Michael Zigomanis (born January 17, 1981) is a Canadian former professional
ice hockey centre. Zigomanis was drafted twice. In the
1999 NHL Entry Draft he was selected 64th overall by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
, but was not signed. He re-entered for the
2001 NHL Entry Draft and was selected by the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
46th overall.
Zigomanis was born in
North York
North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, but grew up in
Markham, Ontario
Markham () is a city in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in ...
.
Early life
He was born to
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia
* Mac ...
parents who emigrated to Canada from
Kastoria
Kastoria (, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region ...
, Greece. As a youth, he played in the 1995
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...
with a
minor ice hockey
Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...
team from
North York
North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...
. Zigomanis attended Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy in Markham, graduating in 2000.
Playing career
Zigomanis played four seasons of
junior hockey
Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...
with the
Kingston Frontenacs
The Kingston Frontenacs are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario. The Frontenacs play home games at Slush Puppie Place, which opened in 2008. The team's history predates the Ontario Ho ...
of the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...
(OHL). He was chosen in the 2nd round, 25th overall by the Frontenacs in the 1997 OHL Priority Selection Draft. In his first season with the Frontenacs, he scored 23 goals and 74 points in 62 games. His numbers increased the following year, collecting 29 goals and 85 points. His third year saw another increase, marking 40 goals and 94 points, good for fifth best in the league. The
2000–01 season was his last in the OHL, where he scored 40 goals and 77 points in 52 games. He finished his career with the Frontenacs with 330 points, fourth on the team's all-time scoring list. He represented Canada at the 2001
World Junior Hockey Championships
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to as World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally ...
, where he scored 2 goals and 6 points on the way to third place (bronze medal).
Zigomanis was originally drafted in the 2nd round, 64th overall, by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
in the
1999 NHL Entry Draft. Zigomanis agreed to terms with the Sabres just before the 5 pm deadline on June 1, 2001, but there was a typographical error in his contract that was faxed to the league offices. By the time the error was discovered, the deadline had passed, and the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
ruled that he would have to re-enter the NHL draft, as he had not been signed before the deadline.
He re-entered the draft and was selected in the 2nd round again, this time 46th overall by
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
in 2001.
Carolina signed Zigomanis to a three-year contract on October 4, 2001, and he was assigned to the Hurricanes'
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Lowell Lock Monsters
Lowell may refer to:
Places United States
* Lowell, Arkansas
* Lowell, Florida
* Lowell, Idaho
* Lowell, Indiana
* Lowell, Maine
* Lowell, Massachusetts
** Lowell National Historical Park
** Lowell (MBTA station)
** Lowell Ordnance Pla ...
.
On January 30, 2006, Zigomanis,
Jesse Boulerice, Magnus Kahnberg, first round and fourth round picks in the
2006 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth round pick in the
2007 NHL Entry Draft were traded to the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
for
Doug Weight
Douglas Daniel Weight (born January 21, 1971) is an American professional ice hockey coach, executive, and former player. He is also the former head coach and assistant General manager (ice hockey), general manager for the New York Islanders. Dur ...
and Erkki
Rajamaki along with some retention of Weight's salary. He finished the season splitting time with the Blues and their AHL affiliate, the
Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen is the name of four minor league hockey clubs:
*Peoria Rivermen (IHL), named as such 1984–1996, formerly the Peoria Prancers 1982–1984
*Peoria Rivermen (ECHL), 1996–2005
*Peoria Rivermen (AHL), 2005–2013
*Peoria Rivermen (SP ...
.
In the 2006 offseason, Zigomanis left the Blues and signed a two-year contract with the
Phoenix Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
.
He became known as a faceoff specialist with the Coyotes, finished seventh best in the league. The Coyotes signed him to a contract extension through the 2008–09 season on February 16, 2007. On October 9, 2008, he was traded to the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
for future considerations. While in Pittsburgh, Zigomanis provided faceoff and penalty killing expertise.
He played 22 games with the Penguins before he seriously injured his shoulder in December. Zigomanis was only cleared to play in the
Stanley Cup finals
The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...
.
He won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
with the Penguins that year.
An
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
after his time in Pittsburgh, Zigomanis signed a
professional tryout with the
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
of the AHL on October 19, 2009. Zigomanis played only seven games but managed to score 13 points (all assists) before leaving for Europe on November 10, 2009, signing a contract for the rest of the
2009–10 season with
Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Djurgårdens IF is an s ...
of the Swedish
Elitserien
Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan.
Elitserien leagues at present:
* Elitserien (badmint ...
.
On July 15, 2010, Zigomanis signed as a free agent to return to Toronto, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
. On July 12, 2011, Zigomanis signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Maple Leafs worth $665,000 at the NHL level and $300,000 at the AHL level. After recording professional career highs of 61 points during the
2011–12 season, Zigomanis opted to remain with the Marlies and was re-signed to a one-year AHL contract as a free agent on July 30, 2012.
On July 10, 2013, Zigomanis signed an AHL-only contract with the
Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...
, the minor-league affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him in 1999.
Brand ambassador
After joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Cheetah energy drinks CEO
Frank D'Angelo
Frank D'Angelo (born April 23, 1959) is a Canadian entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, filmmaker, actor, and television host. He is best known for founding D'Angelo Brands and the now-defunct Steelback Brewery.
He is also known for his work in t ...
signed Zigomanis to a promotional contract. However, after Zigomanis was demoted to the club's minor league affiliate, and nude photos of the player which he had sent to an ex-girlfriend surfaced online, D'Angelo cited breach of contract for allegedly not living up to a
morals clause
A morality clause (also known as a morals clause, bad boy clause or bad girl clause) is a provision within instruments of a contract which curtail, or restrain, or proscribe certain behavior of individuals or party(s) to the contract.
A moral clau ...
in the contract. D'Angelo released Zigomanis from his contract as a "
brand ambassador
A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person paid by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the ...
" for Cheetah. Zigomanis sued for breach of contract and won a settlement.
Broadcasting career
Zigomanis worked for the Toronto sports radio station
Sportsnet 590 The Fan
CJCL (590 AM, ''Sportsnet 590 The Fan'') is a Canadian sports radio station in Toronto, Ontario. Owned and operated by Rogers Radio, a division of Rogers Sports & Media since 2002, CJCL's studios are located at the Rogers Building at Bloor an ...
co-hosting the morning show from September 2019 until September 2021.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zigomanis, Michael
1981 births
Living people
Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia
Buffalo Sabres draft picks
Canadian ice hockey centres
Canadian people of Macedonian descent
Carolina Hurricanes draft picks
Carolina Hurricanes players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Djurgårdens IF (men's hockey) players
Kingston Frontenacs players
Lowell Lock Monsters players
Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players
Phoenix Coyotes players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Rochester Americans players
San Antonio Rampage players
Stanley Cup champions
Ice hockey people from Markham, Ontario
Ice hockey people from North York
St. Louis Blues players
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Toronto Marlies players
21st-century Canadian sportsmen