Banska Bystrica in the Slovak Extraliga, scoring nine goals and ten assists in fifteen games. He returned to the Sharks once the lockout ended, scoring one goal and one assist in twenty-eight games primarily as a fourth-line shutdown forward. He was then traded back to the Blackhawks for only a fourth round draft pick. Despite the slight of being traded for only a pick, Handzus was able to continue contributing defensively in eleven regular season games with the Blackhawks, and he also scored one goal and five assists. Handzus was a person of focus in the Blackhawks locker room during the playoffs, as the now-thirty-six year old forward had still not won the Stanley Cup. After twenty-three games of playoff hockey, that statement was gone, with Handzus contributing three goals and eight assists as well as spectacular defense to help him finally obtain the Stanley Cup. He was one of the first two people to be handed the Cup after captain Jonathan Toews lifted it, a gesture of respect to the most senior veterans of the team.
Michal "Zeus"Handzus was born on March 11th, 1977 in Banska Bystrica, Czechoslovakia. Handzus began his playing career in 1993-1994 at the age of sixteen by playing with SK Iskra Banska Bystrica Jr. in the Slovak Junior League, posting twenty-three goals and thirty-six assists in forty games. He stepped up to the Slovak second-tier league in 1994-1995, appearing in twenty-two games with fifteen goals and fourteen assists. He also made his first representation of Slovakia in the European Junior Championship, scoring five goals and three assists in five games. His success in Slovakia earned him NHL consideration, and he was drafted 101st overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Handzus stayed in the Iskra organization in 1995-1996, playing with their Slovak Extraliga team, but he only had three goals and an assists in nineteen games. He was also invited to play in the World Junior Championship in 1996, chipping in three assists in six games. In 1996-1997, Handzus joined SKP PS Poprad, playing in forty-four games and recording fifteen goals and eighteen assists, followed by another appearance at the World Juniors, scoring two goals and supplying four assists in six games. Handzus came to North America in the 1997-1998 season, playing for the Worcester IceCats of the American Hockey League, scoring twenty-seven goals and notching another thirty-six assists in sixty-nine games. His production was deemed worthy of an NHL promotion in 1998-1999, and he appeared in sixty-six games with the Blues, scoring four goals and passing twelve assists. Handzus played a larger role in 1999-2000, playing in eighty-one of the eighty-two games in an NHL season, and scoring at a twenty-five goal and twenty-eight assist pace. This earned him a chance to represent his native Slovakia at the World Championships, where he had one goal and four assists in six games while his country earned the silver medal. His postseason numbers in the NHL only showed five assists in eighteen games, which is reasonable given the preference by coaches for veterans in the playoffs. Also, Handzus' had a strong defensive game which was rewarded by a nomination for the Frank J. Selke trophy, which honors the league's best defensive forward. The 2000-2001 season was not as spectacular for Handzus, who struggled to a line of ten goals and fourteen assists in thirty-six games with the Blues before being traded with Ladislav Nagy, Jeff Taffe, and their first round selection to the Phoenix Coyotes for the star Keith Tkachuk. With the Coyotes, Handzus had four goals and four assists in ten games. The following season proved to be busy for Handzus, who remained with the Coyotes and played in seventy-nine games, scoring fifteen goals and dishing thirty assists during the regular season before going pointless in the postseason over five games. He also represented Slovakia internationally twice during the season, playing two games at the Salt Lake City Olympics and scoring one goal, followed by one goal and four assists during six games at the World Championships, where Slovakia won the gold medal. Despite all of that, the Coyotes parted ways with Handzus at the draft in 2002, trading him and Robert Esche to the Philadelphia Flyers for Brian Boucher and the third round pick they had previously acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators, which was used to select Joe Callahan. Handzus played the full eighty-two games for the first time in his career in 2002-2003 with the Flyers, posting a line of twenty-three goals and twenty-one assists, and then two more goals and six assists in thirteen postseason games, preventing him from going to the World Championships. The 2003-2004 season was fairly similar for Handzus, playing in every game and owning a twenty goal and thirty-eight assist statistics line, while supplying another five goals and five assists in eighteen playoff games. Handzus had to put his Flyers career on hold during the 2004-2005 season due to the season-cancelling NHL lockout, so he returned home to Slovakia and played with HKm Zvolen in the Slovak Extraliga, scoring fourteen goals and twenty-four assists in thirty-three games. He also represented Slovakia at the World Championships for the first time in three years, scoring three goals in seven games. After the labor disagreement was settled, Handzus returned to play in seventy-three games with the Flyers in 2005-2006, while scoring only eleven goals with thirty-three assists, and then just two assists in six postseason games. The Flyers traded Handzus to the Chicago Blackhawks in the offseason for Kyle Calder. This proved to be an unfortunate choice, as Handzus tore his ACL in his eighth game of the 2006-2007 season with Chicago, after scoring three goals and five assists in what looked like a promising season. Nonetheless, Handzus received a four-year contract from the Los Angeles Kings on July 2nd, 2007, worth $16 million. Many would think this might be an overpayment for a player with durability questions in a salary cap era, but Handzus proved the doubters wrong in 2007-2008, playing in all eighty-two games and scoring seven goals and fourteen assists. Notably from the season was that no health questions persisted, but now production was the subject with Handzus. So again, he quelled the doubts by doubling his point total in 2008-2009, scoring eighteen goals and twenty-four assists while playing in every game. He also made another representation for Slovakia at the World Championships, scoring only four assists in six games. The story was similar in 2009-2010, when Handzus missed only one game while scoring twenty goals and twenty-two assists, while seeing the Kings make the playoffs for the first time while he had played for them. In the postseason, he had three goals and two assists over six games. Handzus also represented Slovakia at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, potting three goals and three assists in seven games. This likely kept his mind from having to watch his previous two teams play for the 2010 Stanley Cup, which the Blackhawks won. In 2010-2011, Handzus played in every game again at the age of thirty-three, but his production slipped to twelve goals and eighteen assists in the contract year, and he only had one goal and one assist in six more playoff games. The Kings had seen enough, and let the defensive forward walk at the end of the year, and walk he did to the San Jose Sharks, signing a two-year and $5 million contract after playing at the 2011 World Championships to the tune of two assists in five games. In the 2011-2012 season, Handzus played in only sixty-seven games, while scoring seven goals and passing seventeen more assists, followed by a lackluster postseason of only two games, with no points. Even worse, he watched another former team, the Kings, hoist the Stanley Cup without him. Handzus again had to take his talents overseas when the NHL locked out their players in 2012, and he played in fifteen games with his hometown team in Slovakia, HC '05 Banska Bystrica in the Slovak Extraliga, scoring nine goals and ten assists in fifteen games. He returned to the Sharks once the lockout ended, scoring one goal and one assist in twenty-eight games primarily as a fourth-line shutdown forward. He was then traded back to the Blackhawks for only a fourth round draft pick. Despite the slight of being traded for only a pick, Handzus was able to continue contributing defensively in eleven regular season games with the Blackhawks, and he also scored one goal and five assists. Handzus was a person of focus in the Blackhawks locker room during the playoffs, as the now-thirty-six year old forward had still not won the Stanley Cup. After twenty-three games of playoff hockey, that statement was gone, with Handzus contributing three goals and eight assists as well as spectacular defense to help him finally obtain the Stanley Cup. He was one of the first two people to be handed the Cup after captain Jonathan Toews lifted it, a gesture of respect to the most senior veterans of the team.
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