Mark Borowiecki

Mark Borowiecki (pronounced ; born July 12, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He ended his career with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first Ottawa native to be drafted by the Ottawa Senators when he was selected 139th overall in the 2008 NHL entry draft. Fans have nicknamed him "Boro Cop".

Playing career

Amateur Borowiecki played two seasons of junior hockey with the Smiths Falls Bears of the Central Junior Hockey League (CJHL) from 2006 until 2008. Borowiecki then chose to go to Clarkson University. Borowiecki was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2008 NHL entry draft. Borowiecki played three seasons with the Golden Knights team in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, scoring 12 goals and 20 assists. He served as team captain for the 2010–11 season.

Professional Ottawa Senators On March 11, 2011, the Ottawa Senators signed Borowiecki to a two-year entry-level contract. He joined the Senators' American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. After playing nine regular season games, Borowiecki contributed two assists and eight penalty minutes in twenty-one playoff games as the Senators won the 2011 Calder Cup.

On January 17, 2012, Borowiecki was called up by the Senators and joined the team on a western road trip. On January 19, Borowiecki made his NHL debut in a 4-1 Ottawa victory over the San Jose Sharks. He joined Chris Phillips on the third pairing. Borowiecki was returned to Binghamton one week later.

Following the resolution of the 2012–13 NHL lock-out Borowiecki began the season in Ottawa, replacing the injured Jared Cowen in the Ottawa line-up. His strong physical presence kept him in the line-up. GM Bryan Murray stated that the defenceman's willingness to compete is "out of sight". Borowiecki was returned to Binghamton after six games with Ottawa.

Borowiecki scored his first NHL goal on November 7, 2013 against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens. On August 18, 2014, Borowiecki and the Senators agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension worth about $3.3 million.

On October 5, 2017, the Senators re-signed Borowiecki to a two-year, $2.4 million contract extension.

On October 23, 2018, Borowiecki elbowed Boston Bruins' defenceman Urho Vaakanainen during a scrum in the Senators' crease. He was not penalized on the play, but received a one-game suspension for the incident. In his first game back on October 28 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Borowiecki delivered an illegal hit to the head of Cody Eakin. Borowiecki was issued a five-minute major penalty on the play, and given a three-game suspension.

Nashville Predators On October 9, 2020, Borowiecki signed as a free agent a two-year, $4 million contract with the Nashville Predators. In his first season with Nashville, Borowiecki suffered a concussion in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes and missed time. On June 1, Borowiecki released a statement on his Instagram account about dealing with problems with his mental health and concussions. On February 15, 2022, Borowiecki signed a one-year extension with the Predators. On April 11, 2022, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins was suspended for four games after delivering an illegal cross-check to Borowiecki's face. On October 22, 2022, Borowiecki was seriously hurt in an awkward collision along the boards with Morgan Frost in a game versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Borowiecki left the ice on a stretcher after briefly falling unconscious. He was taken to the hospital but discharged later that night. He was placed on injured reserve on October 31, 2022 and Jordan Gross was recalled to take his place on the roster. Borowiecki would remain out for the rest of the season, and on May 3, 2023, he announced his retirement.

Personal life Borowiecki married his wife Tara in 2015. Their son was born in 2020.

In a December 2019 off-ice incident in Vancouver, British Columbia, Borowiecki prevented a theft, and attempted a citizen's arrest, earning him the nickname 'Boro Cop.' Borowiecki was shopping for baby clothes and witnessed a man breaking into a car, stealing a backpack. Borowiecki stopped the suspect, retrieving the pack, but the suspect fled.

Career statistics Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2006–07 Smiths Falls Bears CJHL 533252885 600010 2007–08 Smiths Falls Bears CJHL 462242680 151101122 2008–09 Clarkson University ECAC 3311224 ————— 2009–10 Clarkson University ECAC 358111959 ————— 2010–11 Clarkson University ECAC 31381167 ————— 2010–11 Binghamton Senators AHL 90006 210228 2011–12 Binghamton Senators AHL 7351722127 ————— 2011–12 Ottawa Senators NHL 20002 ————— 2012–13 Binghamton Senators AHL 53 4 10 14 157 3 1 0 1 4 2012–13 Ottawa Senators NHL 600018 ————— 2013–14 Binghamton Senators AHL 50 2 6 8 158 4 0 0 0 4 2013–14 Ottawa Senators NHL 1310148 ————— 2014–15 Ottawa Senators NHL 6311011107 6 0 0 0 6 2015–16 Ottawa Senators NHL 63112107 ————— 2016–17 Ottawa Senators NHL 70 1 2 3 154 2 0 0 0 2 2017–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 52381164 ————— 2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 53 1 4 5 89 ————— 2019–20 Ottawa Senators NHL 537111858 ————— 2020–21 Nashville Predators NHL 22 0 1 1 38 ————— 2021–22 Nashville Predators NHL 57044151 20000 2022–23 Nashville Predators NHL 4 0 0 0 12 ————— NHL totals 458 15 41 56 848 10 0 0 0 8