In 1991–92, Šatan played for the local HC Topoľčany and did remarkably well, as he scored 30 goals and had 22 assists in just 31 games. He then graduated to the senior division within the same year. When he became 18, he joined Dukla Trenčín rather than enter compulsory army service for Slovakia (which stopped in 2006). He played there for the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons.[1]
In 1994–95, Šatan played a season in the minor leagues, split between four teams including the Oilers' minor league affiliate, the Cape Breton Oilers, and the International Hockey League's Detroit Vipers. While with the Vipers, he scored the winning goal in an exhibition game against Wayne Gretzky's Ninety-Niners, an all-star team put together by Gretzky during the 1994–95 NHL lockout.
Šatan signed as a free agent with the New York Islanders on 3 August 2005.[4] He led the Islanders in goals in the 2005–06 season. His 35 goals during the season were his highest goal-output since the 2001–02 season with the Sabres. Almost half his 35 goals came on the power play (17), also a career personal best.[2] Šatan tied for the team lead in points with 66, shared with captain Alexei Yashin. Also in 2005–06, Šatan went seven for ten (70%) and was third in the NHL in shooting percentage in the shootout.
On 2 December 2006, he scored his 300th career goal, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Earlier in the season, he had recorded his 300th career assist and his 600th career point.
On 24 March 2007, Šatan missed the Islanders' game in Philadelphia for personal reasons, ending a streak of having played in 305 consecutive games. It was the fourth longest active streak at the time, and marked the second time in his career that he had played over 250 consecutive games. He had a 256-game streak as a member of the Sabres that ended in November 2002.[2]
On 3 July 2008, Šatan signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[5] During the 2008–09 season, Šatan was placed on waivers by Pittsburgh on 4 March 2009, the same day as the NHL trade deadline, not long after playing in his 1,000th NHL game. Having not been claimed by another team, Šatan was assigned to the Penguins' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.[6] In Wilkes-Barre, Šatan had three goals and nine points in ten games. Various reports credited him with being upbeat and a good influence, especially with the younger players.
On 10 April 2009, Šatan was recalled by Pittsburgh and cleared re-entry waivers. He re-established himself with the Penguins in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs when he played against the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on April 23.[7] He then played in nine games and won his first ever Stanley Cup as a member of the Penguins.
The Penguins did not re-sign Šatan when his contract expired at the end of the season, and he was not signed during the free agency period.
Boston Bruins
With the Boston Bruins in 2010
On 2 January 2010, Šatan signed a US$700,000 contract with the Boston Bruins for the remainder of the 2009–10 season. The contract included a no movement clause.[8] He made his Bruins debut against the Ottawa Senators on January 5, finishing with a +2 plus-minus. He scored his first a goal as a Bruin on January 7 against Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi. On April 21, he scored the game-winning goal in double overtime to defeat the Buffalo Sabres and take a 3–1 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. On April 26, Šatan then scored the series-winning goal over the Sabres with 5:11 remaining in the game.[9]
On 8 September 2011, Šatan moved to the Slovak Extraliga to rejoin former club Slovan Bratislava.[11] In 2012–13, Slovan moved from the Slovak Extraliga to the KHL and named Šatan team captain. He was badly injured by his former Boston Bruins teammate Zdeno Chára in a match against Lev Praha on 3 November 2012.[12] Subsequently, Šatan said he did not know if he would play another hockey match in his life.[13] Šatan would return to play in the 2013 IIHF World Championship.[14]
Šatan announced his retirement from professional ice hockey on 20 May 2014.[15][16]
Post-playing career
In September 2015, Šatan was appointed general manager for Team Europe to compete in the 2016 World Cup.[17] Team Europe finished second in the tournament after losing the final series to Canada.[18]
Šatan grew up in Topoľčany, Slovakia. He married his long-time girlfriend Ingrid in 2004. They have a son, Miroslav Jr., born in March 2006 and a daughter, Viktoria, born in July 2009, and live in Jericho, New York. Miroslav Jr. also plays hockey, and was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL entry draft.[20]
Because Šatan's name is a heteronym of Satan, many devil-related jokes have been made at his expense. During his career, many sports-data sites (including Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Yahoo) used the number 666 in the URL of Šatan's page.[21] A popular April Fool's joke had Šatan traded to the New Jersey Devils and been made captain of his new team, making Šatan the "leader" of the Devils. After Šatan announced his retirement in 2014, the Yahoo headline read: "Satan be gone!"[22]
