Dave Scatchard



Dave Scatchard (born February 20, 1976) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues. On August 22, 2011, he announced his retirement on Twitter, stating that doctors told him it would not be safe for him to continue to play hockey due to concussion-related injuries.

Playing career
Scatchard was selected 42nd overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. Drafted from the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he made his NHL debut in the 1997–98 season after a season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Syracuse Crunch, Vancouver's minor league affiliate. He recorded 24 points in his rookie season and established himself as a two-way forward. During his third season with the Canucks in 1999–2000, Scatchard was traded to the New York Islanders, along with forward Bill Muckalt and goaltender Kevin Weekes, for goaltender Felix Potvin on December 19, 1999.

Scatchard played four and a half seasons with the Islanders, recording two career-high 45-point campaigns in 2000–01 and 2002–03. Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Scatchard signed with the Boston Bruins, but after just 16 games, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenceman David Tanabe on November 18, 2005. In 2006–07, Scatchard was sidelined for the last 32 games of the season with a concussion, finishing with eight points in 45 games. He was later bought out of the final two years of his contract by the Coyotes in the off-season.

On November 15, 2007, Scatchard was signed to a professional try-out by the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, the top minor league affiliate of the Nashville Predators. After eight games, however, he was released.

Scatchard subsequently took time off due to lingering concussion problems. Prior to the 2009–10 season, he was invited to the Vancouver Canucks' training camp. He was, however, released before the end of the pre-season. Shortly after the regular season began, however, he signed a one-year deal to return with the Predators organization.

On August 3, 2010, Scatchard, once again a free agent, was signed to a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues.