Dave Andreychuk

David John "Dave" Andreychuk (Born 29 September, 1963, in Hamilton, Ontario) is a  former professional hockey left winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning.

NHL Career
Dave Andreychuk was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres from the Ontario Hockey League's Oshawa Generals in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft and played his first NHL season in 1982-83. He went on to play 11 seasons in Buffalo before being traded on February 2, 1993, with Daren Puppa, and a 1993 first-round pick (Kenny Jonsson) go to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Grant Fuhr and a conditional 1995 fifth-round draft pick. He played for the Leafs until the 1995-96 when he was traded to the New Jersey Devils, where he stayed until 1999. After New Jersey, he had short stints with the Boston Bruins (1999-00), Colorado Avalanche (2000), and Buffalo Sabres (2000-01), before settling with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2001-02 to 2005-06).

His best seasons offensively were in 1992-93 and 1993-94 when, with Toronto, he posted 99 points in each season. The 1993 and 1994 playoffs also saw Andreychuk and the Maple Leafs advance to the Conference Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks, respectively.

In the 2001-02 NHL season, Andreychuk made a shocking move which would pay dividends in the long run. Rather than sign with a Stanley Cup contender, he signed with the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning, which he was able to bring some much needed veteran leadership. The Lightning again missed the playoffs, and Andreychuk refused trades to contenders, stating his work with the team was not finished. In 2002-03, Lightning head coach John Tortorella appointed Andreychuk the captain, (succeeding Vincent Lecavalier, who was stripped of the captaincy after the 2000-01 season), and he continued the leadership role with the team which eventually would lead to a big reward for the young franchise.

Andreychuk went 22 years without being on a Stanley Cup championship team, tying the NHL record with Ray Bourque for the longest career before doing so. In the 2003-04 NHL season, Andreychuk and the Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games to win the Cup at last, in front of their home crowd.

On January 10, 2006, Andreychuk was waived by the Lightning, bringing an end to his career.

On October 1, 2006, Dave Andreychuk rejoined the Tampa Bay Lightning as a Community Representative.

He is one of the highest scoring left wingers in NHL history.

The city of Hamilton has renamed the Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena in his honour.

Records and Achievements

 * 5th most games played in NHL history with 1639.
 * 11th for most goals scored in NHL history with 640.
 * Tied with Denis Savard for 23rd in league history with 1338 points.
 * Holds the record for most NHL career power play goals with 270.
 * 1991-92 NHL Power Play Goals Leader with 28.
 * 1992-93 NHL Power Play Goals Leader with 32.
 * Oldest player to a make Stanley Cup Finals debut: 40 years, 7 months (May 25, 2004).
 * Played in NHL All-Star Game in 1990 and 1994.

International Play
Played for canada in...
 * 1983 World Junior Championships (bronze medal)
 * 1986 World Championships (bronze medal)

International statistics