Patrik Eliáš (; born 13 April 1976) is a Czech former professional hockey winger who played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), all for the New Jersey Devils.
He was drafted in the second round of the 1994 NHL draft by New Jersey. He played most of the next two seasons in the American Hockey League with multiple call-ups before staying with the Devils for good in the season, where he recorded 18 goals and 37 points that saw him finish as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy and named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. In the season, he had 35 goals and in the Stanley Cup playoffs, he had 20 points (where he tied for the lead in assists with 13) in 23 games, which included the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and the game-winning assist in the sixth and final game of the Stanley Cup Final. He peaked in goals with 40 and was named an NHL First All-Star for the only time. He had 13 points in 24 games of the 2003 playoffs as the Devils won the Stanley Cup Final to give Eliáš his second championship. A four-time selection to the NHL All-Star Game, Eliáš retired in 2016; from 1995 to 2016, he was one of just ten players to record 1,000 points.
Described by long-time Devils executive Lou Lamoriello as an "all-situation player", Eliáš ranks as the all-time leader in franchise history for goals (408), assists (617), and points (1,025), doing so in 1,240 games; he also holds the franchise record for most career game-winning goals (80). He also ranks second among Czech-born players in NHL points, behind Jaromír Jágr. Internationally, Eliáš represented the Czech national team in multiple tournaments, including four Winter Olympics and four World Championships, winning one Olympic bronze medal and two more at the World Championships. In 2018, the Devils retired his jersey, making him the fifth player to receive the honor. He is a member of the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Early life Eliáš was born on 13 April 1976 in Třebíč, Czechoslovakia to Zdeňka Eliášová and Zdeněk Eliáš. Eliáš and his older brothers Zdenek and Radek played organized hockey in Czechoslovakia, although the latter was forced to retire due to an injury.
Playing career Rookie season and early development (1994–1999) Eliáš was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round, 51st overall, in the 1994 NHL entry draft. He had been surprised by the selection as he believed no Devils scout had ever seen him play. Due to mandatory conscription laws, Eliáš had to show the police his contract in order to be excused from the army.
After being cut from training camp, the Devils coaching staff were set to assign him to a major junior ice hockey team for the 1995–96 season. However, Eliáš convinced them to assign him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Albany River Rats. He scored his first two AHL goals in the team's 1995–96 season opener on 7 October. He later received a two-game suspension for making an "obscene gesture" during a game against the Adirondack Red Wings. Eliáš made his NHL debut on 7 December 1995 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Due to the sudden nature of the recall, team owner John McMullen flew him on a private jet from Providence, Rhode Island to New Jersey. Upon returning to Albany, Eliáš tied a franchise record by recording two goals and three assists in a single game on 14 February 1996. He finished the regular season with 27 goals and 36 assists for 63 points.
While Eliáš spent the majority of the 1996–97 season in the AHL with the Albany River Rats, he was occasionally recalled to the Devils lineup. He scored his first NHL regular-season goal on 12 December 1996 against the Boston Bruins. Eliáš recorded two goals and three assists through 17 games with the Devils, but found the most success playing alongside Petr Sýkora and Sergei Brylin while with the River Rats. As the Devils qualified for the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs, Eliáš recorded his first playoff goal on 22 April against the Montreal Canadiens.
Eliáš scored one goal through three games with the Devils to start the 1997–98 season before being sidelined for a week due to back spasms. He was reassigned to the River Rats by head coach Jacques Lemaire on 16 October for a conditioning stint. Lemaire said the reassignment was not because of Eliáš's back problems but because he wanted him to work harder. Within his first two games with the River Rats, Eliáš scored his first professional hat-trick. He was recalled to the NHL shortly thereafter as a temporary injury replacement for Dave Andreychuk, but impressed Lemaire enough to remain in the NHL. Eliáš was recognized as the NHL's Player of the Week on 3 November after scoring five goals and one assist through three games. By the start of December, Eliáš was tied with Václav Prospal for third place in rookie scoring with 10 goals and five assists. He surpassed Prospal by the end of the month and secured first place in rookie scoring in January. Despite continuing to lead all rookies in scoring, Eliáš was limited to two goals over 15 games in February. He was scratched twice before being reassigned to the River Rats on 27 February 1998 to make room for Ken Daneyko. While team general manager Lou Lamoriello admitted that he "deserves to play in the NHL," Eliáš was one of three players the Devils could reassign to the AHL without having to clear waivers. However, he was almost immediately recalled to the NHL as an injury replacement for Scott Daniels. After scoring a goal on 9 March, Eliáš went nearly a month without scoring a goal before breaking the streak on 5 April. Despite his scoring struggles, Eliáš was promoted onto a line with Bobby Holík and Randy McKay midway through March. He finished the regular season ranked second among rookies with 18 goals and third with 37 points. He was subsequently named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year.
