"Laszka" in the Hall of Fame!

- It was a huge honor for me. I found out about my nomination at the beginning of December, when Ms. Marta Zawadzka called me with the information that the next day the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Luc Tardif, would personally call me with this information. And that's what happened. On that day, I was filled with emotions because my mother had just died and I was very sad that she couldn't hear it from me in person. I'm sure she would be very proud of me and would be happy about it. I would like to dedicate this honor and award to my mother - emphasizes Leszek Laszkiewicz.

Award for Mom…

The JKH GKS Jastrzębie graduate played in eighteen world championships for the Polish national team. He played 216 matches for the national team and scored 89 goals. "He was relentless. Like everyone who played professional hockey, he always strived to be the best. The only thing that I think is definitely unfulfilled is that he could still play because he had the conditions and the "papers" to get to a better league. He played in the German DEL or the Italian and Czech leagues, but he could have moved on. All he needed was a push somewhere, but he definitely had the skills to play at a higher level," assures his older brother, Daniel.

Leszek Laszkiewicz, like most of the best Polish hockey players born in that year, is a graduate of the School of Sports Mastery in Sosnowiec. - I played with Leszek in both the under-18 and under-20 national teams, and he always stood out. Later, when he went abroad, his form exploded even more. You could say that for those times, he was a player who could take the puck and know what to do with it. He was a really great player - emphasizes Damian Słaboń, who played with Leszek Laszkiewicz in both SMS PZHL Sosnowiec and Cracovia.

No work, no gain…

Leszek Laszkiewicz has won eight Polish championship titles with Unia Oświęcim and Cracovia, as well as the Italian championship with Milano Vipers. He also played for the German team Nuernberg Ice Tigers and the Czech team Vitkovice. - Every Polish championship and one Italian championship that I have achieved, as well as playing in the world championship and the pride of representing my country on the international stage, these are moments that I will never forget and that I will always be proud of. There is nothing more beautiful than working hard all season and then winning that gold medal and celebrating together with the team and the fans. I wish every player to experience what I experienced at least once. And this promotion to the world championship group A, because these are moments that you will never forget for the rest of your life - emphasizes the 46-year-old striker.

Laszkiewicz is currently the sports director of JKH GKS Jastrzębie and the general manager of the Polish national team. - He is simply committed, hockey is his life and I think that the assessment he receives is most deserved. I think that this award could not be in better hands than Leszek's. - says Robert Kalaber, the coach of the Polish national team.

Since he joined SMS, he stood out among the older players, so it's no surprise that the popular "Laszka" also played with the older generation. - He had such a passion for sports, because you could see that he really wanted to play this hockey at a high level. He had great technique, excellent skating and was an extremely hard-working player. At every training session, he tried to be the best and always gave it his all. This helped him go abroad, because our league didn't have a high level. Thanks to his hard work, he managed to play in these good European leagues - says the former Polish representative, Sebastian Pajerski.

Hockey Elite forever in your heart!

Leszek Laszkiewicz played in the World Championships eighteen times. During this period, he played in the 2002 World Championships Group A. He competed with the national team at the second and third level. In total, he played 102 matches at the World Championships, scoring 39 goals and recording 54 assists. - When I look back on all these years, I admit that the time has passed really quickly, but all these memories, the people I met and the matches I played will definitely stay in my heart forever. From this period, I have two such situations that I will remember for a long time. The first was our promotion to Group A, which we won in Grenoble, France in 2001. We won this promotion to the Elite after a ten-year break. It was a really huge success for us and everyone was excited about what would happen next year. We knew that we would meet the best players in the world. And this second situation, which I remember in particular, was our performance at the World Championships of Group A in Sweden. I remember that Jaromir Jagr, Peter Bondra and Zdeno Chara played at this tournament, so these were names that meant a lot in world hockey at that time. I had the opportunity to play at these championships, and additionally at this tournament I signed a contract with the HC Vitkovice team, a leading team in the Czech Extraliga. I am glad that I could also show myself there and thanks to the fact that we played in this Elite, I was able to develop my career - says Laszkiewicz.

Before he made his debut in the "adult" Polish national team, he played twice in the European Under-18 Championships (at that time, the World Championships were not held in this age category yet). He also played twice in the World Under-20 Championships. In 1997, the White and Reds, with Laszkiewicz in the squad, played in the U-20 World Championships in the then Group A, and so far, it was the last appearance of the Poles in this age category. The JKH GKS Jastrzębie pupil also played at the Universiade in 1997. - Leszek was always terribly determined. He could find his place in any sport, no matter what we played, he was always determined. I remember that in the boarding school of the School of Sports Mastery in Sosnowiec we had a ping-pong table and "Laszka" was always angry when he lost, but there were really very few moments like that, because he usually won against us - smiles the former Polish representative, and currently the coach of the German team Jungadler Mannheim U17, Adam Borzęcki.

A fulfilled player…

He played in the Polish league for nineteen seasons, during which time he scored over a thousand points. Apart from eight Polish championship titles (three with Unia Oświęcim and five with Cracovia) and the Italian championship with Milano Vipers, he also won the German vice-championship with Nurnberg Ice Tigers, the Italian Cup with Milano Vipers, and in the Polish league he won the national cup with Unia Oświęcim. He also has three silver (two with Cracovia and one with JKH GKS Jastrzębie) and three bronze medals in the Polish championship (one each with KTH Krynica, Cracovia and JKH GKS Jastrzębie). - "Lesiu" was a great player and friend. We sweated a lot together during training sessions at Unia Oświęcim, where we played together and had great moments both in the club and the national team. He really deserves this award, because he is a man who, just like me, was crazy about training and his approach to this sport. And he was an even bigger lunatic than me – says the former defender of the Polish national team, and currently the coach of the Connecticut RoughRiders team playing in the North American EHL league.

The younger of the Laszkiewicz brothers played in the 2002 World Championships Group A, which took place in Sweden, scoring a goal in a 5:1 win over Italy. Now, after 23 years, fate has brought him to Sweden again, but this time not to Gothenburg, but to Stockholm, and in a completely different role, because the world hockey authorities appreciated his beautiful career and the way he promoted Polish hockey around the world. - I have never regretted anything in my life, not even the smallest thing. I am glad that everything worked out this way, because I am really proud and I can say with a clear conscience that after finishing my career I am a fulfilled player - added Leszek Laszkiewicz in conclusion.

Let us recall that the first Pole admitted to the Hall of Fame of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was Henryk Gruth, who was recognized in the player category in 2006. - Now I can say that this is such an honorable distinction that I never really thought about. It seems that now I can safely say that this is probably the greatest reward for all the sacrifices, for everything that happened to me while playing hockey. For all the injuries and a completely different life than my peers had. Being in the IIHF Hall of Fame in Toronto is an honor. I am happy about it every day and when someone asks about it, memories immediately come back, because this distinction is an honor for my career. I am very happy that Leszek will be there, because there will already be such a small group of us there - assures our four-time Olympian.