Dale Purinton
Dale Purinton ( born October 11, 1976 in Fort Wayne, Indiana ) is a retired American professional ice hockey player and current coach who has played during his active career, among others, for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League.
Career
Purinton was selected at the NHL Entry Draft in 1995 in the fifth round as 117 players from the New York Rangers. During his youth, he played for the Moose Jaw Warriors, Tacoma Rockets, Kelowna Rockets and Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League. For the 1997/98 season came when Purinton Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League action. In the season 1999/2000 the Enforcer managed the final breakthrough in the AHL when he came to a total of 415 penalty minutes in 62 games of the regular season, this was the third best value this season. In the finals to the Calder Cup the team the Rochester Americans defeated in six games and won the prestigious trophy. As a result, Purinton recommended for the NHL squad of Rangers, where he came to 42 missions in the following year and filled his role as enforcer.
In the following three years he came in each case at least 40 games in the National Hockey League, but was unable to reach particular success with the Rangers. The canceled due to a lockout NHL season 2004/ 05 he spent with the Victoria Salmon Kings in the ECHL. In the season 2005/ 06 he was only 35 games for the Hartford Wolf Park since Purinton had to stop due to a knee injury in November 2005 and a finger injury made him turn out two months later again from the game. In July 2007 he signed a contract with the Colorado Avalanche, he did not make it into the NHL squad and played in the 2007/ 08 season for the Lake Erie Monsters in the AHL before he finished his career at end of season.
In October 2009, Purinton took over the job as head coach at the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the British Columbia Hockey League.
Awards and achievements
- 2000 Calder Cup win with the Hartford Wolf Pack