Tom Kostopoulos

Tom Kostopoulos (born Thomas George Kostopoulos on January 24, 1979) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL).

He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the seventh round (204th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing Career
In his early years, Tom graduated from Fairwind Senior Public School in 1993.

After playing much of his minor hockey in the GTHL with the Toronto Marlboros and Mississauga Reps, he played a year with the Brampton Capitals of the OJHL (OHA).

Tom was a 2nd round pick (18th overall) in the 1996 OHL Priority Selection by the London Knights.

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

Before that, he played junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

He made his professional minor-league hockey debut with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Tom made his NHL debut with the Penguins in the 2001-02 season and enjoyed his best season so far with Pittsburgh in 2003-04.

On July 12, 2004, he was signed as a free agent by the Manchester Monarchs in the AHL.

On August 1, 2005, Tom was signed as a free agent the by Los Angeles Kings.

On July 3, 2007, Tom signed a free-agent contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

On January 22, 2008, he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in an 8-2 victory against the Boston Bruins. His fight victim was Shane Hnidy.

On November 10, 2008, Tom was suspended for three games for a hit on Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Mike Van Ryn during the game between the teams on November 8, 2008.

He was given a boarding major penalty and ejected from the game. Kostopoulos will also forfeit US-$ 33,000 in pay.

Tom responded about the incident by saying:

"First and foremost, I sincerely regret the injuries suffered by Mike Van Ryn...this is an unfortunate turn of events. I was just trying to get in on the forecheck and get the puck. I didn't anticipate him turning and couldn't stop. I was trying to finish my check and obviously it did not end up well. I never intend on injuring another player. I feel bad. I hope he is going to be all right and resume playing as quickly as possible."

NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell said in announcing the suspension that while Van Ryn was not in a defenseless position, his injuries—including a concussion—were significant enough to warrant suspending Tom.

On July 14, 2009, Tom was signed as a free agent by the Carolina Hurricanes. While with the team, he played in 17 games, scored one goal and had three assists.

On November 17, 2010, he was traded to the Calgary Flames along with Anton Babchuk in exchange for Brett Sutter & Ian White.

Tom was again suspended for a January 7, 2011 hit which broke the jaw of Brad Stuart.

He was assessed a minor roughing penalty during the game, but then served a six game suspension for making primary contact with the head.

On January 23, 2013, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL announced Tom had signed with the team on a Professional Try Out (PTO).

On March 5, 2013, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed him to a one-year two-way contract, but he was claimed off waivers by the New Jersey Devils the following day.

On September 3, 2013, Tom signed a one-year AHL contract to play with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Personal Life
Tom is the son of Cheryl Kostopoulous (who is of English heritage) and George Kostopoulous (who is of Greek heritage).

He has a brother named Chris, who is a coach in Texas & is Tom's biggest influence in hockey and a half-sister named Laurie Bodley.

In 2008, he was the grand marshal of the Hellenic Community of Montreal's Greek Independence Day parade.

Tom is involved with the Canadian Cancer Society as well as Garth Brooks' Teammates For Kids Foundation.

He is known as the team joker in the dressing room. He once sewed someone's keys inside their pocket.

The joker stories from the team are not limited to this and in fact, there are numerous other stories that have surfaced around the team.

Tom's nickname during his tenure for the London Knights was "Tommy Non-stopoulos" due to his extraordinary on-ice work ethic.