Michal Handzus, who was on the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2013 Stanley Cup-winning team, will announce his retirement from professional hockey Friday, reports Slovakian journalist Tomas Prokop.
Former Stanley Cup winner with @NHLBlackhawks Michal Handzuš end his hockey career. Las time he played in season 2016/2017 for club from his hometown Banska Bystrica. He played in NHL for 6 clubs. Overall he had 1010 games and 483 points. @ByScottPowers
— Tomas Prokop (@Lewysko) August 21, 2018
Handzus played two stint with the Hawks (2006 and 2013). He was acquired in trade from Philadelphia, but only eight games into the 2006 season he suffered a season-ending ACL tear. In the summer, he signed a four-year deal with Los Angeles and played there until 2011 when he joined San Jose for two seasons before ending his NHL career with Chicago.
Handzus scored five goals and dished out 17 assists in 70 regular-season games during his second stint with the Hawks. He added 14 points in the playoffs, including 11 during the 2013 Cup run with a short-handed goal in Game 4 of the Cup Final.
Captain Jonathan Toews even handed off the Cup to him first.
Handzus’ most famous goal with Chicago, however, came against the Kings when he scored in double overtime in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.
St. Louis originally drafted Handzus with the 101st overall pick in the 1995 NHL draft. He scored 483 points in 1,009 NHL career games with six different teams. Handzus also helped Slovakia win gold at the 2002 World Championship and silver in 2000 and 2012.