Mike Komisarek

Michael Komisarek (born January 19, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was selected seventh overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2001 NHL entry draft. Komisarek also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

Playing career Amateur As a youth, Komisarek played in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New York Islanders minor ice hockey team.

Komisarek began playing competitively on Long Island, New York, starting off in the Suffolk PAL organization. He played two years of Varsity hockey at St. Anthony's High School. He then played for the New England Jr. Coyotes of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) under legendary coach Gary Dineen. He was then picked up by USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. He is a student of the respected Lithuanian hockey coach Aleksey Nikiforov.

College Komisarek played two seasons at the University of Michigan, compiling 46 points and 145 penalty minutes in 80 games. He helped the Wolverines men's ice hockey team to a 55–24–10 mark, a Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) title and two trips to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. One of his teammates was fellow Long Islander Eric Nystrom. Komisarek was also named a First Team Division I All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association in 2002.

Professional After two seasons with the University of Michigan, Komisarek was selected seventh overall in the 2001 NHL entry draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He was signed to a contract by the team on July 24, 2002. He played his first NHL game in the 2002–03 season with the Canadiens. He re-signed with the Canadiens in 2007 for a two-year, $3.5 million, along with his friend Chris Higgins, who is also from Long Island.

Komisarek scored his first NHL goal on March 20, 2006, against the Washington Capitals, where he was named the first star of the game. His willingness to stand up for his teammates and his hard-hitting style made him a fan favorite in the Bell Centre.

In the 2006–07 season, Komisarek tied Mike Commodore of the Calgary Flames for most shorthanded goals scored by a defenseman with two.

During the 2007–08 season, Komisarek led the league with 227 blocked shots and finished second in hits with 266 having played only 75 games.

On January 5, 2009, Komisarek played in the NHL All-Star Game, where he was named a starter as voted by the fans alongside his Canadiens defense partner, Andrei Markov.

In July 2009, Komisarek signed a five-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs worth an average of $4.5 million per season. On January 2, 2010, Komisarek injured his shoulder in a game against the Calgary Flames, and on February 3, it was revealed that he would require season-ending surgery. This also meant Komisarek would miss the 2010 Winter Olympics, as he was chosen to represent United States.

On March 20, 2013, Komisarek was placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs. On March 21, 2013, he cleared waivers and with his permission was assigned to the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. With one year left on his contract with the Maple Leafs, Komisarek was released as a free agent after his contract was used in a compliance buy-out on July 2, 2013.

On July 5, 2013, as a free agent, Komisarek signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In September 2014, Komisarek was signed to a professional try-out (PTO) contract by the New Jersey Devils, but was released from it shortly after.

Personal life

Komisarek is of Polish descent. His father, Roman Komisarek, was 24 when he moved to the United States, where he eventually opened an auto-body repair shop on Long Island. Roman Komisarek left his wife Kathy behind in Poland until he could earn enough to afford an apartment and support her. Komisarek stated that, "At that time, my parents knew they wanted to start a family and give me and my sister a better opportunity. [...](My father) moved to Brooklyn, found a job and didn't know the language at all. He just had the clothes on his back. Now, we have a nice home on Long Island, and my parents provided everything we ever needed. I always carried that with me. I always wanted to make them proud." Komisarek also has a sister named Joanne, who is two years younger than he is. His sister is a graduate of Boston College.

In 2014, Komisarek announced that he would be resuming studies at the University of Michigan through the athletic department's Degree Completion Program. On January 9, 2015, Michigan Wolverines head coach Red Berenson announced that Komisarek would join the coaching staff as an undergraduate student assistant.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM1998–99New England Jr. CoyotesEJHL5317244110 — — — — — 1999–2000 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 51 5 8 13 124 — — — — — 1999–2000 U.S. NTDP U18 NAHL 1 0 0 0 16 — — — — — 1999–2000 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 6 0 0 0 12 — — — — — 2000–01 University of Michigan CCHA 41 4 12 16 77 — — — — — 2001–02 University of Michigan CCHA 39 11 19 30 68 — — — — — 2002–03 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 56 5 25 30 79 23 1 5 6 60 2002–03 Montreal Canadiens NHL 21 0 1 1 28 — — — — — 2003–04 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 18 2 7 9 47 — — — — — 2003–04 Montreal Canadiens NHL 46 0 4 4 34 7 0 0 0 8 2004–05 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 20 1 4 5 49 4 0 1 1 8 2005–06 Montreal Canadiens NHL 71 2 4 6 116 6 0 0 0 10 2006–07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 82 4 15 19 96 — — — — — 2007–08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 75 4 13 17 101 12 1 2 3 18 2008–09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 66 2 9 11 121 4 0 0 0 20 2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 34 0 4 4 40 — — — — — 2010–11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 75 1 9 10 86 — — — — — 2011–12 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 45 1 4 5 41 — — — — — 2012–13 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 2012–13 Toronto Marlies AHL 7 0 0 0 10 6 0 1 1 9 2013–14 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 32 0 4 4 14 — — — — — AHL totals 101 8 36 44 185 33 1 7 8 77 NHL totals 551 14 67 81 679 29 1 2 3 56

International

Awards and honors Award Year College All-CCHA Rookie Team 2000–01 All-CCHA First Team 2001–02 CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman 2001–02 AHCA West First-Team All-American 2001–02 CCHA All-Tournament Team 2002 AHL All-Rookie Team 2002–03 NHL All-Star Game 2009