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MEETING WITH MARIUSZ CZERKAWSKI - NOVEMBER 24th, 2003
The following are pictures
that I took from the meeting with Mariusz Czerkawski on
Monday, November 24th.
The critics agree:
The meeting was a success.
I attended my first meeting tonight
with my 8 year old and 6 year old sons. They had a
great time and we will be coming to future meetings.
-David Rothstein
Here is a synopsis of the
meeting from new Booster Club member Joe McDonald.
Thanks Joe!
Mariusz
Czerkawski Speaks to Islander Fans
by:
Joe McDonald | Tuesday, November 25 2003
Long Island has been good to
Mariusz Czerkawski. After a year in
Montreal, the right winger returned to the
 Islanders. He
is now the team’s leading scorer. “It’s nice
to be back in Long Island,” Czerkawski said
at the
New
York Islanders Booster Club Meeting. “I
never wanted to leave.”
After being traded to the Canadiens in 2002,
he returned as a free agent this past
summer. “(GM) Mike (Milbury) called my
agent,” he said. “I love playing for the
Islanders again.”
He credits the fans for creating his love
for Long Island. “There is so much energy
from the fans at home,” said the forward,
feeling that this energy is the main reason
why the Islanders play so well at the
Coliseum.
Czerkawski leads New York with 11 goals this
season. He feels that moving back to right
wing has helped him regain the scoring
touch. “You see the net from a different
angle. In Europe the left-handed players are
put on the right wing, which is different
from the North American players (who play on
the same side as their shot),” Czerkawski
said. That would explain why he had
difficulty last year in Montreal, who played
the left-handed Polish native on the left
wing.
Speaking in front of about 120 fans,
Czerkawski answered questions and signed
autographs. He spoke on a variety of topics
in his life. He loves playing tennis in his
spare time and chose to pursue hockey over
soccer at the age of 12 in his native
Poland. However, hockey and the team that
plays 41 games at Nassau Coliseum were the
main topics of the day.
He was asked about the power play, which he
feels is “close” to being what it should be,
and added that center Alexi Yashin will move
from playing the point. Czerkawski also
feels that goalie Rick DiPietro will “only
get better” and has no problem with the
goalie’s style of moving out of the crease.
“I hope he scores,” said Czerkawski.
The right winger spoke about his native
country and hopes that his success will
increase hockey interest in Poland.
Czerkawski believes that while there has
been an increase of players already coming
over, there will be "more guys" in the
future. He added that he loves playing in
Chicago, because of the large Polish
population that comes to the games.
Marius Czerkawski was drafted in the fifth
round (126 overall) of the 1991 draft by the
Boston Bruins. He came up in 1994, and was
traded to the Oilers two years later.
“(Edmonton) has great ice to play on,” he
said about his former home arena.
He was traded to New York during the 1996
off-season, and outside of the one year in
Montreal has been an Islander ever since. In
11 NHL seasons, Czerkawski has 193 goals and
200 assists. |
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The meeting was well
attended with over 100 people coming. We had a
lot of youngsters in attendance and they had some great
questions to give Mariusz. Thanks to #21 for
attending. If you have a comment about the
meeting, please send me an
e-mail, so I can add it to the notes from the
meeting. THANKS AGAIN!
To see a larger picture -
click on the thumbnail picture below.... To go
back to this page, click on the back button on your
browser.
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# 21 begins the meeting
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Mariusz talks about his career in Europe before coming to North America
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Ashley is running the 50/50 booth
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"I am so glad to be back on Long Island!"
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Mariusz ponders the next question.
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The kids are getting involved
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The kids gave great questions.....
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A view from the crowd
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And another happy winner.........
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Thanks Mariusz for coming!
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Happy 21st Birthday Jennifer!
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