Ben Eager
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Eager is a Canadian
professional ice hockey
left winger
who currently plays for the Edmonton Oilers
of the National Hockey League
(NHL).
in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft
. He was later traded by the Coyotes along with Sean Burke
and Branko Radivojević
to the Philadelphia Flyers for centre Mike Comrie
.
The 2006–07 NHL
season would see Eager lead the league in penalty minutes, even though he only played 63 games. That same season, he also won the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial as the Flyer
who has most improved from the previous season, as voted by his teammates.
Eager was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks
on December 18, 2007 for Jim Vandermeer
.
Eager scored his first Stanley Cup playoff goal in Game Two of Chicago vs Vancouver on May 2, 2009 in Vancouver. This led to the Blackhawk's first victory against the Canucks and evened the series 1-1. Eager scored his second Stanley Cup playoff goal on May 31, 2010 in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals against Philadelphia. His goal ended up being the game winner, as the Hawks won 2-1. On June 9, 2010, he and the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Flyers 4-3 in overtime in Game Six.
On June 23, 2010, Eager was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers
along with Dustin Byfuglien
, Brent Sopel
, and Akim Aliu
, for the 24th overall pick, the 54th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
, Marty Reasoner
, Joey Crabb
and Jeremy Morin
. During the 2010–11 season
Eager delivered a "sucker punch" to the Maple Leafs'
forward Colby Armstrong
. Eager received a five minute major, a match penalty for intent to injure, and was ejected from the game. The NHL further suspended him for four games due to the incident. Midway through the season, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks
for a fifth round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
.
He signed a 3-year/$3.3 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers
on July 1, 2011.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who currently plays for the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL).
Playing career
Eager was drafted in the 1st round, 22nd overall by the Phoenix CoyotesPhoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft
2002 NHL Entry Draft
The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22–23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. 291 players were drafted in total: 35 from the OHL; 23 from the QMJHL; 43 from the WHL; 41 from the NCAA; 6 from U.S high schools and 110 from outside North America....
. He was later traded by the Coyotes along with Sean Burke
Sean Burke
Sean Burke is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles...
and Branko Radivojević
Branko Radivojevic
Branko Radivojevič is a Slovak professional ice hockey forward currently playing for Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League...
to the Philadelphia Flyers for centre Mike Comrie
Mike Comrie
Michael William "Mike" Comrie is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre.He is married to Hilary Duff.-Playing career:Mike Comrie was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta and attended Jasper Place High School...
.
The 2006–07 NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
season would see Eager lead the league in penalty minutes, even though he only played 63 games. That same season, he also won the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial as the Flyer
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
who has most improved from the previous season, as voted by his teammates.
Eager was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
on December 18, 2007 for Jim Vandermeer
Jim Vandermeer
James Patrick "Jim" Vandermeer is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League . Jim was born and raised in Caroline, Alberta.-Playing career:...
.
Eager scored his first Stanley Cup playoff goal in Game Two of Chicago vs Vancouver on May 2, 2009 in Vancouver. This led to the Blackhawk's first victory against the Canucks and evened the series 1-1. Eager scored his second Stanley Cup playoff goal on May 31, 2010 in Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals against Philadelphia. His goal ended up being the game winner, as the Hawks won 2-1. On June 9, 2010, he and the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Flyers 4-3 in overtime in Game Six.
On June 23, 2010, Eager was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
along with Dustin Byfuglien
Dustin Byfuglien
Dustin Ray Byfuglien is an American professional ice hockey player and an alternate captain of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. His known nickname is "Big Buff," made up by his teammates...
, Brent Sopel
Brent Sopel
Brent Sopel is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing the Kontinental Hockey League and previously the National Hockey League .-Vancouver Canucks:...
, and Akim Aliu
Akim Aliu
Akim Aliu is a professional ice hockey player currently playing in the Winnipeg Jets organization. Aliu was born in Okene, Nigeria. Shortly after he was born his family moved to Kiev, Ukraine. Akim's family came to Canada when he was 12...
, for the 24th overall pick, the 54th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
2010 NHL Entry Draft
The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the 48th NHL Entry Draft, held on June 25–26, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time Los Angeles hosted the NHL Entry Draft. An unofficial record of 11 American-trained players were selected in...
, Marty Reasoner
Marty Reasoner
Martin Reasoner, is an American professional ice hockey center for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League . He has also played for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers...
, Joey Crabb
Joseph Crabb
Joseph Michael Crabb is an American professional ice hockey winger and current member of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
and Jeremy Morin
Jeremy Morin
Jeremy Morin is an ice hockey left winger currently playing in the Chicago Blackhawks organization of the National Hockey League . He played juniors for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League , where he was drafted in the second-round, 45th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the...
. During the 2010–11 season
2010–11 NHL season
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech...
Eager delivered a "sucker punch" to the Maple Leafs'
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
forward Colby Armstrong
Colby Armstrong
Colby Joseph Armstrong is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, who is an alternate captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.-Early life:...
. Eager received a five minute major, a match penalty for intent to injure, and was ejected from the game. The NHL further suspended him for four games due to the incident. Midway through the season, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
for a fifth round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
2011 NHL Entry Draft
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hosted the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.The top three picks consisted...
.
He signed a 3-year/$3.3 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
on July 1, 2011.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1999–00 | Ottawa Senators Jr.A. | CJHL | 50 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 119 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Oshawa Generals Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. The Generals are one of the most successful franchises in Canadian Hockey League... |
OHL Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada.... |
61 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 63 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 255 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 2002–03 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 58 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 216 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2003–04 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 61 | 25 | 27 | 52 | 204 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 31 | ||
| 2003–04 2003–04 AHL season The 2003–04 AHL season was the 68th season of the American Hockey League. The league introduces the Willie Marshall Award in honour the career points leader in the AHL, and awards it to the annual top goal scorer.... |
Philadelphia Phantoms Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 AHL season The 2004–05 AHL season was the 69th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season... |
Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 66 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 232 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 71 | ||
| 2005–06 2005–06 AHL season The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals.... |
Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 49 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 256 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
25 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | ||
| 2006–07 2006–07 AHL season The 2006–07 AHL season was the 71st season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup, defeating the defending champions, the Hershey Bears in the finals.... |
Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 63 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 233 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10... |
NHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the... |
Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 75 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 161 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 61 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 NHL season The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010... |
Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 60 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 120 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 20 | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 NHL season The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech... |
Atlanta Thrashers Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season... |
NHL | 34 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 34 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 43 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 41 | ||
| NHL totals | 323 | 34 | 35 | 69 | 741 | 47 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 148 | ||||