Marián Gáborík

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Gabby
Height
Weight
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
199 lb (90 kg/14 st 3 lb)
NHL Team Minnesota Wild
Nationality Flag of Slovakia Slovakia
Born February 14, 1982 (1982-02-14) (age 26),
Trenčín, Slovakia then CSSR
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 2000
Minnesota Wild
Pro career 1997 – present

Marián Gáborík (born February 14, 1982 in Trenčín, Slovakia) is a Slovak professional ice hockey player and one of fewer than 50 National Hockey League players to have scored five or more goals in a single game. He plays right wing for the NHL Minnesota Wild.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Gáborík was drafted by the Wild with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft after Rick DiPietro and Dany Heatley. He showed promise during his rookie season, collecting 18 goals for the expansion Wild. Gáborík took the next step forward in the 2001-2002 season as he notched his first 30 goal season and had a career high 67 points. Marián again would score 30 goals the following year, but more importantly helped lead the Wild to its first ever playoff experience, capping off the season with a trip to the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, injuries and contract issues have riddled the last two seasons for Gáborík. In the 03-04 season, Marián Gáborík was limited to only 65 games due to contract disputes. During the 2005-2006 season a groin injury limited him again to only 65 games. However, Gáborík still managed to score 38 goals in 2005-2006 and produced his 8th career hat trick, and has turned the trick against a team from all six divisions. Marián is an immense talent, widely regarded as one of the most explosive and electrifying players in hockey and also exemplified by his selection to the Slovakian Olympic team and his offensive production on a defensive minded team. Yet, he still receives criticism for his inconsistency and inability to remain in the lineup and his commitment to the team is questionable. Gáborík recently signed 3-year 19 million dollar contract extension with the Wild.

Gáborík has never played a full 82-game NHL season as he has suffered recurring groin injuries. On October 20, 2006, Marian suffered a groin strain against the Anaheim Ducks. Initial reports listed a 10 to 14 day recovery time, which was a significant under estimate. He returned to the lineup January 6, 2007 against the Colorado Avalanche, two and a half months later missing 34 games.

On December 20, 2007, Gaborik had a six point game against the New York Rangers with 5 goals and an assist. This made him the first player in Wild history to score 5 goals in a game, as well as the first NHLer since Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings 11 years earlier (on December 26, 1996, versus Washington Capitals).[1]

Gaborik was named the Minnesota Wild captain for the month of March 2008, the first time in his career that he has captained the team (the Minnesota Wild have a captaincy that is rotated monthly).[2]

[edit] Awards

  • NHL Player of the Week for October 21-27, 2002
  • Played in the 2003 NHL All-Star game, and the 2008 NHL All Star Game

[edit] Records

  • Recorded his first NHL hat-trick on November 13, 2001. [1]
  • Won the fastest skater competition at the 2003 All-Star Game, lapping the rink in 13.713 seconds.[2]
  • Scored 5 goals and 1 assist on December 20, 2007 against New York Rangers.
  • Received the NHL's 1st Star of the Week award January 7-14, 2008
  • 83 Points in the 2007-2008 Regular Season.

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM +/- PP SH GW GP G A Pts PIM
2000-01 Minnesota Wild NHL 71 18 18 36 32 -6 6 0 3 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 Minnesota Wild NHL 78 30 37 67 34 0 10 0 4 -- -- -- -- --
2002-03 Minnesota Wild NHL 81 30 35 65 46 +12 5 1 8 18 9 8 17 6
2003-04 HC Dukla Trenčín SVK 9 10 3 13 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Minnesota Wild NHL 65 18 22 40 16 +10 3 0 4 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 HC Dukla Trenčín SVK 29 25 27 52 46 -- -- -- -- 12 8 9 17 26
2004-05 Färjestads BK SEL 12 6 4 10 45 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Minnesota Wild NHL 65 38 28 66 64 +6 10 2 7 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Minnesota Wild NHL 48 30 27 57 40 +12 12 1 7 5 3 1 4 8
2007-08 Minnesota Wild NHL 77 42 41 83 63 +17 11 1 8
NHL totals 485 206 208 414 299 +51 57 5 41 23 12 9 21 14
Preceded by
Nick Schultz
Minnesota Wild captains
March & April 2008
Succeeded by
TBD

[edit] International play

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Recap. Sports Illustrated (2007). Retrieved on 21 December 2007.
  2. ^ Recap. Minnesota Wild and NHL (2008). Retrieved on 1 March 2008.

[edit] External links