The son of immigrant parents, he is fist generation for his family in North America. Losing his mother to pancreatic cancer in November 2005 at the young age of 51 was hard while still having to battle for a job in the NHL.
You probably guessed by now the player is Mike Komisarek. Komisarek never dazzled opponents with his slick skating or deft stick handling but rather forged a reputation as a hard-hitting, stay-at-home defenseman. In Montreal, Mike Komisarek was a fan favorite for sticking up for his teammates. Brian Burke saw that Mike Komisarek played a simple game and signed the UFA to a five year deal to start building his defense core. After suffering a devastating shoulder injury, he still wanted to play for his country in the Olympics but was denied by his GM due to long term health reasons. Mike Komisarek recovered from the the shoulder injury to start the 2010-11 season but having to endure a long rehabilitation appears to have altered his confidence on the ice. The little mistakes started to snowball from day one and soon enough the avalanche was in full effect. Maple Leaf coach Ron Wilson was taking a beating in the media for playing Komisarek and eventually Mike saw less minutes per game. The less Komisarek played, the more amplified his mistakes on the ice were portrayed in the media. Komisarek has faced adversity many times before outside of hockey and he will rebound again, his resume proves it. No one should be surprised if Mike Komisarek plays a top four role and proves Brian Burke was correct to sign him as a core player envisioned with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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