Mark Eaton (ice hockey)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Eats |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 212 lb (96 kg/15 st 2 lb) |
| NHL Team F. teams |
Pittsburgh Penguins Philadelphia Flyers Nashville Predators |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | May 6, 1977 , Wilmington, DE, U.S. |
| NHL Draft | undrafted |
| Pro career | 1999 – present |
Mark Andrew Eaton (born May 6, 1977, in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American professional ice hockey player for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
Contents |
[edit] Career
Mark Eaton was never drafted in the NHL Entry Draft. He was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers on August 4, 1998.
Eaton was traded from the Flyers to the Nashville Predators on September 29, 2000 for the Detroit Red Wings' third round pick in the draft. Nashville had previously acquired the pick from Detroit and the Flyers used it to select Patrick Sharp.
He played his first game in the NHL for the Flyers on April 13, 2000 against the Buffalo Sabres. He scored his first NHL goal on April 8, 2000 when he scored the game winner against Rob Tallas and the Boston Bruins. Template:This makes no sense. How can he score his first NHL goal 5 days prior to his first NHL game?
He took advantage of the opportunity to play in 2003–04 with a very solid season setting the franchise record for plus/minus at +16 (which has since been broken). Not especially known for offensive play he gave a very offensive performance on October 25 2003 when he scored a career-high three assists in a 5–3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Eaton was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 3, 2006 as a free agent. Since then plagued by injury Eaton has played only 72 games of a possible 164.
Eaton is a considered by some a 'cheap' defenceman as compared to others of his ability in the NHL, but he also has a history of injury or time off. He has never played all 82 games of an NHL season (75 is the most he's played) and the past 2 seasons (2007–2008) he has only played 71 total games for the Pittsburgh Penguins due to injuries. He is best known for shot blocking. While his ability to block shots help his team, it has also been the main cause of his injuries.
[edit] Awards
- Won the 1996–97 United States Hockey League (USHL) Curt Hammer Award (most gentlemanly play).
- Second Team USHL All-Star in 1997.
- Only the second University of Notre Dame player to be named CCHA Rookie of the Year (as selected by the conference's coaches) in 1997–98.
- Won the Barry Ashbee Award in 1998–99 which is given to the Philadelphia Phantoms' top defenceman.
- The first ice hockey player to be named Delaware's athlete of the year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association on January 27, 2000.
- Named the IHL Defenceman of the Week for the week of December 18–24, 2000.
[edit] Records
- Nashville Predators plus/minus record (+16) set in the 2003–04 NHL season.
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1996–97 | Waterloo Blackhawks | USHL | 50 | 6 | 32 | 38 | 62 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997–98 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | CCHA | 41 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 74 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 38 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 47 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000–01 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 27 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 34 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001–02 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 58 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002–03 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002–03 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 50 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003–04 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 75 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 69 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 44 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 35 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 36 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 384 | 16 | 37 | 53 | 158 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||||
[edit] International play
Eaton played for the United States at the 2001 World Championships and recorded one goal (the game-winner vs. Finland) and one assist in nine games. He also played for the United States at the 2002 World Championships in Sweden and registered a three assists in a 5–2 win vs. Italy.
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | United States | WC | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | United States | WC | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
