Travis Zajac

At 38 years old, Travis Zajac has this physical status:

Travis Zajac (Polish pronunciation: [zajts]; born May 13, 1985) is a retired Canadian former professional ice hockey center. In the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Zajac was ranked 20th overall by the New Jersey Devils, with whom he will continue to play for 15 years. He also appeared for the New York Islanders for a short time.

Personal life

At the University of Denver, Zajac's father played hockey for three years. Darcy, Kelly, and Nolan, Travis' three brothers, play ice hockey as well.

Nicole Hekle, the former captain of the University of New Hampshire women's ice hockey team, was married in 2009. The couple have three children.

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Playing career

Zajac started his junior ice hockey career with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Brady Murray, who will briefly play for the Los Angeles Kings, was one of his teammates, and his linemate, future Calgary Flames winger Kris Chucko, was also a winger. Zajac led the team in goals, assists, and points in his second season with Salmon Arms, finishing second overall in the League in the second two years. He was named MVP of the BCHL's Interior Division at the end of the season, and he appeared in the BCHL All-Star Game. His play attracted attention, and he was projected to be a potential first-round draft pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. The prediction was accurate, as the New Jersey Devils picked him with the 20th overall pick. The Devils traded up to get Zajac[1], which "mean[t] a lot" to him, but it was not surprising because the Devils searched him more closely than any other team. Zajac preferred to play college ice hockey for the University of North Dakota rather than major junior hockey in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), because he wanted an education rather than playing hockey. Lou Lamoriello, the Devils' general manager, said that Zajac will be recalled on the North Dakota roster because the Devils were recalled forward Zach Parise, who was drafted the year before to play competitive hockey.

Zajac had 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in his first season with North Dakota, but only had 16 penalty minutes. The Fighting Sioux, as the team's name was revealed then, advanced to the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament as the second seed in the East Regional tournament. In the Regional Final, Zajac scored two goals as the Sioux defeated Boston College to advance to the Frozen Four. In the semifinal game against the University of Minnesota, he added two more. The Sioux defeated the University of Minnesota 4–2. Despite the fact that the Sioux lost to the University of Denver in the championship game, Zajac tied the game with a power-play goal. Despite the loss, he was named to the Championship All-Tournament Team, the NCAA East All-Tournament Team, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. (WCHA) All-Rookie Team.

Zajac finished the season with 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 points. The Sioux featured several current NHL players, including Taylor Chorney, Brian Lee, T. J. Oshie, Thomas Porter, Matt Smaby, Drew Stafford, and Jonathan Toews. The Sioux were named WCHA playoff champion and advanced to the NCAA tournament once more. The Sioux were in the Frozen Four for the second year in a row after defeating the University of Michigan and Holy Cross, but they lost in the semifinals to Boston College. During the tournament, Zajac scored three goals and three assists, as well as a goal against Boston College.

Zajac signed an entry-level deal with the Devils after North Dakota's season came to an end, putting an end to his second season of college eligibility. In two appearances with the Albany River Rats' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, he scored one assist and earned two penalty minutes. Despite being considered to have a chance to make the Devils' roster out of training camp, Zajac made it to the roster in the first round of cuts and eventually made it to the roster on the first night of the 2006–07 season. In the second game of the season against the Dallas Stars, he scored his first NHL goal. With former North Dakota standout Zach Parise and veteran winger Jamie Langenbrunner, Zajac was placed on the Devils' second line. "ZZ Pop(s)," was the line's name, thanks to Zajac and Zach's initials and Langenbrunner's veteran status ("Pop(s)). Zajac will miss two games in October due to a leg injury; they are the only two games Zajac had missed in his professional career as of the 2010–11 season. In a November game against the Ottawa Senators, Zajac would score three assists against them. Zajac and Langenbrunner were drafted on a line with then-captain Patrik Eliás first midway through the season to spark the Devils' offense. Zajac played in his first NHL two-goal game against the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this season, and he had an eight-game point streak in late March. In addition, Zajac saw time on the power play unit, scoring six goals with the man advantage. He would finish the season with 17 goals and 25 assists, and 42 points were good enough for seventh place among NHL rookies, as well as seventh among all Devils players. Zajac scored his first NHL post-season appearance in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs with an assist in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. If the Devils win the series in six games, he would add two more assists in the series. Zajac will score his first post-season goal in Game 1 of the Semifinals against Ottawa; the Senators, on the other hand, won the game 5–4. Although Zajac was assisting in Game 2 on linemate Langenbrunner's overtime goal in Game 2, the Devils were eliminated in five games. Zajac came in tenth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which was given to the NHL's rookie of the year, and the Devils' Fan Club award for Rookie of the Year was named.

With Zach Parise at the start of Zajac's sophomore season, he was still centering the second row; Brian Gionta replaced Langenbrunner on right wing while the latter recovered from sports hernia surgery. In the team's fifth game against the Atlanta Thrashers, Zajac scored his first goal of the season, a 6–5 victory. He was moved to the top line in October, centering Gionta and Elias, and the power play unit saw a rise in time. January 2008 was a good month for Zajac, he had a four-game point streak during which he tied his career high with a three-point game (three assists) against the Flyers. Despite finishing with six multi-point games for the season, he saw a decrease in production overall; he ended the season with just 14 goals and 20 assists. When the Devils were eliminated in the first round by the rival New York Rangers, he had one assist in five playoff games.

The ZZ Pop line was the Devils' top line going into the 2008–09 season, with Zajac named as the team's number one center. He adapted well to the role, blaming the chemistry he shared with Parise and Langenbrunner as the reason for the boost in confidence. He cited his friendship with Parise, who also attended North Dakota, as helpful to his game; he believed Parise was a "big brother." He scored the game-winning goal against the Flyers on December 21, and then scored his 100th NHL point against the Rangers on December 21, his first shootout attempt of the season. He earned points in six straight games from late January to early February. After finishing –11 years ago – his season record of +33 was first on the team and tied for fourth in the League. Zajac set career highs in goals (20), assists (42) and points (62), according to the ZZ Top line's combined for 94 goals and 225 points. Zajac's faceoff prowess increased his faceoff prowess by winning 53.1 percent of his faceoffs, despite his point-scoring skills. Zajac had one goal and three assists in seven games against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2009 playoffs.

Zajac signed a multi-year contract extension with the Devils during the subsequent offseason, avoiding salary arbitration. The 2009–2010 season was one of Zajac's most memorable performances; he notched his 100th career assist in November, his 200th career point in March, and appeared in his 300th game in February. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs in January, he scored his first career overtime goal. He had a six-game point-scoring streak from February to March, during which he scored three goals. Zajac's previous year's goals (25) and points (67), while tying his previous best in assists (42). The ZZ-Pop line continued to flourish, with Parise, Zajac, and Langenbrunner finishing 1–2–3, respectively; Zajac came in second place in all three major statistical categories, with Zajac placing second to Parise. He led the team in faceoffs once more, winning 59% of his draws.

Zajac had a lot of hopes going into his fifth season. Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils' top line, was recalled after the start of the season in a blockbuster trade last year, and re-signed to a contentious 15-year contract in the offseason. Zajac wanted more, and Parise ordered him to fire more, saying he had "one of the best shots on [the] team." However, Kovalchuk was brought on by Dainius Zubrus shortly after the season began, but it was not well understood, never found chemistry, and Kovalchuk was moved to Kovalchuk by Dainius Zubrus shortly thereafter. When Parise tore his meniscus and was sidelined for several months, Zajac's output was hit again. Head Coach John MacLean had to shuffle his lines even more; Zajac's linemates for the first half of the season included Parise, Langenbrunner, Kovalchuk, Zubrus, Brian Rolston, Eliár, and Adam Mair; Zajac's faceoff skills continued to improve despite the lack of continuity for his wingmen. Assistant Coach Adam Oates, who is regarded as one of the best faceoff guys of his time, was credited with the change. The Devils found themselves playing better under returning Head Coach Jacques Lemaire following MacLean's dismissal and the trade of captain Langenbrunner. Zajac started a five-game pointless streak and later scored a short-handed goal and added three assists in only three games. His offense improved along with Kovalchuk and rookie Nick Palmieri; he scored five goals and 11 assists in 20 games on a 20-game streak. Zajac tied Ken Daneyko's team record for consecutive games played (388), but he lost the game against Ottawa on March 15, beating Ottawa. Although the Devils did not qualify for the 2011 playoffs, Zajac earned the team's Unsung Hero award.

Zajac scored his second overtime goal against the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on April 24, 2012, causing a Game 7 which the Devils also won in double overtime.

Zajac re-signed with the Devils on January 16, 2013, agreeing to an eight-year, $46 million deal.

Against the Florida Panthers on March 31, 2014, he scored his first career hat-trick.

Zajac played his fewest games since the 2012–13 seasons, although the 2017–18 Devils returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Zajac played his 1,000th game for the Devils on February 21, 2021, during a game against the Washington Capitals. Zajac scored his 200th goal on March 30, 2021, during a game against the Boston Bruins.

Zajac was traded to the New York Islanders, A. J. Greer, and Mason Jobst during the pandemic-delayed 2021 season, his 15th season with the Devils in the final season of his eight-year deal and his 15th season with the Devils, on April 7, 2021, in exchange for a conditional 2022 fourth-round pick, along with a conditional 2021 fourth-round pick. On July 28, 2021, Zajac became an unrestricted free agent.

Zajac decided to leave the Devils on September 20, 2021. On March 10, 2022, Zajac was honoured during a Devils game against the Winnipeg Jets for playing 1,000 games with the team, where he also did a ceremonial puck drop.

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