# Patrik Eliáš

Patrik Eliáš (Czech pronunciation: ; born 13 April 1976) is a Czech former professional hockey winger who played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils. Eliáš is the franchise's all-time leader in points, goals and assists, and he holds the franchise record for most career game-winning goals (80). Eliáš won the Stanley Cup twice with the Devils, in 2000 and 2003. He also ranks second in points by a Czech-born player in the NHL behind Jaromír Jágr. Internationally Eliáš represented the Czech national team in multiple tournaments, including four Winter Olympics and four World Championships, winning one Olympic bronze medal and two more at the World Championships. He is a member of the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.

## Early life

Eliáš was born on 13 April 1976 in Třebíč, Czechoslovakia to Zdeňka Eliášová and Zdeněk Eliáš.

## Playing career

Eliáš was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round, 51st overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut on 7 December 1995 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While Eliáš spent the majority of the 1996–97 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Albany River Rats, he was occasionally recalled to the Devils lineup. He scored his first NHL regular-season goal on 12 December 1996 against the Boston Bruins. Eliáš recorded two goals and three assists through 17 games with the Devils, but found the most success playing alongside Petr Sýkora and Sergei Brylin while with the River Rats. As the Devils qualified for the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs, Eliáš recorded his first playoff goal on 22 April against the Montreal Canadiens.
Eliáš scored one goal through three games with the Devils to start the 1997–98 season before being sidelined for a week due to back spasms. He was reassigned to the River Rats by head coach Jacques Lemaire on 16 October for a conditioning stint. Lemaire said the reassignment was not because of Eliáš's back problems but because he wanted him to work harder. Within his first two games with the River Rats, Eliáš scored his first professional hat-trick. He was recalled to the NHL shortly thereafter as an temporary injury replacement for Dave Andreychuk, but impressed Lemaire enough to remain in the NHL. Eliáš was recognized as the NHL's Player of the Week on 3 November after scoring five goals and one assist through three games. By the start of December, Eliáš was tied with Václav Prospal for third place in rookie scoring with 10 goals and five assists. He surpassed Prospal by the end of the month and secured first place in rookie scoring in January. Despite continuing to lead all rookies in scoring, Eliáš was limited to two goals over 15 games in February. He was scratched twice before being reassigned to the River Rats on 27 February 1998 to make room for Ken Daneyko. While team general manager Lou Lamoriello admitted that he "deserves to play in the NHL," Eliáš was one of three players the Devils could reassign to the AHL without having to clear waivers. However, he was almost immediately recalled back to the NHL as an injury replacement for Scott Daniels. After scoring a goal on 9 March, Eliáš went nearly a month without scoring a goal before breaking the streak on 5 April. Despite his scoring struggles, Eliáš was promoted onto a line with Bobby Holík and Randy McKay midway through March. He finished the regular season ranked second among rookies with 18 goals and third with 37 points. He was subsequently named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year.
Due to stagnant contract negotiations, Eliáš missed the first few games of the 1999–00 season before agreeing to a three-year contract on 25 October. Along with Petr Sýkora and Jason Arnott (who together formed the "A-Line"), he helped lead the team to a Stanley Cup in the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored twice against the Philadelphia Flyers in the deciding Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and also assisted on Arnott's Stanley Cup-clinching goal in double overtime in Game 6 away against the Dallas Stars. The following year, he scored a team-record 96 points in the regular season, third-best in the NHL. Two years later, he played a key role in New Jersey's 2003 Stanley Cup victory after recording seven points (three goals and four assists) in the finals series against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Eliáš played hockey in the Russian Superleague (RSL) for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. While playing in Russia, Eliáš contracted Hepatitis A and spent nearly a month in a Czech Republic hospital. As a result of the illness, he also lost 30 pounds. He subsequently missed the first three months of the 2005–06 season before making his season debut on 3 January 2006, against the Florida Panthers. Eliáš scored two goals and six assists in his first four games back from his illness which helped the Devils maintain a four-game win streak. However, while representing his home country at the 2006 Winter Olympics, Eliáš suffered a back and rib injury that bothered him for the remainder of the season. He was eventually placed on the teams' injured reserve list on 2 March retroactive to 15 February. Eliáš recorded three assists in his first four games back from his injury and finished the regular season with 16 goals and 29 assists.
As the Devils qualified for the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, Eliáš played a significant role in the Devils' four-game sweep of the New York Rangers. In Game 1 of their first round series, Eliáš recorded two goals and four assists. His six points were the second most ever scored in one playoff game in franchise history and secured his place as the Devils' leading playoff scorer. He scored twice in Game 4 to help the Devils advance to the second round and finished the playoffs with six goals and 10 assists in nine games. Before free agency began, Eliáš fired his agent and made the decision to represent himself. However, after initiating discussions directly with general manager Lou Lamoriello, he chose to hire Allan Walsh to act as his representative while he was in the Czech Republic. As a free agent, Eliáš received a $7.5 million offer from the Chicago Blackhawks but ultimately accepted a $7 million contract with the Rangers. However, the Rangers contract never came to fruition after the team's general manager refused to include a no-movement clause in the contract. Following this, Eliáš reached out to Lamoriello, and the two sides came to terms on a seven-year, $42 million contract that included the requested no-movement clause.
Eliáš was named the Devils' seventh captain in the team's history on 5 October 2006. However, he later admitted that being named captain hurt his play in the 2006–07 season and contributed to his low goals total. Under new head coach Brent Sutter, Eliáš was stripped of the captaincy at the start of the 2007–08 season and replaced with Jamie Langenbrunner. Eliáš stated that he was never informed of the reason behind Sutter's decision to strip him of his captaincy.
On 17 March 2009, Eliáš became the Devils' all-time leading point scorer by recording his 702nd NHL regular season point, an assist on Brian Gionta's shorthanded goal. However, as teammate Martin Brodeur also set his own record that night with his 551st win, Eliáš gave the game puck to him instead. Eliáš was the winner of the 2009 Golden Hockey Stick as the best Czech hockey player, ending Jaromír Jágr's four-year streak.
While Eliáš missed the first 13 games of the 2009–10 season with a groin injury, he scored three goals and seven assists over his first 10 games back. He scored his 300th career goal on 12 December 2009, against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Eliáš was selected to be the Devils' sole representative at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. This was his third All-Star appearance, and he was eventually selected by Team Staal in the first-ever NHL All-Star "fantasy draft". On 19 February 2011, Eliáš recorded the 800th NHL point by tallying three assists in a 4–1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. On 1 April 2011, Eliáš scored his eighth career hat trick in a win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
On 17 December 2011, Eliáš scored his 347th and 348th career goals to surpass John MacLean as the Devils' all-time leading goalscorer. Eliáš played his 1,000th career NHL game on 6 January 2012, against the Florida Panthers. In the game, he scored a goal and recorded two assists in a 5–2 victory.
On 27 January 2013, Eliáš recorded his 900th career NHL point with one goal and two assists against the Montreal Canadiens.
Eliáš set numerous personal and franchise records through the second half of the 2015–16 season. On 6 January 2015, Eliáš recorded one goal and two assists to become the 82nd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points. On 6 February, he became the 91st player in NHL history to record 400 career goals. His milestone goal also helped lift the Devils to a 4–1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On 31 March 2017, Eliáš announced his retirement from professional ice hockey.
On 3 August 2017, the Devils announced that his no. 26 would be retired on 24 February 2018, prior to a game against the New York Islanders, the team against whom Eliáš played the most games in his career (91) and scored the most points against (86) over his career. Eliáš became the first forward to have his number retired by the Devils and the fifth Devil overall.

