Mike Komisarek

Playing career

Mike Komisarek got his start in hockey as a kid, taking part in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament while skating for the New York Islanders' minor team. He grew up on Long Island, where his competitive career began with the Suffolk PAL organization. After two seasons of varsity hockey at St. Anthony's High School, he moved on to the New England Jr. Coyotes in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, playing under the well-known coach Gary Dineen. He later joined USA Hockey's National Team Development Program and also studied under Lithuanian coach Aleksey Nikiforov.

Komisarek spent two years at the University of Michigan, putting up 46 points and 145 penalty minutes across 80 games. During his time with the Wolverines, the team went 55–24–10, won a Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship, and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament. One of his teammates there was Eric Nystrom, another Long Island native. In 2002, the American Hockey Coaches Association named Komisarek a First Team Division I All-American.

After his college career, the Montreal Canadiens selected him seventh overall in the 2001 NHL draft. He signed with the team on July 24, 2002, and made his NHL debut during the 2002–03 season. In 2007, he re-signed with Montreal on a two-year deal worth $3.5 million, alongside his fellow Long Islander and friend Chris Higgins. Komisarek scored his first NHL goal on March 20, 2006, against the Washington Capitals, earning first-star honors that night. His tough, physical style and willingness to defend his teammates made him a fan favorite at the Bell Centre.

In the 2006–07 season, he tied Calgary's Mike Commodore for the league lead among defensemen in shorthanded goals, with two. The following year, he led the NHL with 227 blocked shots and finished second in hits with 266, despite playing only 75 games. On January 5, 2009, fans voted him as a starter for the NHL All-Star Game, where he played alongside his Canadiens defensive partner Andrei Markov.

Personal life

Mike Komisarek comes from a Polish family. His father, Roman, arrived in the United States at age 24, leaving his wife Kathy in Poland until he could save enough for an apartment. Roman eventually opened an auto-body repair shop on Long Island. Komisarek has said his parents wanted a better life for him and his sister, and that his father moved to Brooklyn knowing no English and with nothing but the clothes he wore. Komisarek has a younger sister, Joanne, who graduated from Boston College. He is also a Polish speaker. His mother Kathy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2005 and passed away that November at age 51. In 2014, Komisarek announced he would go back to school at the University of Michigan through its athletic department's Degree Completion Program. The following January, Michigan head coach Red Berenson said Komisarek would serve as an undergraduate student assistant on the coaching staff.