Ray Whitney (ice hockey)
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| Position | Left wing |
| Shoots | Right |
| Nickname(s) | The Wizard, Whits |
| Height Weight |
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg/12 st 12 lb) |
| NHL Team F. teams |
Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets Detroit Red Wings |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | May 8, 1972 , Fort Saskatchewan, AB, CAN |
| NHL Draft | 23rd overall, 1991 San Jose Sharks |
| Pro career | 1991 – present |
Ray Whitney (born May 8, 1972 in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta) is a professional ice hockey player currently with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League.
[edit] Playing career
Before Ray Whitney played his first game on the ice, he was one of the Oilers' stick boys during Wayne Gretzky's late career in Edmonton; the other was Ryan Smyth. Ray was drafted in the second round (32nd overall) in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. He has played for several different NHL teams during his 14 year career, including the San Jose Sharks (1991–92 to 1996–97), Edmonton Oilers (1997–98), Florida Panthers (1997–98 to 2000–01), Columbus Blue Jackets (2000–01 to 2002–03), and Detroit Red Wings (2003–04). On August 6, 2005 Whitney signed a 2 year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL's Eastern Conference paying him $1.5 million per year. Ray is one of only 29 players in NHL history to record an overtime game-winner in a seventh game in the playoffs. He did that in 1995 in a seventh game against the Calgary Flames while with San Jose. On April 13, 2007 Ray agreed to re-sign with the Carolina Hurricanes for 3 years instead of becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2007. His new contract pays him $3.5 million per year.
As well as playing in the NHL, Ray has also played in the Western Hockey League (WHL), International Hockey League (IHL), and American Hockey League (AHL).
In 2006, Ray helped Carolina win their first Stanley Cup with fellow Fort Saskatchewan native Mike Commodore. Whitney stated that if the Hurricanes were not in the playoffs, he would have been rooting for the Oilers, as they were his childhood team.
Ray is known for his comedic tendencies for doing such things as making sure he's visible in pre-game on-screen interviews behind the interviewee, leading to the Hurricanes' fans' favorite game of "Where's Whitney"? Ray's commonly used nickname is "Wizard".
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| 1988–89 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 71 | 17 | 33 | 50 | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1989–90 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 71 | 57 | 56 | 113 | 50 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1990–91 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 72 | 67 | 118 | 185 | 36 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 12 | ||
| 1991–92 | Kolner EC | Ger. | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1991–92 | San Diego Gulls | IHL | 63 | 36 | 54 | 90 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1991–92 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1992–93 | Kansas City Blades | IHL | 46 | 20 | 33 | 53 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 1992–93 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 26 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1993–94 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 61 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1994–95 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 39 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 60 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 16 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1996–97 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1996–97 | Kentucky Thoroughblades | AHL | 9 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1996–97 | Utah Grizzlies | IHL | 43 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 34 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | Edmonton/Florida | NHL | 77 | 33 | 32 | 65 | 28 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 81 | 26 | 38 | 64 | 18 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999–00 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 81 | 29 | 42 | 71 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Florida/Columbus | NHL | 46 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001–02 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 67 | 21 | 40 | 61 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002–03 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 81 | 24 | 52 | 76 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003–04 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 67 | 14 | 29 | 43 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 63 | 17 | 38 | 55 | 42 | 24 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 14 | ||
| 2006–07 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 81 | 32 | 51 | 83 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2007–08 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 66 | 25 | 36 | 61 | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| WHL Totals | 214 | 141 | 207 | 348 | 102 | 21 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 18 | ||||
| IHL Totals | 152 | 69 | 122 | 191 | 60 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 8 | ||||
| AHL Totals | 9 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| NHL Totals | 910 | 279 | 455 | 734 | 337 | 65 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 32 | ||||
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Lyle Odelein |
Columbus Blue Jackets Captains 2002–03 |
Succeeded by Luke Richardson |
