Mark Borowiecki is one of the alternate captains of the NHL's Ottawa Senators. A native of Ottawa himself, the Senators are his home team and he has become a favorite among loyal fans.
But his actions while the team was on the road in Vancouver have been making headlines. His long-standing nickname of 'Boro Cop' might actually be pretty accurate.
Thwarted an attempted burglary
On December 1, the Senators were in Vancouver in preparation for a game against the Canucks. The game wasn't for another two days. On the first, Borowiecki and a couple of his teammates had been out for lunch.
While out and about, Borowiecki noticed a man breaking the passenger window of a blue Chevrolet Impala. The man then began trying to take a backpack from the car. Borowiecki shouted at the man, but he continued on. When the unknown man began trying to flee on a bicycle, a confrontation between them ensued. Borowiecki was able to retrieve the property in question, but the attempted robber got away. According to MSN, no arrests have been made.
The Senators would go on to lose the game against the Canucks. But Borowiecki has been hailed as a hero. He indicated he was thankful to be there and was glad to have helped. He modestly said, "Honestly, I don't think I went above and beyond or anything." And that it had been "'the right thing to do at the time." Furthermore, he called himself "a mediocre fighter on the ice."
The owner of the car reached out to Borowiecki to thank him.
But there is an ironic twist. As NHL.com reports, the woman is not a Senators fan or even a Canucks fan. She's actually a "huge" fan of the Senators' arch-rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He made his NHL debut in 2012
Borowiecki played junior hockey with the Smiths Falls Bears in Smiths Falls, Ontario. He played at the NCAA level with Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.
Eventually, Borowiecki was named the team captain. In 2008, he was drafted in the fifth round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Senators. It marked the first time the Senators drafted an Ottawa native.
Eventually, Borowiecki was assigned to the Ottawa Senators' AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators in Binghamton, New York. He was first called up to the NHL in 2012.
After a couple of trips back down to Binghamton, he has been a fixture in Ottawa for several years.
He is recently returned from a suspension that he received from the NHL. In a game with the Boston Bruins, Borowiecki delivered an elbow to Urho Vaakanainen. Although he wasn't penalized at the time, Borowiecki was suspended for one game. His first game back was against the Vegas Golden Knights. During the game, Borowiecki illegally hit Cody Eakin on the head. This time, he was penalized and suspended for three games.
