Dino Ciccarelli (b. February 8th 1960 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada) is a former right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars, the Washington Capitals, the Detroit Red Wings, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers.
Widely recognised as one of the best NHL players who have never won the Stanley Cup, Ciccarelli reached the Finals only once, with Detroit in 1995, but failed to win that year, and left the team before they won the following season. The Italo-Canadian's career has been marked by several controversial events, both on and off the ice. He pleaded guilty in 1987 to accusations of indecent exposure; the following year, in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ciccarelli attacked the Leafs' defenseman Luke Richardson with his stick, an assault that earned him a $1000 fine and a sentence of one day in jail. He also allegedly had several physical altercations with members of the media following his retirement, and those various controversies are what keep him excluded from admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame, an honour his career numbers would justify. This decision is criticized, some people thinking that the HHoF board shouldn't focus on issues unrelated to hockey to take such decisions, while others claim the induction committee has maintained integrity in taking such a decision, a decision that avoids tarnishing the honour.
His number 8 was retired by the London Knights. He is related to Phil and Tony Esposito.