Alexandre Daigle

Alexandre Daigle
Born	February 7, 1975 (1975-02-07) Laval, QC, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Left
team Former teams	free agent Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Tampa Bay Lightning New York Rangers Pittsburgh Penguins Minnesota Wild HC Davos
NHL Draft	1st overall, 1993 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	1993–2010

Alexandre Daigle (born February 7, 1975) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Despite being drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Daigle never lived up to his potential, achieving a maximum of only 51 points in the regular season, well below expectations for a first overall pick playing in a forward position in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Ottawa Sun has listed him among the all time draft busts in NHL history.

Playing career

NHL career

Leading up to the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Daigle was considered a "can't miss" prospect and NHL superstar-in-waiting. The Senators were even accused of—and admitted—deliberately losing games late in the 1992–93 season, their first in the NHL, in order to guarantee the first overall selection and the right to draft him, which prompted an investigation by the league. When the Senators finished last in the league standings and thus secured the first overall pick, they drafted Daigle over future superstars Chris Pronger and Paul Kariya, who were picked second and fourth, respectively. Regarding his draft position, Daigle uttered the infamous comment, "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two". Leading up to the draft, the Quebec Nordiques, who were hosting the event, were reportedly so eager to draft the next French-Canadian superstar that they were rumored to have offered names such as Owen Nolan, Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, and draft picks,^{[citation needed]} but Ottawa management disregarded all offers. Daigle subsequently received the largest starting salary in league history (five-year, $12.25 million), which led to the introduction of a rookie salary cap a few years later.

However, Daigle never proved to be the superstar the Senators hoped he would be. He only scored 20 or more goals twice – in his rookie year and in 1996-97. He was frequently criticized for lack of effort and motivation, partially blamed on his lucrative and long-term contract. Rumors began circulating in Ottawa of late-night partying and possible drug use. He was interested in the limelight, appearing in a full-page ad dressed in a nurse's uniform.

Daigle was outplayed by Russian center Alexei Yashin in every season that they were teammates in Ottawa. Both entered the league in the 1993–94 season and were promoted as future stars of the franchise, on the cover of the Senators' year book and media guide. Management, however, supported Daigle over Yashin, touting him over Yashin for the Calder Trophy (though Yashin ended up receiving a nomination instead of Daigle). After management continued to support Daigle despite his subpar performance, an angered Yashin held out in the 1995–96 season unless his contract was raised to a level similar to Daigle's. Head coach Rick Bowness and assistant coach Alain Vigneault were fired on November 21, 1995 after demoting Daigle to the fourth line.

Daigle had himself banned from a team flight on September 25, 1996. While riding USAir Flight 1948 with the Ottawa Senators, he leaned over to Trevor Timmins (the Senators' Director Of Team Services) and said "Watch out Trevor, you brought your bomb." After hearing Daigle's comments, the flight attendant notified the captain, who then notified USAir ground control, who later notified police. What Daigle didn't know was that his comments were made as then-U.S. President Bill Clinton was also on the Pittsburgh International Airport tarmac at the time. Daigle was not prosecuted for the incident, but was fined $300 and was not allowed to board the attaching flight to Tampa with the rest of the team.

During the 1997–98 season, after four and a half seasons, 74 goals and 172 points in 301 games played, Ottawa traded Daigle to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for prospect Vaclav Prospal and another first-round bust, Pat Falloon. With the Flyers, Daigle scored 31 points in 68 games. In January 1999, the Flyers traded Daigle to the Edmonton Oilers, who later that same day traded him to Tampa Bay for Alexander Selivanov. Daigle played only 32 games for the Lightning, collecting six goals and six assists for 12 points. The New York Rangers then acquired Daigle as a reclamation project, sending cash to the Lightning, but they, too, realized the one-time junior superstar was not living up to expectations and waived him at the end of the season. In 58 games with the Rangers, Daigle recorded just 8 goals and 18 assists for 26 points.

Daigle was out of hockey by the age of 25. No one was willing to take a chance on him, and in fact, by his own admission said he had no desire to play the game anymore. In an interview on national television broadcaster Radio-Canada, Daigle said he never wanted to play hockey, but stuck to the game because of his talent. Instead, he became interested in the entertainment business and the opportunity to be a celebrity. He played hockey in a small league in Los Angeles with Cuba Gooding Jr. on Jerry Bruckheimer's team, the Bad Boys, and created an event promotion company, Impostor Entertainment, with former Montreal Expos pitcher Derek Aucoin. Their first project was a concert featuring Sheryl Crow during the Canadian Grand Prix Formula One auto race in Montreal.

Following a two-year absence from hockey, Daigle decided to give it another try. In mid-2002, he contacted numerous teams looking for an invitation to training camp, ultimately signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Daigle would lead the Penguins in pre-season scoring and had earned himself a spot on the Pittsburgh roster to start the season. Despite his impressive training camp, Daigle was unable to continue his success into the regular season, and spent the better part of the season with the team's AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. After being released by the Penguins, Daigle signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild in the offseason.

After arriving in Minnesota, Daigle impressed the Wild coaching staff enough to earn a roster spot for opening night. Over the course of the 2003–04 season, Daigle managed to match his career high point total, finishing the campaign with 51 points (20 goals and 31 assists) to lead the team in scoring. During this season, he was also the Wild's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given annually to an NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. On March 6, 2006, Minnesota waived Daigle and reassigned him to the team's AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros. Daigle did not play a game for the Aeros, and was subsequently loaned to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL on March 13, 2006, in exchange for forward Brendan Bernakevitch.

Post NHL-career

On May 5, 2006, Daigle signed a two-year contract with HC Davos, a top team in the Swiss National League A, and inked a two-year extension with them in December. During his three complete seasons playing in Davos, the team won the league championship on two occasions. In a little over three seasons with HC Davos, Daigle played 137 games, tallying 46 goals and 94 assists for 140 points (averaging a little over one point per game).

On October 26, 2009, Daigle was loaned to the SCL Tigers in exchange for Oliver Setzinger. Daigle played 25 games with the SCL Tigers in the 2009-10 season, with 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points. Daigle ranked seventh on the team in points while playing in fewer than half as many games as the team's other top scorers.

On March 23, 2010, Daigle and HC Davos agreed to have his contract reduced from five years to three years, making him a free agent after the 2009-10 NLA season.

Although Daigle has not officially retired, he has not resumed his career since the 2009-10 NLA season.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1991–92	Victoriaville Tigres	QMJHL		66	35	75	110	63		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Victoriaville Tigres	QMJHL		53	45	92	137	85		—	—	—	—	—
1993–94	Ottawa Senators	NHL		84	20	31	51	40		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Victoriaville Tigres	QMJHL		18	14	20	34	16		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Ottawa Senators	NHL		47	16	21	37	14		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Ottawa Senators	NHL		50	5	12	17	24		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Ottawa Senators	NHL		82	26	25	51	33		7	0	0	0	2
1997–98	Ottawa Senators	NHL		38	7	9	16	8		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		37	9	17	26	6		5	0	2	2	0
1998–99	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		31	3	2	5	2		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Tampa Bay Lightning	NHL		32	6	6	12	2		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		16	6	13	19	4		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	New York Rangers	NHL		58	8	18	26	23		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	DNP	—		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	DNP	—		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		33	4	3	7	8		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		40	9	29	38	18		4	0	1	1	0
2003–04	Minnesota Wild	NHL		78	20	31	51	14		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Minnesota Wild	NHL		46	5	23	28	12		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Manchester Monarchs	AHL		16	6	8	14	4		7	4	7	11	6
2006–07	Davos	Swiss		44	22	39	61	44		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Davos	Swiss		45	13	30	43	59		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Davos	Swiss		44	9	23	32	8		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Davos	Swiss		4	2	2	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Fribourg-Gotteron	Swiss		2	0	2	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	SCL Tigers	Swiss		25	7	17	24	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				616	129	198	327	186		12	0	2	2	2

Awards

• 1991–92: CHL – Rookie of the Year (Canadian Major Junior)
• 1991–92: QMJHL – Second All-Star Team
• 1991–92: QMJHL – Michel Bergeron Trophy (Top Rookie Forward)
• 1992-93: CHL Top Draft Prospect (Canadian Major Junior)
• 1992–93: QMJHL – Mike Bossy Trophy (Top Draft Prospect)
• 1992–93: QMJHL – First All-Star Team

Transactions

• June 26, 1993: Ottawa Senators 1st round draft choice (1st overall) in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.
• January 17, 1998: Traded by the Ottawa Senators to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Vaclav Prospal, Pat Falloon and Dallas' 1998 2nd round draft choice.
• January 29, 1999: Traded by the Philadelphia Flyers to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Andrei Kovalenko.
• January 29, 1999: Traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Alexander Selivanov.
• October 3, 1999: Traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the New York Rangers in exchange for cash.
• August 13, 2002: Signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• September 30, 2003: Signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild.
• May 5, 2006: Signed a 2-year contract with HC Davos.

External links

• Alexandre Daigle's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Alexandre Daigle at Hockey-Reference.com
• Alexandre Daigle's career stats at Eliteprospects.com
• Alexandre Daigle's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Alexandre Daigle's NHL player profile
• Alexandre Daigle at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by Roman Hamrlík	1st overall pick in NHL Entry Draft 1993	Succeeded by Ed Jovanovski
Preceded by Alexei Yashin	Ottawa Senators first round draft pick 1993	Succeeded by Radek Bonk