Éric Messier

Éric Messier (born October 29, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played eight seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers.

Éric Messier
Born	(1973-10-29) October 29, 1973 (age 49) Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence/Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Colorado Avalanche Florida Panthers
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1995–2003

Playing career

As a youth, Messier played in the 1985 and 1986 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Drummondville.^[1]

Messier played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs and then the Sherbrooke Faucons after the Draveurs relocated to Sherbrooke.^{[citation needed]}

He signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent in 1995 and was assigned to the American Hockey League's Cornwall Aces for one season before Messier and all Avalanche players assigned to the Aces were transferred to the Hershey Bears as the Aces folded. Messier won the Calder Cup in 1997 with the Bears..^[2]

Messier was called up to the main roster in that season for the first time and played 21 games. He went on to play seven seasons for the Avalanche, playing a total of 385 regular season games and 72 playoff games, ultimately winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001.^[3] In 2003, Messier was traded to the Florida Panthers with Vaclav Nedorost for Peter Worrell and Florida's 2nd round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.^[4] He suffered what proved to be a career-ending wrist injury on his first shift in a November 21, 2003 game.^[5][6]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1991–92	Trois-Rivières Draveurs	QMJHL		58	2	10	12	28		15	2	2	4	13
1992–93	Sherbrooke Faucons	QMJHL		51	4	17	21	82		15	0	4	4	18
1993–94	Sherbrooke Faucons	QMJHL		67	4	24	28	69		12	1	7	8	14
1994–95	University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières	CIS		13	8	5	13	20		4	0	3	3	8
1995–96	Cornwall Aces	AHL		72	5	9	14	111		8	1	1	2	20
1996–97	Hershey Bears	AHL		55	16	26	42	69		9	3	8	11	14
1996–97	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		21	0	0	0	4		6	0	0	0	4
1997–98	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		62	4	12	16	20		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		31	4	2	6	14		3	0	0	0	0
1998–99	Hershey Bears	AHL		6	1	3	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		61	3	6	9	24		14	0	1	1	4
2000–01	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		64	5	7	12	26		23	2	2	4	14
2001–02	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		74	5	10	15	26		21	1	2	3	0
2002–03	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		72	4	10	14	16		5	0	0	0	0
2003–04	Florida Panthers	NHL		21	0	3	3	16		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				406	25	50	75	146		72	3	5	8	22

Awards and honors

Award	Year
NHL
Stanley Cup (Colorado Avalanche)	2001	^[7]

References

1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
2. "Calder Cup Champions – Teams". American Hockey League. 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
3. "Avalanche take the Stanley Cup". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2001-06-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
4. "Nedorost, Messier head to South Florida". ESPN. 2003-07-19. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
5. "Thrashers vs. Panthers - Game Recap - November 21, 2003". ESPN. November 22, 2003. Retrieved August 1, 2022. Panthers LW Eric Messier injured his wrist in the first period and didn't return.
6. "Eric Messier: News, Stats, Game Logs". RotoWire. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
7. "Avalanche take the Stanley Cup". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2001-06-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database