Éric Desjardins

Éric Desjardins
Born	(1969-06-14) June 14, 1969 Rouyn, QC, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	Montreal Canadiens Philadelphia Flyers
National team	Canada
NHL draft	38th overall, 1987 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1988–2006

Jean Noël Éric Desjardins (born June 14, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993 and headlined the Flyers defence for over a decade. He currently works for his own business.

Playing career

Desjardins was drafted 38th overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens from the Granby Bisons of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). After playing one more season for Granby, he joined the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League (AHL) in time to make his professional debut in the spring of 1988, playing three regular season games and four playoff games. He began his NHL career in 1988–89 with two goals and twelve assists in 36 games. He also played in 14 playoff games on Montreal's way to the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, a loss against the Calgary Flames.

His play improved thereafter, leading to an appearance in the 1992 NHL All-Star Game. By 1992–93 he had established himself as one of the team's premier defencemen, often playing in power play situations with Mathieu Schneider. Perhaps his most famous performance happened in game two of the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals on June 3, 1993, when he scored all of Montreal's goals in a 3–2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings in a game also marked by Marty McSorley's illegal stick penalty. The game turned the series in Montreal's favour.

On February 9, 1995, Desjardins was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers along with John LeClair and Gilbert Dionne in exchange for Mark Recchi and a 3rd round pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He was brought in to solidify the Flyers defence and that he did as he won the first of what would be seven Barry Ashbee Trophies, an award given annually to the Flyers top blueliner. He played the remainder of his career with the Flyers, achieving two NHL second team All-Star selections (1999, 2000) and two more All-Star Game appearances (1996, 2000). His 396 points with the Flyers ranks second among defencemen only to Mark Howe's 480 in team history. During the 1999–2000 season, Desjardins became the Flyers captain once Eric Lindros was stripped from captainship for his complaints about the Flyers' medical staff.

The Flyers didn't offer Desjardins a contract following the 2005–06 season. His original team, Montreal, was interested in signing him for the 2006–07 season, but Desjardins opted to retire as a Flyer on August 10, 2006. Desjardins was nicknamed Rico throughout his playing career.

On January 11, 2007, before the Flyers/Canadiens game in Philadelphia, the Flyers honoured Desjardins with Eric Desjardins Night, which featured a ceremony highlighting Desjardins' Flyers career. Afterwards, Desjardins was presented gifts and tokens of appreciation from both the Flyers and the Canadiens, his two former clubs.

On February 19, 2015, before the Flyers/Sabres game in Philadelphia, the Flyers inducted Desjardins into the Flyers Hall of Fame. His former linemate Chris Therien honored him with a speech.

Records

• June 3, 1993: First and to date only defenceman to score a hat-trick in a Stanley Cup Finals game.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1985–86	Laval Laurentides	QAAA		42	6	30	36	54		8	2	10	12	14
1986–87	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		66	14	24	38	75		8	3	2	5	10
1987–88	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		62	18	49	67	138		5	0	3	3	10
1987–88	Sherbrooke Canadiens	AHL		3	0	0	0	6		4	0	2	2	2
1988–89	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		36	2	12	14	26		14	1	1	2	6
1989–90	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		55	3	13	16	51		6	0	0	0	10
1990–91	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	7	18	25	27		13	1	4	5	8
1991–92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		77	6	32	38	50		11	3	3	6	4
1992–93	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		82	13	32	45	98		20	4	10	14	23
1993–94	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		84	12	23	35	97		7	0	2	2	4
1994–95	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		9	0	6	6	2		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		34	5	18	23	12		15	4	4	8	10
1995–96	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	7	40	47	45		12	0	6	6	2
1996–97	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	12	34	46	50		19	2	8	10	12
1997–98	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		77	6	27	33	36		5	0	1	1	0
1998–99	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		68	15	36	51	38		6	2	2	4	4
1999–00	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		81	14	41	55	32		18	2	10	12	2
2000–01	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		79	15	33	48	50		6	1	1	2	0
2001–02	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		65	6	19	25	24		5	0	1	1	2
2002–03	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		79	8	24	32	35		5	2	1	3	0
2003–04	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		48	1	11	12	28		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		45	4	20	24	56		6	1	3	4	6
NHL totals				1143	136	439	575	757		168	23	57	80	93

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987	Canada	WJC		7	0	0	0	6
1988	Canada	WJC		7	1	4	5	6
1991	Canada	CC		8	1	2	3	6
1996	Canada	WCH		8	1	2	3	4
1998	Canada	OG		6	0	0	0	2
Junior int'l totals				14	1	4	5	12
Senior int'l totals				22	2	4	6	12

All-Star Games

Year	Location		G	A	P
1992	Philadelphia		0	1	1
1996	Boston		0	0	0
2000	Toronto		0	1	1
All-Star totals			0	2	2

Awards

Award	Year(s)
Barry Ashbee Trophy	1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003
Emile Bouchard Trophy	1988
NHL Second Team All-Star	1999, 2000
QMJHL First Team All-Star	1988
QMJHL Second Team All-Star	1987
Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award	1999
Stanley Cup Champion	1993

See also

• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database