Mark Borowiecki scored just 15 goals in his NHL career, but he had other qualities. He was great when the gloves were dropped, and it was often. During his NHL career, Borowiecki fought 113 times, and most of them were wins.
Borowiecki played his first NHL game with the Ottawa Senators in 2011, and he stayed with the organization until 2020 when he signed with the Nashville Predators. He played there for two seasons, and in the third, he only played four until he decided to call it quits.
Now, Borowiecki’s a retired player, and all he can do is look back at the amazing memories he has from his respectable NHL career. Borowiecki loved the tough game and always stood up for himself and his teammates.
That included fighting with some of the toughest players in the NHL. He had several memorable battles with Tom Wilson, but also an incredible interaction with Zdeno Chara.
In 2015, Borowiecki was rather new to the NHL, and he wanted to take on Big Z immediately. Chara, still a member of the Bruins at the time, showed what a terrific fighter he was. Chara grabbed Borowiecki by the collar, and he had no chance of getting up and fighting him.
Both ended up with roughing penalties—and Chara had something hilarious to say afterward.
“I was just trying to make a name for myself,” Borowiecki said while guesting on the Coming In Hot podcast (H/T RMNB).
“I’d always ask him to fight – even after that one. At one point, he looked at me with that big slow accent, ‘You just can’t help yourself can you?’”
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