Eliáš struggled offensively at the start of his sophomore season. After scoring a goal on 16 October against the New York Rangers, he went through a 16-game scoring drought. In part due to his struggles, he was benched by head coach Robbie Ftorek on 19 November. Eliáš eventually scored his third goal of the season on 29 November to break the lengthy drought. In December, Eliáš found success while playing alongside Petr Sýkora and Jason Arnott. Over a five-game period, Eliáš scored seven points while the line combined for 28 goals. Although they were called numerous names throughout their early years together, the "A-Line" became their de facto nickname. Hockey analyst Bill Clement agreed with the choice of "A-Line" because "it's the Devils' No. 1 line, and Jason Arnott is the center. It's simple and straight-forward." After missing five games with the flu, Eliáš returned to the Devils lineup on 26 January. He played a few games on Bobby Holík's line before head coach Robbie Ftorek reunited him with Sýkora and Arnott. In their first game back together, they combined for two goals and three assists in a 4–1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Eliáš continued to struggle offensively and collected one goal and one assist in the following nine games. Ftorek also scratched him twice in a four-game span due to a perceived lack of effort. After serving as a healthy scratch, Eliáš recorded eight goals and 15 assists through the next 21 games while remaining with Sýkora and Arnott. By the conclusion of the regular season, the trio had combined for 49 goals over 43 games and all three ranked in the top-five in team scoring. Eliáš finished fifth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points, which helped them qualify for the 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs. In game one of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Eliáš assisted on both of Sýkora's goals to help the Devils clinch a 3–1 win. However, all three members of the "A-Line" struggled to score in the following games. He finished the playoffs with no goals and five assists as the Devils were eliminated by the Penguins.
A-line success and Stanley Cup wins (1999–2003) Due to stagnant contract negotiations, Eliáš missed the first few three weeks of the 1999–00 season before agreeing to a three-year contract on 25 October. Despite signing the contract, Eliáš shared his displeasure with the process, stating: "I signed because there was no other way, not because of what they offered me. I think you get screwed when you're a young guy." Upon joining the team, Eliáš recorded one goal over 18 games before scoring five goals in five consecutive games in mid-December. While remaining on a line with Petr Sýkora and Jason Arnott, he scored seven game-winning goals between 14 December and 26 January and maintained a 15-game scoring streak in January. His lengthy streak set a new franchise record for most consecutive games with a goal. When the streak ended on 28 January, he had recorded 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points. Due to his success, Eliáš was named to Team World at the 2000 National Hockey League All-Star Game. He continued to improve following the All-Star Game, and became the first Devils player to reach 30 goals in a season since 1994. He finished the regular season with a team-leading 35 goals and 37 assists, which helped them qualify for the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Eliáš continued to lead the team in scoring through the playoffs and finished with seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points. In their first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers, Eliáš recorded one goal and three assists. His three points in game four helped clinch the series win for the Devils and advance them to the Eastern Conference semifinals. In their second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Eliáš assisted on Sýkora's first-period goal in game six to mark the second-fastest goal in franchise playoff history. By the end of the series, he ranked in the top-15 league-wide with six assists through nine games. After eliminating the Maple Leafs, Eliáš and the Devils faced off against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference final. Although the Devils won game one against the Flyers, they lost the following three games and were on the brink of elimination. However, they then became the first team in NHL history to come back from a 3–1 deficit in a conference final and pushed the series to a deciding game seven. Eliáš scored the Devils only two goals of the game to secure a 2–1 win over the Flyers and advance them to the 2000 Stanley Cup Final. The "A-Line" finished with a combined eight goals and nine assists for 17 points over the six-game series. Thanks to his two-goal game, Eliáš held the team lead with seven goals. In game one of the Finals against the Dallas Stars, the "A-Line" combined for four goals and seven assists to lift the Devils to a 7–3 win. In the first period of game six, Sýkora collided with Stars defenceman Derian Hatcher and was transferred to Baylor University Medical Center. Eliáš and Arnott remained linemates for the remainder of the game and combined on the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in double-overtime. Arnott later credited Eliáš for making the goal happen, stating: "What a great pass...He made the whole play possible. I had the easy part." Upon winning the Stanley Cup, Eliáš, Arnott, Scott Stevens, and team trainer Bill Murray brought the trophy to Sýkora's hospital room.