Miroslav Šatan (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmirɔslaw ˈʂatan]; born 22 October 1974) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger, who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), five in the Tipos Extraliga, and three in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Šatan was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019.

Miroslav Šatan
Šatan in 2010
Born (1974-10-22) 22 October 1974 (age 50)
Jacovce, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Left
Played for Dukla Trenčín
Edmonton Oilers
Buffalo Sabres
Slovan Bratislava
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Boston Bruins
Dynamo Moscow
National team  Slovakia
NHL draft 111th overall, 1993
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 1992–2014

Playing career

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Pre-NHL

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In 1991–92, Šatan played for the local HC Topoľčany and did remarkably well, as he scored 30 goals and had 22 assists in just 31 games. He then graduated to the senior division within the same year. When he became 18, he joined Dukla Trenčín rather than enter compulsory army service for Slovakia (which stopped in 2006). He played there for the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons.[1]

Edmonton Oilers

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Šatan was drafted 111th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Prior to his entry into the NHL, he played in the Czechoslovak and Slovak leagues and he had scored nine goals in eight games representing Slovakia at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.[2]

In 1994–95, Šatan played a season in the minor leagues, split between four teams including the Oilers' minor league affiliate, the Cape Breton Oilers, and the International Hockey League's Detroit Vipers. While with the Vipers, he scored the winning goal in an exhibition game against Wayne Gretzky's Ninety-Niners, an all-star team put together by Gretzky during the 1994–95 NHL lockout.

Buffalo Sabres

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After two seasons with the Oilers, Šatan was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Craig Millar and Barrie Moore. He would lead the Sabres in scoring on six occasions. During the 2004–05 NHL Lockout, Šatan played for Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak Extraliga. After the lockout, Šatan was not offered a contract by the Sabres.[3]

New York Islanders

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Šatan signed as a free agent with the New York Islanders on 3 August 2005.[4] He led the Islanders in goals in the 2005–06 season. His 35 goals during the season were his highest goal-output since the 2001–02 season with the Sabres. Almost half his 35 goals came on the power play (17), also a career personal best.[2] Šatan tied for the team lead in points with 66, shared with captain Alexei Yashin. Also in 2005–06, Šatan went seven for ten (70%) and was third in the NHL in shooting percentage in the shootout.

On 2 December 2006, he scored his 300th career goal, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Earlier in the season, he had recorded his 300th career assist and his 600th career point.

On 24 March 2007, Šatan missed the Islanders' game in Philadelphia for personal reasons, ending a streak of having played in 305 consecutive games. It was the fourth longest active streak at the time, and marked the second time in his career that he had played over 250 consecutive games. He had a 256-game streak as a member of the Sabres that ended in November 2002.[2]

Pittsburgh Penguins

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Šatan with the Pittsburgh Penguins

On 3 July 2008, Šatan signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[5] During the 2008–09 season, Šatan was placed on waivers by Pittsburgh on 4 March 2009, the same day as the NHL trade deadline, not long after playing in his 1,000th NHL game. Having not been claimed by another team, Šatan was assigned to the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.[6] In Wilkes-Barre, Šatan had three goals and nine points in ten games. Various reports credited him with being upbeat and a good influence, especially with the younger players.

On 10 April 2009, Šatan was recalled by Pittsburgh and cleared re-entry waivers. He re-established himself with the Penguins in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs when he played against the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on April 23.[7] He then played in nine games and won his first ever Stanley Cup as a member of the Penguins.

The Penguins did not re-sign Šatan when his contract expired at the end of the season, and he was not signed during the free agency period.