## International play

Eliáš played his first game in the national squad in 1998, and has played 40 times for the national team, scoring 20 goals (as of end of season 2010/2011). He was selected as captain of the Czech squad for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

## Personal life

Eliáš married Petra Volakova, also a native Czech, in the 2007 off-season. Together they have two daughters. On 10 January 2018, Eliáš became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Due to his experience with Hepatitis A, Eliáš became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2006. In his role as an ambassador, he volunteered in Belize with Czech UNICEF in 2008.

## Records

* New Jersey Devils record for career points (1025).
* New Jersey Devils record for career goals (408).
* New Jersey Devils record for career assists (617).
* New Jersey Devils all-time leader in playoff goals (45), assists (80), and points (125).
* New Jersey Devils record for most points in a playoff season (23).
* New Jersey Devils record for career game-winning goals (80).
* New Jersey Devils record for career overtime goals (16).
* Most career overtime points (37).
* New Jersey Devils record for career hat tricks (8).
* New Jersey Devils record for career shots on goal (3,201).
* New Jersey Devils record for career power play goals (110).
* Eliáš is the only NHL player to be awarded two penalty shots in overtime. Both occurred in separate games versus the New York Islanders, and in both cases, Eliáš missed the penalty shot.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1992–93 | Poldi SONP Kladno | TCH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Poldi SONP Kladno | CZE | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 1994–95 | Poldi SONP Kladno | CZE | 28 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| 1995–96 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 74 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 83 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 1995–96 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 57 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 76 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 1996–97 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 17 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 1997–98 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 17 | 33 | 50 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 1999–00 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 72 | 35 | 37 | 72 | 58 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 9 |
| 1999–00 | HC IPB Pojišťovna Pardubice | CZE | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | CZE-2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 40 | 56 | 96 | 51 | 25 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 10 |
| 2001–02 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| 2002–03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 28 | 29 | 57 | 22 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 26 |
| 2003–04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 38 | 43 | 81 | 44 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| 2004–05 | HC JME Znojemští Orli | CZE | 28 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2004–05 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | RSL | 17 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2005–06 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 38 | 16 | 29 | 45 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 4 |
| 2006–07 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 21 | 48 | 69 | 38 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 |
| 2007–08 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 38 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| 2008–09 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 77 | 31 | 47 | 78 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2009–10 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 58 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 2010–11 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 21 | 41 | 62 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 26 | 52 | 78 | 16 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 |
| 2012–13 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 48 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 65 | 18 | 35 | 53 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 69 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 1,240 | 408 | 617 | 1,025 | 549 | 162 | 45 | 80 | 125 | 89 |

### International

| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1994 | Czech Republic | EJC | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| 1998 | Czech Republic | WC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | Czech Republic | OLY | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | Czech Republic | WCH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2006 | Czech Republic | OLY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 | Czech Republic | WC | 7 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| 2009 | Czech Republic | WC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2010 | Czech Republic | OLY | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2011 | Czech Republic | WC | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| 2014 | Czech Republic | OLY | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Senior totals | Senior totals | Senior totals | 40 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 28 |

## Awards and honours
### NHL

* Stanley Cup champion – 2000, 2003
* NHL All-Star Game – 2000, 2002, 2011, 2015
* NHL First All-Star team – 2001
* NHL Plus-Minus Award – 2001 (shared with Joe Sakic)
* NHL All-Rookie team – 1998
* No. 26 Jersey was retired by the New Jersey Devils on 24 February 2018

### International

* Winter Olympics bronze medal – 2006
* Ice Hockey World Championship bronze medal – 1998, 2011
* Golden Hockey Stick – 2009, 2012
* Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame – 2022