Erik Cole
| Erik Cole | |
|---|---|
 Cole pictured during his time with the Montreal Canadiens. | |
| Born | November 6, 1978 Oswego, NY, USA |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
| Position | Left/right wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
Dallas Stars Carolina Hurricanes Edmonton Oilers Montreal Canadiens |
| National team |  United States |
| NHL Draft | 71st overall, 1998 Carolina Hurricanes |
| Playing career | 2000–present |
Erik Thomas Cole (born November 6, 1978) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played two stints with the Carolina Hurricanes as well as having played for the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.
Playing career
Cole was first drafted by the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL after a family friend, Mark Pierce, out of West Des Moines, Iowa had multiple scouts take a look.[citation needed] He was then drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 3rd round as the 71st overall selection in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2001–2002 NHL season, his rookie year, Cole scored six goals during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Additionally, he was one-third of the "BBC Line" featuring Bates Battaglia and Rod Brind'Amour during the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup run in 2002. He is the first (and as of 2011, only) native of Oswego, NY in the NHL. Cole played college hockey for the Clarkson University Golden Knights. He played high school hockey for the Oswego Buccaneers in Oswego, NY.[1]
On December 19, 2005, Cole was chosen to represent the United States as a player on Team USA's ice hockey team which competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He was named along with fellow Clarkson University alum Craig Conroy, from the Calgary Flames. He also represented Team USA at the 2007 World Championships in Moscow, Russia.
On March 4, 2006, Cole suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck after getting hit by Pittsburgh Penguins's defenceman Brooks Orpik.[2] The injury kept him out of the lineup until Game 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in Game 7. On November 12, 2007, Cole went head first into Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun, he was face down on the ice for over five minutes, and was escorted off the ice via stretcher.[3] It was a neck injury but not serious, and he traveled with the team to Tampa Bay.
Cole was the first player in the NHL to ever be awarded two penalty shots in the same game.[4] On July 1, 2008, Cole was acquired by the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Joni Pitkänen.[5]
On January 14, 2009, Cole, as a member of the Edmonton Oilers, recorded his fifth hat trick against the Washington Capitals on goaltender José Théodore. Cole set an unofficial NHL record in the Fastest Skater event by skating around the entire Rexall Place with a time of 13.117 seconds.
On March 4, 2009, Cole was traded back to the Carolina Hurricanes for Patrick O'Sullivan and a second round draft pick. O'Sullivan was traded to Carolina for Justin Williams and second round pick earlier that day.[6]
On July 1, 2009, the Hurricanes signed Cole to a two-year contract worth $5.8 million ($2.8 million in 2009-10 and $3 million in 2010-11).[7]
On December 5, 2009, Cole scored his 6th career hat-trick against the Vancouver Canucks in Raleigh. The second goal went off the skate of former Clarkson University teammate Willie Mitchell. He scored the third goal on an empty-net after Canucks back-up Andrew Raycroft was pulled for an extra attacker in the last minute of play.
On July 1, 2011, Cole signed a four-year contract worth $18 million with the Montreal Canadiens.[8] Cole wore jersey number 72 for the Canadiens. During his first season with the Canadiens in 2011–12, Cole set career highs with 35 goals and 61 points. On March 23, 2012 Cole scored a natural hat trick just 5:41 into a game against the Ottawa Senators, setting a Canadiens record for the quickest hat trick from the start of a game.[9]
During the lockout shortened 2012–13 season, after exhibiting a slow start offensively he was traded by the Canadiens to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Michael Ryder and a third round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft on February 26, 2013.[10] In 28 games with Dallas, Cole would record six goals and an assist as the Stars missed the playoffs.
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team | 1997–98 | |
| All-ECAC Hockey First Team | 1998–99 | |
| All-ECAC Hockey Second Team | 1999–00 | |
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
2009–10| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1997–98 | Clarkson Golden Knights | ECAC | 34 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Clarkson Golden Knights | ECAC | 36 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Clarkson Golden Knights | ECAC | 33 | 19 | 11 | 30 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Cincinnati Cyclones | IHL | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Cincinnati Cyclones | IHL | 69 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 81 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 35 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 30 | ||
| 2002–03 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 53 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 80 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Eisbären Berlin | DEL | 39 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 76 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 37 | ||
| 2005–06 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 60 | 30 | 29 | 59 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 71 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 73 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 63 | 16 | 11 | 27 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 17 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 22 | ||
| Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 40 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2010–11 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 82 | 26 | 26 | 52 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 35 | 26 | 61 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 19 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 28 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 749 | 228 | 236 | 464 | 625 | 43 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 52 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | United States | WC | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| 2006 | United States | OG | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2007 | United States | WC | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Senior int'l totals | 20 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 8 | ||
References
- ↑ Groom, Debra J. (2008-12-17). "Oswego school district Athletic Hall of Fame inductions set". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
- ↑ "Cole to Miss at Least 6-8 Weeks with Fractured Vertebra". Carolina Hurricanes. 2006-03-05.
- ↑ "Canes' Cole leaves game on stretcher after collision with goalie Vokoun". ESPN. 2007-11-13.
- ↑ "Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres Game Recap, November 9, 2005, ESPN". ESPN. 2005-11-09.
- ↑ "Oilers bring in Cole, Brule with pair of trades". TSN. 2008-07-01.
- ↑ "Hurricanes re-acquire Cole". nhl.com. 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ↑ "Hurricanes Agree to Terms with Erik Cole". carolinahurricanes.com. 2009-07-01.
- ↑ "NHL Free Agent Tracker". The Sports Network. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ↑ "Cole Scores Three in First Six Minutes as Habs Down Senators". The Sports Network. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ↑ "Canadiens acquire Ryder and pick from Stars for Cole". The Sports Network. 2013-02-26. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
External links
- Erik Cole's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Erik Cole's player profile at NHL.com
- Erik Cole's U.S. Olympic Team bio
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J.R. Prestifilippo |
ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year 1997–98 Shared With Willie Mitchell |
Succeeded by Brandon Dietrich |