| Patrik Elias |
| Patrik Elias Left Wing-Center Left-Handed Shot Height: 6' 1", Weight: 195 pounds Born: 4.13.76 Trebic, Czech Republic |
| How he arrived: Via Entry Draft How he left: Still Active With The Devils |
| Regular Season Statistics with the Franchise Stats in bold signifies team leader. |
Elias was one of the more skilled players to come out of the Czech Republic in the mid-90s. He was also one of the harder
working players that the Devils got in that time. He even refused to join the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (a junior
A team) to immediately join the Albany River Rats, the Devils' AHL farm team for the 95-96 season.
While there, he exhibited his skill and determination to the point where he earned a call-up to the main team.
He would ultimately get a permanent spot in 97-98 and earned a Calder Trophy nomination, finishing third behind winner Sergei
Samsonov and Matthias Ohlund.
Also that year, Elias was passed up to be part of the Czech team that won gold in the Nagano Olympics, which bummed him
out, but made him more determined to show what he can do. All he did was win 2 Stanley Cups, set a team/franchise record for
points in a season, and had 5 consecutive 20-plus goal seasons, 3 of those being 30-plus, and of course, the Four-0 season in
00-01. (To this day, he's still breaking records, mostly career totals now.)
While playing in the Russian League during the lockout, he contracted Hepatitis A, which kept him out of action well into the
05-06 season once the NHL finally resumed play. He came back, though, like a house on fire then.
He earned the captaincy the following year. He felt the pressure big time of trying to be a good captain that his play suffered at
times, although he didn't have a bad year statswise. He even struggled at the beginning of the 07-08 season (now without the
C). Brent Sutter made a bold move by moving him to center to try and get him more involved in the play. It ended up being a
great move; his play picked up immensely.
Even today, he still remains a go-to guy when the game's on the line. He's one of the league record holders for OT game winning
goals in regular season play.
You can almost forgive him then for getting the flu twice a season then, probably because his immune system is not the same
thanks to the Hep.
working players that the Devils got in that time. He even refused to join the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (a junior
A team) to immediately join the Albany River Rats, the Devils' AHL farm team for the 95-96 season.
While there, he exhibited his skill and determination to the point where he earned a call-up to the main team.
He would ultimately get a permanent spot in 97-98 and earned a Calder Trophy nomination, finishing third behind winner Sergei
Samsonov and Matthias Ohlund.
Also that year, Elias was passed up to be part of the Czech team that won gold in the Nagano Olympics, which bummed him
out, but made him more determined to show what he can do. All he did was win 2 Stanley Cups, set a team/franchise record for
points in a season, and had 5 consecutive 20-plus goal seasons, 3 of those being 30-plus, and of course, the Four-0 season in
00-01. (To this day, he's still breaking records, mostly career totals now.)
While playing in the Russian League during the lockout, he contracted Hepatitis A, which kept him out of action well into the
05-06 season once the NHL finally resumed play. He came back, though, like a house on fire then.
He earned the captaincy the following year. He felt the pressure big time of trying to be a good captain that his play suffered at
times, although he didn't have a bad year statswise. He even struggled at the beginning of the 07-08 season (now without the
C). Brent Sutter made a bold move by moving him to center to try and get him more involved in the play. It ended up being a
great move; his play picked up immensely.
Even today, he still remains a go-to guy when the game's on the line. He's one of the league record holders for OT game winning
goals in regular season play.
You can almost forgive him then for getting the flu twice a season then, probably because his immune system is not the same
thanks to the Hep.
| Back to: |
| Entry Draft: 1994 Second Round Pick (51st overall) by the New Jersey Devils |
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| Playoff Statistics with the Franchise |
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