Mark Lawrence (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Mark Lawrence is a retired Canadian
professional ice hockey
winger
who played in the National Hockey League
for the Dallas Stars
and the New York Islanders
. Lawrence was drafted 118th overall by the Minnesota North Stars
in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft
. He had a spell in the ECHL
with the Dayton Bombers
and three season in the IHL with the Kalamazoo Wings
. The North Stars relocated to Dallas in 1993, and it was with Dallas where he made his NHL debut, playing 2 games during the 1994–95 NHL season. He played 13 more games for the Stars the next season before moving to the New York Islanders in 1997 as a free agent. He received more ice time with the Islanders with his best season coming in 1998–99, scoring 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 60 games. In all, Lawrence played 142 regular season games, scoring 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points and collected 115 penalty minutes. In 2001, he returned to the Kalamazoo Wings who were now playing in the United Hockey League
after the IHL folded. He joined as a player/assistant coach, but missed a majority of the 2001–02 season due to a knee injury. In February 2002, he became Interim Head Coach of the Wings for the remainder of the 2001–02 season, replacing Dennis Desrosiers, but only won 5 of 22 games as the Wings failed to make the playoffs. He played one more season with the Wings before retiring.
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...
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 played in 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...
for the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
and the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Lawrence was drafted 118th overall by the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft
1991 NHL Entry Draft
The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The draft was famous for the controversy surrounding star first overall draft pick, touted by some observers to be The Next One, Eric Lindros, who was drafted by the...
. He had a spell in the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
with the Dayton Bombers
Dayton Bombers
The Dayton Bombers were an ECHL ice hockey team located in Dayton, Ohio. The team most recently was in the North Division of the ECHL's American Conference....
and three season in the IHL with the Kalamazoo Wings
Kalamazoo Wings
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Eastern Conference, North Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium....
. The North Stars relocated to Dallas in 1993, and it was with Dallas where he made his NHL debut, playing 2 games during the 1994–95 NHL season. He played 13 more games for the Stars the next season before moving to the New York Islanders in 1997 as a free agent. He received more ice time with the Islanders with his best season coming in 1998–99, scoring 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 60 games. In all, Lawrence played 142 regular season games, scoring 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points and collected 115 penalty minutes. In 2001, he returned to the Kalamazoo Wings who were now playing in the United Hockey League
United Hockey League
The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...
after the IHL folded. He joined as a player/assistant coach, but missed a majority of the 2001–02 season due to a knee injury. In February 2002, he became Interim Head Coach of the Wings for the remainder of the 2001–02 season, replacing Dennis Desrosiers, but only won 5 of 22 games as the Wings failed to make the playoffs. He played one more season with the Wings before retiring.