Mike Craig (ice hockey, born 1971)
Michael Craig ( born June 6, 1971 in London, Ontario ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who last spieltw for the HC Neumarkt from the Italian Serie A2. In the National Hockey League, he was active for the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks.
Career
Craig initially played three years from 1987 to 1990 in the Ontario Hockey League with the Oshawa Generals a solid junior career in which he was able to increase its yield point in each year. In the last season with the Generals, including Eric Lindros belonged, he was both the J. Ross Robertson and the Memorial Cup win. In addition, he took part with his home country at the World Youth Championship 1990, where he won the gold medal. The title he successfully defended the following year again.
After Craig had already been selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1989 in the second round to 28th position of the Minnesota North Stars, he submitted this before the 1990/91 season's first professional contract. After 39 missions in his rookie season of Canadians belonged from the second season of the tribe of the North Stars squad, preferring the 1993/94 season with the team to Dallas Texas. Despite a 38 -point season 1992/ 93, and 37 -point season 1993/ 94, the Stars extended the contract Craigs not and let him draw as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they had hoped for more from him secretly. In Toronto, the right winger could not meet the expectations placed in him in the next four years and was deported in the last year of his contract to the farm team in the International Hockey League. Therefore, in the summer of 1998 he moved to the San Jose Sharks in their NHL squad, however, he found no place. After three years and a single NHL game, he joined in the summer of 2000 again. This time the Colorado Avalanche was his goal, but there was not even in the NHL for the train. Craig joined the 2001/02 season once again to San Jose, but there was again only in the farm team. The two NHL appearances in this season were his last.
Since the Canadians saw no future in the NHL for himself, he signed to play 2002 /03 a one-year contract with the SCL Tigers of the Swiss National League A. Through his commitment in Switzerland, he played for the team Canada at the traditional Spengler Cup HC Davos won the Canadians this year. The following year he went to the neighboring country to Austria for the Vienna Capitals, where he remained for four years. The Team Canada, he defended the 2003 Spengler Cup title. In the 2004/05 season he led the team as top scorer of the league to win the Austrian Championship. For the 2007 /08 season he played until the end of the 2010/11 season for the Austrian record holder EC KAC. From October 2011, he played for the EC VSV.
In January 2013 he changed to Italy, where he played for HC Neumarkt from the series A2, before he ended his career after the 2012/13 season.
Awards and achievements
- 2003 Spengler Cup win with the team Canada
- 2005 Austrian Champion with the Vienna Capitals
- 2005 top scorer of the Erste Bank Hockey League
- 2009 Austrian Champion with the EC KAC