Boston Bruins

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With the Boston Bruins in 2010

On 2 January 2010, Šatan signed a US$700,000 contract with the Boston Bruins for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. The contract included a no movement clause.[8] He made his Bruins debut against the Ottawa Senators on January 5, finishing with a +2 plus-minus. He scored his first a goal as a Bruin on January 7 against Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi. On April 21, he scored the game-winning goal in double overtime to defeat the Buffalo Sabres and take a 3–1 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. On April 26, Šatan then scored the series-winning goal over the Sabres with 5:11 remaining in the game.[9]

Dynamo Moscow

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At the beginning of 2011, Šatan signed with Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) until the end of 2010–11 season. The club opted not to renew his contract upon its expiry.[10]

Return to Slovan Bratislava and retirement

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On 8 September 2011, Šatan moved to the Slovak Extraliga to rejoin former club Slovan Bratislava.[11] In 2012–13, Slovan moved from the Slovak Extraliga to the KHL and named Šatan team captain. He was badly injured by his former Boston Bruins teammate Zdeno Chára in a match against Lev Praha on 3 November 2012.[12] Subsequently, Šatan said he did not know if he would play another hockey match in his life.[13] Šatan would return to play in the 2013 IIHF World Championship.[14]

Šatan announced his retirement from professional ice hockey on 20 May 2014.[15][16]

Post-playing career

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In September 2015, Šatan was appointed general manager for Team Europe to compete in the 2016 World Cup.[17] Team Europe finished second in the tournament after losing the final series to Canada.[18]

In June 2019, he was elected President of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation.[19]

Personal life

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Šatan grew up in Topoľčany, Slovakia. He married his long-time girlfriend Ingrid in 2004. They have a son, Miroslav Jr., born in March 2006 and a daughter, Viktoria, born in July 2009, and live in Jericho, New York. Miroslav Jr. also plays hockey, and was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL entry draft.[20]

Because Šatan's name is a heteronym of Satan, many devil-related jokes have been made at his expense. During his career, many sports-data sites (including Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Yahoo) used the number 666 in the URL of Šatan's page.[21] A popular April Fool's joke had Šatan traded to the New Jersey Devils and been made captain of his new team, making Šatan the "leader" of the Devils. After Šatan announced his retirement in 2014, the Yahoo headline read: "Satan be gone!"[22]

Awards and honors

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Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1991–92 HC Topoľčany SVK.2 9 2 1 3 6
1992–93 ASVŠ Dukla Trenčín TCH 38 11 6 17
1993–94 Dukla Trenčín SVK 30 32 16 48 16 9 10 6 16
1994–95 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 25 24 16 40 15
1994–95 Detroit Vipers IHL 8 1 3 4 4
1994–95 Detroit Falcons CoHL 1 0 2 2 2
1994–95 San Diego Gulls IHL 6 0 2 2 6
1995–96 Edmonton Oilers NHL 62 18 17 35 22
1996–97 Edmonton Oilers NHL 64 17 11 28 22
1996–97 Buffalo Sabres NHL 12 8 2 10 4 7 0 0 0 0
1997–98 Buffalo Sabres NHL 79 22 24 46 34 14 5 4 9 4
1998–99 Buffalo Sabres NHL 81 40 26 66 44 12 3 5 8 2
1999–2000 Buffalo Sabres NHL 81 33 34 67 32 5 3 2 5 0
1999–2000 Dukla Trenčín SVK 3 2 8 10 2
2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 29 33 62 36 13 3 10 13 8
2001–02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 37 36 73 33
2002–03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 79 26 49 75 20
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 82 29 28 57 30
2003–04 Slovan Bratislava SVK 7 6 4 10 41
2004–05 Slovan Bratislava SVK 18 11 9 20 14 18 15 7 22 16
2005–06 New York Islanders NHL 82 35 31 66 38
2006–07 New York Islanders NHL 81 27 32 59 46 5 1 2 3 0
2007–08 New York Islanders NHL 80 16 25 41 39
2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 65 17 19 36 36 17 1 5 6 11
2008–09 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 10 3 6 9 4
2009–10 Boston Bruins NHL 38 9 5 14 12 13 5 5 10 6
2010–11 Slovan Bratislava SVK 10 10 6 16 22
2010–11 Dynamo Moscow KHL 6 1 2 3 4 2 0 0 0 0
2011–12 Slovan Bratislava SVK 49 23 29 52 127 12 8 14 22 10
2012–13 Slovan Bratislava KHL 21 7 5 12 22
2013–14 Slovan Bratislava KHL 23 9 3 12 8
SVK totals 117 84 72 156 222 39 33 27 60 26
NHL totals 1,050 363 372 735 464 86 21 33 54 41
KHL totals 50 17 10 27 34 2 0 0 0 0

International

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Medal record
Representing   Slovakia
World Championships
  2002 Sweden
  2000 Russia
  2012 Finland/Sweden
  2003 Finland
Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1994 Slovakia WJC C 4 6 7 13 4
1994 Slovakia OLY 8 9 0 9 0
1994 Slovakia WC C 6 7 1 8 18
1995 Slovakia WC B 7 7 6 13 4
1996 Slovakia WC 5 0 3 3 6
1996 Slovakia WCH 3 0 0 0 2
2000 Slovakia WC 9 10 2 12 14
2002 Slovakia OLY 2 0 1 1 0
2002 Slovakia WC 9 5 8 13 2
2003 Slovakia WC 9 6 4 10 2
2004 Slovakia WC 9 4 4 8 4
2005 Slovakia WC 7 2 2 4 8
2006 Slovakia OLY 6 0 2 2 2
2007 Slovakia WC 7 1 7 8 4
2010 Slovakia OLY 6 1 1 2 0
2010 Slovakia WC 2 0 0 0 0
2011 Slovakia WC 6 2 3 5 4
2012 Slovakia WC 10 4 2 6 4
2013 Slovakia WC 8 1 2 3 2
2014 Slovakia WC 7 1 2 3 4
Senior totals 129 61 49 110 84

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Miroslav Šatan biography". referaty.atlas.sk. 30 November 2002. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "Miroslav Satan". hockeydraft.ca.
  3. ^ "Satan a free agent after Sabres decline option". ESPN. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Satan signs with Islanders". TSN. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  5. ^ "Penguins sign Miroslav Satan". Pittsburgh Penguins. 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  6. ^ "Pittsburgh assign Miroslav Satan to Wilkes-Barre". Pittsburgh Penguins. 4 August 2009. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  7. ^ "Pittsburgh Penguins' Satan rising to the occasion". bleacherreport.com. 9 May 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  8. ^ "Bruins sign Miroslav Šatan for the remainder of the season". 2 January 2010.
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Moscow release Satan, Strbak, and Chris Simon | Sports.ru in English"". Archived from the original on 17 May 2011.
  11. ^ "Miro Šatan v Slovane! Zatiaľ na mesiac". 9 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Slovan zvíťazil v Prahe nad Levom. Chára zranil Šatana". 3 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  13. ^ "Miroslav Šatan: "Modlite sa, aby som ešte hral!"". 18 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Age No Obstacle for Miroslav Šatan". 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  15. ^ "Slovenská legenda se loučí, Šatan ukončil aktivní kariéru". Aktuálně.cz (in Czech). 20 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Former Sabres star Satan announces retirement". NHL.com. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  17. ^ Hornby, Lance (9 September 2015). "Satan to run Team Europe for World Cup in 2016". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Canada rallies to beat Team Europe, wins World Cup of Hockey". ESPN. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  19. ^ Etchells, Daniel (29 June 2019). "Slovak Ice Hockey Federation elects new President". Inside the Games. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  20. ^ Cerullo, Chris (29 June 2024). "Capitals draft son of Satan". Russian Machine Never Breaks. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Miroslav Satan Is Known by the Number of the Beast". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Satan be gone: Miroslav Satan calls it a career after IIHF worlds".
  23. ^ "Šatan and Pálffy become IIHF hall of famers". Radio and Television of Slovakia. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  24. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (6 February 2019). "Hall of Fame Class of 2019 named". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
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Preceded by Buffalo Sabres captain
October 2003
Succeeded by