Marián Gáborík

Born	February 14, 1982 (1982-02-14) (age 27), Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
Height Weight	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team F. teams	New York Rangers Minnesota Wild
Ntl. team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	3rd overall, 2000 Minnesota Wild
Pro career	2000 – present

Marián Gáborík (born February 14, 1982 in Trenčín, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has the distinction of being one of fewer than 50 NHL players to have scored five or more goals in a single game and the only one of the 21st century.

Playing career

Minnesota Wild

Gáborík was drafted by the Minnesota Wild with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft after Rick DiPietro and Dany Heatley. Gaborik with the Wild immediately showed promise during his rookie season, collecting 18 goals and 36 points for the expansion Wild. Gáborík elevated his game the following season, in 2001–02, notching his first 30-goal season and nearly doubling his rookie output to 67 points. He also recorded his first NHL hat-trick near the beginning of the season on November 13, 2001.^[1] In 2002–03, Gáborík was named to his first NHL All-Star Game and won the fastest skater competition, lapping the rink in 13.713 seconds.^[2] He notched 30 goals for the second consecutive season, but more importantly helped lead the Wild to their first ever playoff appearance. He capped off his third NHL season with 17 points in 18 games as part of a run to the Western Conference Finals.

Contractual issues kept Gáborík from starting the 2003–04 season with the Wild as his initial entry-level contract came to an end in the off-season. Holding out with HC Dukla Trenčín of the Slovak Extraliga, his agent, Allan Walsh, asserted that Gáborík would not take less than $6.5 million a year.^[3] After switching agents three times, Gáborík eventually agreed to a three-year, $10-million contract with the Wild on October 31, 2003.^[4] Limited to 65 games that season, he recorded 18 goals and 40 points. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Gáborík again returned to HC Dukla Trenčín where he dominated with 52 points in 29 games. He also saw time with Färjestads BK of the Elitserien.

As NHL play resumed in 2005–06, Gáborík took another step forward, becoming a point-per-game player with 38 goals and 66 points in a 65-game season limited by a groin injury. His season was shortened once more the following season in 2006–07, re-injuring his groin on October 20, 2006, against the Anaheim Ducks. Despite a 10-14 day estimated recovery time,^{[citation needed]} he did not return to the lineup until January 6, 2007, against the Colorado Avalanche two-and-a-half months later. Although Gáborík missed 34 games, he still managed a second consecutive 30-goal season to go with 57 points overall.

Gaborik saluting the crowd following his five-goal game in 2007.

On December 20, 2007, Gáborík recorded a six-point game against the New York Rangers with five goals and an assist. This made him the first player in Wild history to score five goals in a game, as well as the first NHLer since Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings did so 11 years earlier (on December 26, 1996, versus the Washington Capitals).^[5] At mid-season, he was chosen to his second NHL All-Star Game and would go on to record personal bests of 42 goals, 41 assists and 83 points. Gáborík finished his career year as team captain for the Wild in March 2008. It was the first time in his career he was chosen as part of the team's monthly rotating captaincy.^[6]

Entering the final year of his contract with the Wild in 2008–09, the Wild began negotiations early to re-sign Gaborik. A deal of $80 million over 10 years was reportedly turned down by Gaborik and the Wild consequently began entertaining trade offers from NHL teams.^[7] His playing time with the Wild was limited in his final year after being sidelined early in the season with a lower-body injury^[7] before undergoing hip surgery in January 2009.^[8] He returned to the lineup on March 21, 2009, against the Edmonton Oilers^[9] and finished the season with 23 points in 17 games.

New York Rangers

Leading up to the free agency period, Gaborik was speculated to have interest in signing with the Vancouver Canucks after The Province reported he had recently bought a home in West Vancouver in the 2009 off-season.^[10] Nevertheless, Gáborík signed as an unrestricted free agent with the New York Rangers on the first day of free agency on July 1, 2009. The Rangers signed him to a reported $37.5 million over five years.^[11]

Gaborik got off to a quick start with his new club, scoring 10 goals in his first 12 games.^[12] Nearly a month into the season, he suffered a knee injury after colliding with former Ranger Petr Prucha in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes on October 26, 2009. However, the injury only caused him to miss 2 games, including a return to Minnesota to play against his former team, the Wild. ^[12]

Awards

• NHL Player of the Week for October 21-27, 2002.
• Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2003 and 2008.
• NHL First Star of the Week for January 7–14, 2008.

Career statistics

International play

Medal record
Competitor for  Slovakia
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Bronze	1999	Canada

Gáborík has played for Slovakia in the following competitions:

• 1999 World Junior Championships (bronze medal)
• 2001 World Championships
• 2004 World Championships
• 2004 World Cup
• 2005 World Championships
• 2006 Winter Olympics
• 2007 World Championships

See also

• Slovaks in the NHL

References

External links

• Marián Gáborík's NHL player profile
• Marián Gáborík's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Marián Gáborík at NHLPA