| Éric Bélanger | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Bélanger with theEdmonton Oilers in 2012 | |||
| Born | (1977-12-16)December 16, 1977 (age 47) Sherbrooke,Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Los Angeles Kings HC Bolzano Carolina Hurricanes Atlanta Thrashers Minnesota Wild Washington Capitals Phoenix Coyotes Edmonton Oilers Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | ||
| NHL draft | 96th overall,1996 Los Angeles Kings | ||
| Playing career | 1997–2013 | ||
Éric Bélanger (born December 16, 1977) is aCanadian former professionalice hockey player. He played the majority of his professional career as acentre in theNational Hockey League (NHL), representing theLos Angeles Kings,Carolina Hurricanes,Atlanta Thrashers,Minnesota Wild,Washington Capitals,Phoenix Coyotes andEdmonton Oilers. He was originally drafted in the fourth round, 96th overall, in the1996 NHL Entry Draft by Los Angeles.
In 2021, Bélanger was named the first head coach theTrois-Rivières Lions, an expansion team in theECHL affiliated with theMontreal Canadiens.[1]
As a youth, Bélanger played in the 1991Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with aminor ice hockey team fromOrford, Quebec.[2]
On March 3, 2010, theNHL trade deadline, Bélanger was traded to theWashington Capitals in exchange for a second-round pick in the2010 NHL Entry Draft. In Game 5 of the Capitals'2010 playoff series against theMontreal Canadiens, Bélanger took a high stick to the mouth from Canadiens defencemanMarc-André Bergeron, which resulted in Bélanger losing nine teeth. Moments after the hit, the game telecast showed Bélanger on the bench removing a loose tooth from his mouth, using just his fingers and a piece of gauze.[3]
Bélanger signed a three-year, $5.25 million contract with theEdmonton Oilers on July 1, 2011.[4] In his first season in Edmonton, however, he set offensive career-lows, scoring just four goals and 12 assists, the lowest totals in both categories in his NHL career.[citation needed]
During thelockout-shortened2012–13 season, Bélanger suffered a second successive disappointing year going without a goal in 26 games for the Oilers. On July 4, 2013, he was placed onunconditional waivers for acompliance buyout from the final year of his contract with the Oilers.[5]
On July 15, 2013, Bélanger left the NHL and signed a one-year contract abroad in Russia withAvtomobilist Yekaterinburg of theKontinental Hockey League (KHL).[6] He played in just seven games with Avtomobilist in the2013–14 season, before opting to return to North America and retire from professional hockey on September 25, 2013.[7]
Bélanger and Alexandra Morin have two daughters: Oceanne and Lola Pearl.[8]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1994–95 | Beauport Harfangs | QMJHL | 71 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 24 | 18 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 25 | ||
| 1995–96 | Beauport Harfangs | QMJHL | 59 | 35 | 48 | 83 | 18 | 20 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 6 | ||
| 1996–97 | Beauport Harfangs | QMJHL | 31 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 31 | 26 | 41 | 67 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Fredericton Canadiens | AHL | 56 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Long Beach Ice Dogs | IHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 33 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 65 | 15 | 25 | 40 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 13 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 62 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 16 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 53 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2002–03 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 62 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Bolzano-Bozen Foxes | Serie A | 12 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 65 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 56 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 24 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2007–08 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 75 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 79 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 60 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 17 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 78 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 26 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg | KHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 820 | 138 | 220 | 358 | 361 | 41 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 28 | ||||