Éric Dazé

Éric Dazé ( born July 2, 1975 in Montreal, Quebec ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who during his active career between 1995 and 2005 denied a total 638 games for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

• 2.1 International

• 3.1 International

Career

Dazé played during his junior first time from 1990 to 1992 at the Laval Regents in the lower junior classes of the province of Quebec, where he already made ​​with 45 points in 30 games and 77 points in 47 games early attention. In the summer of 1992, the striker finally moved to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he was already Hull Olympiques under contract. In his rookie season he was starting right off the bat to the permanent staff of the team, but the season after 55 games in which he scored his 32 points scorer, the league rivals Beauport Harfangs. Beauport sent for defender Jamie Bird to Hull. In the Harfangs Dazé be able to increase significantly in the remaining 13 games of the season, as he reached for another 23 points.

In June 1993, the winger was finally selected in 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Despite his prolific point yields the Scouts of the NHL franchises put little faith in those equipped with a height of 198 centimeters and 107 kilograms body weight attacker because Dazé - although its good physical condition - the physical play of a Power Forwards shied away vehemently. So voted him the Chicago Blackhawks only in the fourth round to 90th place out. Dazé remained, although the selection in the draft, two more years in the QMJHL at Beauport. Compared to his first season he improved significantly and came in the 1993/94 season to 107 points in 66 games. He was top scorer of the team of internal and Harfangs with 59 hits second best behind Yanick Dubé scorer in the league. His achievements were therefore rewarded with the election to the First All -Star team of the QMJHL and the Third All- Star Team of the Canadian Hockey League. The following season he repeated the successes of the previous year. Once again, the striker was elected to both All-Star teams, was by far the top scorer Harfangs and second top scorer in the league behind Alain Savage, although he missed a part of the season because of the World Youth Championship in December 1994 and January 1995. Overall, he came in 57 games on 99 points and 54 goals. These were joined in the play- offs for another 21 points in 16 games, failed as Beauport in the semifinal at the Coupe du Président at Hull. Finally, he was still awarded the Trophée Paul Dumont for the QMJHL Personality of the Year and the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the sporty fairest player in the QMJHL season. The award with the Frank J. Selke Trophy enabled him well in the elections to CHL Sportsman of the Year participate, in which he asserted itself against the Russian Vitaly Jatschmenjow and Darren Ritchie. He has also received at the end of the Viscount Alexander Award for Best Male Junior Athlete of the province of Quebec, with the Eric Lindros and Alexandre Daigle previously had received only two other hockey players.

After completion of the QMJHL season the 19 -year-old moved immediately into the professional and came at the end of the 1994/95 season to his first stakes in the National Hockey League. By the end of the regular season he was in four games for the Blackhawks on the ice, where he scored both his first goal in the third race and prepared another. In the play-offs for the Stanley Cup winger played 16 games in the first three rounds of the knockout competition before Chicago was eliminated against the Detroit Red Wings. In the Windy City, the Canadians quickly became a regular fixture in the squad. He missed the first four years, only 23 of the possible 328 games in the regular season. In his first season as a league novice presented Dazé with 30 goals, 23 templates and 53 points in 80 games personal records on which the appointment to the NHL All- Rookie team allowed him the season 1995/96. In January 1996 he was awarded the NHL rookie of the month. In the election for Calder Memorial Trophy Dazé defeated the Swede Daniel Alfredsson, who scored eight points more than him and mentioned these statistics among the league newcomers. In the other three seasons until the spring of 1999, the attacker always posted more than 40 points scorer in a team that twice the play-offs missed during this period and even eliminated in the first round.

In the season 1999/2000 Dazé denied due to injury only 59 games and reached only 36 points scorer so far the worst value ever since he entered the NHL. Only in the game in 2000/01, the attacker went back to his old form and improved his Saisonbestwert on 57 points, with which he was fourth- best scorer of the Blackhawks. He could be in the following season, had prematurely extended his contract until the summer of 2004 before the Chicago increase again. He graduated first in his NHL career and put all the games with 70 points again on a new record, which also made ​​him the team 's internal and Goal Scorer scorer of the team. In addition, he was nominated for the NHL All-Star Game in February 2002 in Los Angeles, where his two goals and one assist bestowed the award for most valuable player of the game.

From the season 2002/ 03 then began a long period of suffering for the striker. Even before the game time Dazé underwent for a herniated disc surgery on the back, which was only belatedly him get into the game year. This was followed in the course of the season always less downtime due to back problems and seemed cured than this, did the bar and an infection ankle problems. He played only 54 games in which he could but begin to show the points productivity of the previous year with 44 points. At the beginning of the 2003/ 04 Dazé reiterated his back problems due to a re- herniated disc to create. After 19 missions and eleven points scorer, he finished the season in early December due to a back surgery again prematurely of a third followed in February 2004. As the NHL season 2004/ 05 due to the lockout completely failed, Dazé used intensively to cure the time around his back. The Blackhawks held despite the ongoing injury problems continue at their attackers and had bound him firmly in the long term in July 2004. In September 2005, the striker therefore returned to Chicago and was in the first season match of the season 2005/ 06 on 7 October 2005 in the squad of the team. Already after the first third of the 30 -year-old but already did not return to the ice and did no further play during the season.

After a total of three operations within five years declared Dazé - despite several attempts to create a comeback - on 31 December 2006 that he was no longer present to contest because of his back problems games in the situation. But since he was delaying his official retirement from active competition until March 20, 2010, he was after the expiration of the contract in Chicago officially designated as Unrestricted Free Agent.

Internationally

Dazé represented his native Canada for the first time at the Junior World Championship in 1995 in the Canadian Red Deer, Alberta. The Canadians - led by the Quartet Marty Murray, Jason Allison, Bryan McCabe and Éric Dazé - were victorious in all seven games of the tournament and secured sovereign gold medal. Together with Murray and Allison made ​​Dazé the best forward line of the tournament, who scored 17 of the 49 Canadian hit. Of which alone accounted Dazé eight and thus shared with the Russians Alexander Koroljuk the title of best scorers. Through two more assists, that is ten points, he finished fifth in the scorer standings, but the level is only fourth- best scorer of Canadians. In addition, he was elected to the All- Star team of the tournament.

Previously Dazé had represented the selection of the province of Quebec already at the World U -17 Hockey Challenge in 1992, where he had led the team to a final defeat by the province of Ontario to the silver medal.

For the seniors choice of maple leaves played the striker in the World Cup 1998 in Switzerland and the World Championship 1999 in Norway. At the World Championships 1998, the Canadian retired after a successful first round already in the second round against the two finalists from Finland and Sweden. Nevertheless Dazé reached at three inserts five points scorer, so he was behind Ray Whitney, who played three games more, the second best Canadian players on points. The following year, when Canada after defeats against the Czech Republic was in the semi-finals and Sweden in the match for third place fourth, Dazé came two appearances. He prepared a hit.

Awards and achievements

Internationally

Career Stats

Internationally

Represented Canada at:

• World U -17 Hockey Challenge 1992
• U20 Junior World Cup in 1995
• World Cup 1998
• 1999 World Cup

( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )