Roger Belanger

Roger Belanger (born December 1, 1965 in St. Catharines, Ontario) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player.

Playing career
Roger Belanger started his junior career with the London Knights of the OHL in 1982–83, getting 31 points (17G-14A) in 68 games, however an injury in the playoffs limited him to just 1 game, in which he had no points. Prior to the 1983–84 season, the Knights dealt Belanger to the Kingston Canadians. His offensive production exploded in Kingston, getting 90 points (44G-46A) in 67 games. The Canadians failed to make the playoffs that season. In the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins chose Belanger with their 1st round, 16th overall pick.

Belanger stepped right into the rebuilding Penguins lineup in the 1984–85 season, and had 8 points (3G-5A) in 44 games. The Penguins sent him back to the OHL, where his rights were traded to the Hamilton Steelhawks and in 3 regular season games in Hamilton, Belanger had 6 points (3G-3A). He helped them in the playoffs with 13 points (3G-10A) in 17 games.

In 1985–86, Belanger failed to crack the Penguins lineup and found himself with the Baltimore Skipjacks of the AHL, as he recorded 38 points (17G-21A) in 69 games in which proved to be the last injury-free season of Belanger's career. In 1986–87, Belanger played in 32 games with Baltimore, getting 20 points (9G-11A), then spent some time with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the IHL, and he had 3 points (1G-2A) in 5 games. In 1987–88, Belanger had numerous injuries, and played in only 5 games with the Lumberjacks, getting 4 points (1G-3A), then played 2 games with the New Haven Nighthawks of the AHL, getting no points.

That proved to be the end of Belanger's playing career, as he retired from hockey in 1988 due to injuries.