After failing to catch on with a NHL club this season, Michal Handzus is headed home.
Handzus, a key contributor on Chicago’s Stanley Cup-winning team two years ago, has inked with his old club -- Banska Bystrica, of the Slovakian Extraliga -- the team announced on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old center returns home after a pretty impressive NHL career. Handzus played in over 1,000 games, racked up 483 points and, as mentioned above, won the first and only championship of his career in 2013 with the ‘Hawks.
St. Louis’ fourth-round pick at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Handzus debuted for the Blues in ’98-99 and became an instant contributor, finishing second in Selke voting during his sophomore campaign.
“Zeus” went on to play for the Coyotes, Flyers, Kings, Sharks and Blackhawks over the course of 15 years. His last NHL action came last season, when he scored 16 points in 59 regular season games, and three points in 19 playoff contests.