Dallas Drake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position Left/Right Wing
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Double Ds
The Drake
Height
Weight
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
186 lb (84 kg/13 st 4 lb)
NHL Team
F. teams
Detroit Red Wings
St. Louis Blues
Phoenix Coyotes
Winnipeg Jets
Detroit Red Wings
Nationality Flag of Canada Canada
Born February 4, 1969 (1969-02-04) (age 39),
Trail, BC, CAN
NHL Draft 116th overall, 1989
Detroit Red Wings
Pro career 1990 – present

Dallas James Drake (born February 4, 1969 in Trail, British Columbia) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger in the National Hockey League who plays for the Detroit Red Wings. Previously, Drake played for the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes, and St. Louis Blues. Drake played his college hockey at Northern Michigan University.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Dallas Drake was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft in the 6th round, 116th overall. During his junior year at Northern Michigan, he was a key factor in the team winning the 1991 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship. In the final game, NMU teammate Darryl Plandowski scored the winning goal as the Wildcats defeated Boston University 8–7 in triple overtime. Following a stellar four-year college career, Drake made the Red Wings roster out of training camp without playing in the minor leagues. He enjoyed a fine rookie season in 1992–93, posting 44 points on 18 goals and 26 assists. The following season he was part of a trade that saw him shipped to the Winnipeg Jets along with goaltender Tim Cheveldae. The Red Wings received goaltender Bob Essensa and defenceman Sergei Bautin in return. The trade was generally a wash for the Wings, as Essensa appeared in only 13 games and was not a factor in the playoffs. Drake went on to have a successful role on the checking lines and penalty kill units of the Winnipeg/Phoenix Coyotes organization.

Drake has become known as a tenacious skater and a tough customer in the corners. Although as a pro, he's never been the goal scorer he was in college, his knowledge of the game, leadership and fierce competitiveness allowed him to skate in over 1000 NHL games and counting. Since 1992, he was sent to the minor leagues only once. In the 1993–1994 season, Drake skated one game in Adirondack on a rehab assignment, scoring two goals before returning to Detroit the following day and finishing with 10 goals and 22 assists.

Drake signed with the St. Louis Blues for the 2000–01 season, and remained with the organization for six seasons. He achieved his career high in goals with 20 during the 2002–03 season, and was named captain for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.

Drake was placed on waivers by the Blues on June 26, 2007 with the purpose of buying out his contract. On July 9, 2007, he was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Detroit Red Wings and signed a one-year, $550,000 (USD) contract. He had considered ending his professional career with other NHL teams, but chose to return to Detroit in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup with the club that had drafted him over 18 years prior. On June 4, 2008 those dreams were realized when Detroit defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to win their 11th franchise Stanley Cup championship. During the on ice post-game celebrations Detroit Captain Nicklas Lidstrom passed the Stanley Cup to Drake first.[1].

Drake makes his off-season home in Traverse City, Michigan and still spends time in Marquette, Michigan where he's been involved in several youth hockey camps.

He's also a talented softball player and a scratch golfer.

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1992–93 Detroit Red Wings NHL 72 18 26 44 93 7 3 3 6 6
1993–94 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 10 22 32 37 - - - - -
1993–94 Winnipeg Jets NHL 15 3 5 8 12 - - - - -
1994–95 Winnipeg Jets NHL 43 8 18 26 30 - - - - -
1995–96 Winnipeg Jets NHL 69 19 20 39 36 3 0 0 0 0
1996–97 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 63 17 19 36 52 7 0 1 1 2
1997–98 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 60 11 29 40 71 4 0 1 1 2
1998–99 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 53 9 22 31 65 7 4 3 7 4
1999–2000 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 79 15 30 45 62 5 0 1 1 4
2000–01 St. Louis Blues NHL 82 12 29 41 71 15 4 2 6 16
2001–02 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 11 15 26 87 8 0 0 0 8
2002–03 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 20 10 30 66 7 1 4 5 23
2003–04 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 13 22 35 65 5 1 1 2 2
2005–06 St. Louis Blues NHL 62 2 24 26 59 - - - - -
2006–07 St. Louis Blues NHL 60 6 6 12 38 - - - - -
2007–08 Detroit Red Wings NHL 65 3 3 6 41 22 1 3 4 12
NHL Totals 1009 177 300 477 885 82 14 19 33 79

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Al MacInnis
St.Louis Blues captains
2005-07
Succeeded by
Eric Brewer