Mark Eaton

Mark Andrew Eaton (born May 6, 1977) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the only NHL player to ever come from Delaware. He attended John Dickinson High School but played his youth hockey across the state line in Pennsylvania.

Playing career
Eaton was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers on August 4, 1998. He made his NHL debut on October 2, 1999 against the Ottawa Senators, and scored his first NHL goal on April 8, 2000 when he scored the game-winner against Rob Tallas of the Boston Bruins. He played his first playoff game in the NHL for the Flyers on April 13 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Eaton was traded from the Flyers to the Nashville Predators on September 29, 2000 for a third round pick. While playing for the Predators in 2003–04, he set the franchise record for plus/minus at +16. Not especially known for offensive play, he scored a career-high three assists in a 5–3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on October 25, 2003.

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Eaton on July 3, 2006 as a free agent. He saw limited time in his first two seasons, suffering with injuries, playing only 71 games between in 2006–07 and 2007–08. He scored his first goal with the Penguins on December 3, 2008.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, scoring 4 goals in the playoffs.

He signed with the New York Islanders on July 2, 2010 for 2 years.

International play
Eaton played for the United States at the 2001 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships and recorded one goal (the game-winner vs. Finland) and one assist in nine games. He also played for the United States at the 2002 World Championships in Sweden and registered a three assists in a 5–2 win vs. Italy.

Awards

 * Won the 1996–97 United States Hockey League (USHL) Curt Hammer Award (most gentlemanly play).
 * Second Team USHL All-Star in 1997.
 * Only the second University of Notre Dame player to be named CCHA Rookie of the Year (as selected by the conference's coaches) in 1997–98.
 * Won the Barry Ashbee Award in 1998–99 which is given to the Philadelphia Phantoms' top defenceman.
 * The first ice hockey player to be named Delaware's athlete of the year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association on January 27, 2000.
 * Named the IHL Defenseman of the Week for the week of December 18–24, 2000.
 * Stanley Cup championship in 2009 (Pittsburgh)