Zdeno Ciger, quite surprisingly, announced his retirement today at the age of 34. Although Ciger was a national team mainstay for many years (and former Captain), his retirement was met with as much celebration as it was with sadness. Is Ciger the Slovakian version of Tom Barrasso? That almost fits the bill.

Given Ciger�s penchant for unexpected career moves, maybe this isn�t such a big surprise?

Ciger is not a well known name to most NHL fans, but I�m sure Oilers and Devils fans remember the quiet, enigmatic winger who had great skills, but whose head and heart wasn�t always in the game. Most of the GM�s in fantasy leagues I was in were asking me about him, as if he was some kind of Slovakian hockey god :)

�When is he coming back to the NHL?�
�Why did he leave in the first place? He was so good!�
�Would you trade me your 1st round pick and your left arm for him?�

C�ger was drafted in the 3rd round (54th overall) of the 1988 NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils after being named Czechoslovak rookie of the year. He came over in 1990 and split the season between Utica and New Jersey.
After spending two-and-a-half seasons floating between the AHL and NHL, struggling to learn the language and adapt to the lifestyle changes, Ciger was dealt to the Oilers in 1993 for Bernie Nicholls.

It was with the Oilers that Ciger could finally get a chance to show off his offensive skills, and he flourished in his 4 seasons with the Oilers. Of course, he missed most of 94-95 in a contract dispute, so it was more like 3 seasons.
In 95-96, Ciger was an offensive force on a poor Oilers team (This was the darkest year before they started getting better), and he finished with 70 points in 79 games. He was a restricted free agent and was offered over $1mil/season by the Oilers (At that time, his offer was pretty good).

Yet, he left that all behind and suddenly returned to Slovakia to play with Slovan Bratislava. He didn�t give any rhyme or reason, he didn�t try to negotiate for more money�he just simply went home and played for about US$150,000 a year in front of crowds one-fifth the size of those in Edmonton.

Why?

Some writers in Slovakia speculated that it was his wife, who was unable to get nursing credentials in Canada, which was the main reason for Ciger�s return home. Others speculated that the Oilers� offer was of the lowball variety, although Ciger never really attempted to negotiate in the first place.

In a 2001 interview with the Slovak Specatator, Ciger gave a brief glimpse into his mindset for returning home.

Regarding $$$:. "I wanted to try playing in the NHL, but I never intended to stay forever. There are more important things in life than money."

Regarding his wife: "That's all media bullshit! She (his wife) was at home with the children then, and anyway I came back for a whole complex of reasons, including being near my parents."

Ciger and his wife divorced in 2000, which led to speculation that Ciger was �free� to return to the NHL. There were plenty of teams interested in Ciger�s services, including the Minnesota Wild, who had success with another older Slovak player (Sekeras).

Certainly, Ciger�s celebrity status in Slovakia was taking a beating after a few years. For one thing, Ciger has always been very outspoken, often in a �whiny� matter. Ciger was openly complaining about the state of Slovak hockey (which does need some fixing), his spot on the National team, his telephone bill, and so on.
Ciger also whined a lot to the referees during games. After spending years in North America, where the officiating is clearly superior, Ciger was getting mugged and hacked at will and didn�t take kindly to it. There were many instances of Ciger throwing sticks and gloves at referees, including one in this year�s playoffs, where Ciger attacked referee Jakubec. (Which is strange, given that Ciger and Jakubec are childhood friends). Many fans thought Ciger was more of a whiny Hollywood type in comparison to his teammates.

Many fans, already resentful of the large financial advantage that Bratislava has on the other Slovak teams, weren�t too thrilled with the fact that Ciger made so much more than the typical Slovakian player. Ciger was certainly worth his contract, but many Slovaks, living with puny wages in comparison, saw Ciger as the whiny highly-paid superstar on the league�s richest team.

Perhaps this led to Ciger finally making his long-awaited return to the NHL in 2001 with the New York Rangers. After 5 years in Slovakia, Ciger had finally been lured away from home, but his return didn�t go too well.

After 29 games with the Rangers, Ciger clearly wasn�t fitting in with the team (Given how many overpaid whiners the Rangers have, I found this rather odd). Ciger�s game had eroded after years against weaker competition, his defensive coverage was incredibly poor, and he was dealt to the Lightning for Matthew Barnaby. Ciger finished the season with just 25 points in 56 games, and that was the end of his NHL career. Once again, Ciger gave up and went home.

Overall, Ciger finished with 228 points in NHL 352 games. Solid numbers for a good 2nd-tier player.

After his return to Slovakia in 2002, Ciger also found himself no longer part of the senior national team. Ciger�s skills clearly didn�t match up with the best in the world, and his attitude wasn�t appreciated by his younger peers. It didn�t help his cause that he was always wavering in his commitment to join the squad.
At the very least, Ciger was a force again in the Slovak Extraleague, and he finished this past season with 60 points in 51 games.

This sudden retirement clearly fits the trend of his career. If there is one constant in Ciger�s hockey career, it�s been that he has never seemed happy playing the game. Despite the lucrative offers from the NHL, Ciger played for far less at home. Even then, Ciger never seemed to enjoy himself much on the ice.

Thus, it�s easy to see why many fans in Slovakia are shouting �HURA!� at the announcement of his retirement. It�s hard to like a player that whines a lot and doesn�t seem to enjoy playing the game. There are many people that would donate both kidneys for the opportunities and natural skills that Ciger has, and it�s a shame that Ciger could never appreciate the fortune that his career brought to him.

1990-91 New-Jersey Devils 45 8 17 25 8
1991-92 New-Jersey Devils 20 6 5 11 10
1992-93 New-Jersey Devils 27 4 8 12 2
1992-93 Edmonton Oilers 37 9 15 24 6
1993-94 Edmonton Oilers 84 22 35 57 8
1994-95 Edmonton Oilers 5 2 2 4 0
1995-96 Edmonton Oilers 78 31 39 70 41
2001-02 New-York Rangers 29 6 7 13 16
2001-02 Tampa-Bay Lightning 27 6 6 12 10