Donald Daniel Audette (born September 23, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers.
| Donald Audette | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 23, 1969 Laval, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Buffalo Sabres Los Angeles Kings Atlanta Thrashers Dallas Stars Montreal Canadiens Florida Panthers | ||
| NHL draft |
183rd overall, 1989 Buffalo Sabres | ||
| Playing career | 1989–2004 | ||
Playing career
editHe was selected in the ninth round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft (183rd overall) by the Buffalo Sabres.[1] Prior to playing in the National Hockey League (NHL), Audette won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the top rookie in the American Hockey League (AHL), while playing for the Rochester Americans.[2]
Despite his small stature, Audette became known for his gritty, feisty style of play and quickly endeared himself to Buffalo hockey fans with a 31-goal rookie campaign.[3] However, his approach to the game often led to lengthy trips to the injury reserve, including several knee injuries that cut short his 1990–91, 1992–93 and 1995–96 seasons respectively.[4][5][6]
In 1998, Audette was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.[7] Two years later, as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers, he reached his career high in goals (34) and assists (45) and was chosen as participant in that season's NHL All-Star game.[8][9]
Audette would be traded back to the Sabres in March 2001,[10] and signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Dallas Stars later that summer.[11] In the midst of the 2001–02 season, Audette was again traded, this time to the Montreal Canadiens.[12] In a game against the New York Rangers on December 1, 2001, Audette had the tendons of his forearm severed by an opponent's skate and required life-saving surgery to repair the extensive damage, but still managed to recover in time for the playoffs.[13]
After being placed on unconditional waivers by the Canadiens in January 2004,[14] Audette signed with the Florida Panthers for the latter half of the 2003–04 season.[15] Following this, he announced his retirement from professional play.[16]
Personal life
editAudette's son Daniel (b. 1996) was the first pick of the 2012 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Draft and was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[17][18]
Currently, Audette works an amateur scout with the Canadiens organization.[19]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1985–86 | Laval Régents | QMAAA | 41 | 32 | 38 | 70 | 51 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 | ||
| 1986–87 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 66 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 36 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 1987–88 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 63 | 48 | 61 | 109 | 56 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 20 | ||
| 1988–89 | Laval Titan | QMJHL | 70 | 76 | 85 | 161 | 123 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 43 | ||
| 1989–90 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 70 | 42 | 46 | 88 | 78 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 29 | ||
| 1989–90 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1990–91 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 8 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 63 | 31 | 17 | 48 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 6 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 44 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 51 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1993–94 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 77 | 29 | 30 | 59 | 41 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 46 | 24 | 13 | 37 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 23 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 28 | 22 | 50 | 48 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 75 | 24 | 20 | 44 | 59 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 | ||
| 1998–99 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 49 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 49 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 14 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 64 | 32 | 39 | 71 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 2001–02 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 20 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2002–03 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 54 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 11 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 23 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 28 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 735 | 260 | 249 | 509 | 584 | 73 | 21 | 27 | 48 | 46 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| QMJHL | ||
| First All-Star Team | 1989 | [20] |
| Guy Lafleur Trophy | 1989 | [21] |
| AHL | ||
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award | 1990 | [22] |
| First All-Star Team | 1990 | [23] |
| NHL | ||
| NHL All-Star Game | 2001 | [24] |
References
edit- ^ Monroe, Brevin (June 25, 2024). "Buffalo Sabres' Best Draft Steals". TheHockeyWriters.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ D'Arcangelo, Lyndsey (November 30, 2018). "Q&A: Donald Audette on the bond of the '90s Sabres teams and the feeling of playing for a Buffalo contender". The Athletic. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Most Points, Rookie, Season - Buffalo Sabres". NHL.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ DiCesare, Bob; Kelley, Jim (April 1, 1992). "'KNEW IT WAS BAD,' AUDETTE SAYS ABOUT INJURY". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ Kelley, Jim (December 11, 1992). "Audette still has the touch". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ Kelley, Jim; Northrop, Milt (January 22, 1996). "AUDETTE OPTS FOR SEASON-ENDING SURGERY ON TORN ACL". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Audette Traded to the Kings". Los Angeles Times. December 19, 1998. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Audette having banner season for Thrashers". CBC News. January 11, 2001. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "2001 All-Star rosters". ESPN.com. February 2, 2001. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Sabres get Audette back". UPI. March 13, 2001. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "NHL - Audette joins Turgeon, signs four-year deal". ESPN.com. July 12, 2001. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Canadiens get Audette, Van Allen from Stars". CBC Sports. December 2, 2001. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Other on-ice scares in NHL history". ESPN.com. November 21, 2005. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ "Habs buy out Audette's contract". CBC Sports. January 3, 2004. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "PANTHERS SIGN VETERAN RW AUDETTE". Florida Panthers. January 16, 2004. Archived from the original on December 6, 2004. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Que sont-ils devenus? Donald Audette" [What have they become? Donald Audette]. Ici Radio-Canada (in French). November 10, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Sherbrooke picks Audette first in QMJHL draft". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "Canadiens can't resist skills of Daniel Audette, son of former NHLer". The Hockey News. June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ Montreal Canadiens Hockey Operations
- ^ "Awards - QMJHL First All-Star Team". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Awards - QMJHL Playoffs MVP (Guy Lafleur Trophy)". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award". American Hockey League. Archived from the original on September 17, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ "AMERICAN LEAGUE". The Hockey News. August 1, 1990. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ McIndoe, Sean (January 24, 2017). "Down Goes Brown: The oddest picks in NHL all-star history". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database