Adrian Mark Aucoin (born July 3, 1973) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference t ...

. He played over 1,100 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL). Aucoin was born in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, but grew up in

Gloucester, Ontario Gloucester ( ) is a former municipality and now geographic area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Located east of Ottawa's inner core, it was an independent city until amalgamated with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton in 2001 to become ...

Playing career

As a youth, Aucoin played in the 1987

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from ...

team from Gloucester. Aucoin was drafted 117th overall by the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce ...

in the

1992 NHL Entry Draft The 1992 NHL Entry Draft was the 30th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 20 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. A total of 264 players were drafted. The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Sergei Gonchar, who ret ...

, making his NHL debut in 1994–95, playing one game with Vancouver. With the Canucks, Aucoin established himself as a significant offensive threat, specifically on the power play. However, it was not until his fourth full season with the team that this became evident, as he rose from just three goals in 1997–98 to 23 the next season, 18 of which came on the power-play, tying Denis Potvin for the NHL single-season record (broken by Sheldon Souray's 19 powerplay goals in 2006–07). In addition to leading all league defencemen in goals and power-play goals in the

1998–99 NHL season The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 27 teams with the addition of the Nashville Predators. The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play, and won the Stanley Cup cham ...

, Aucoin also led all defencemen in shorthanded goals (2) and game-winning goals (3). However, after one-and-a-half seasons, Aucoin's offensive production dropped to the point where he had only 3 goals through 47 games in 2000–01. On February 7, 2001, Aucoin (along with a second-round pick for the

2001 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was the 39th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 23 and 24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida. As of 2022, the only remaining active players in the NHL from the 2001 draft class are ...

) was traded to the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play ...

for goaltender Dan Cloutier. He only played 26 regular-season games for the Lightning before being traded in the off-season with Alexander Kharitonov to the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

in exchange for

Mathieu Biron Mathieu Biron (born April 29, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played over 250 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). After retiring as a hockey player, he became a firefighter. Playing career As a youth, Biron pl ...

and a second-round pick in the

2002 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was the 40th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 and 23, 2002 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Two hundred and ninety-one players were drafted in total: 35 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL); ...

. With the Islanders, Aucoin put up the most consistent offensive numbers of his career, including a career-high 33 assists and 44 points in 2003–04, resulting in him being chosen to play in the

2004 NHL All-Star Game The 2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on February 8, 2004, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul, home of the Minnesota Wild. The Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conferenc ...

for the Eastern Conference. He shared a victory in the hardest shot competition with Sheldon Souray of the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

with a 102.2 mph blast and scored the first goal of the game in a 6–4 win over the Western Conference. In 2004–05, he played

Modo Hockey Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007 ...

in the Swedish

Elitserien Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan. Elitserien leagues at present: * Elitserien (badmin ...

during the NHL lockout. After NHL play resumed, on August 2, 2005, Aucoin signed a four-year contract with the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...

, eventually being named team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. However, the first two seasons of his contract were hampered by injuries, and in the off-season prior to the 2007–08 campaign, Aucoin waived his no-trade clause and was sent with a seventh-round draft pick to the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey te ...

in exchange for defencemen

Andrei Zyuzin Andrei Yurievich Zyuzin (russian: Андрей Юрьевич Зюзин; born January 21, 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, New ...

and Steve Marr. In his first season with Calgary, Aucoin recorded the fifth 30-point season of his career in 2007–08 with 35 points, and recorded his sixth 30-point season in the 2008–09 season with 34 points. In the summer of 2009, Aucoin, as a free agent, signed a contract with the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

. He helped the Coyotes win the Pacific Division in 2012, where they advanced to the Western Conference finals. After three seasons with the Coyotes, Aucoin left as a free agent to sign a one-year contract with the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

on July 1, 2012. During the lockout shortened 2012–13 season, Aucoin served as an

alternate captain In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...

with the Blue Jackets. In 36 games, he totalled just 4 assists, however added a needed veteran presence at the Blueline. In the summer of 2013, he became an unrestricted free agent. On November 19, 2013, Aucoin announced his retirement from professional hockey. He will begin working with the Chicago Blackhawks' young defensive prospects.

Personal life

Aucoin's son Kyle was drafted in the sixth round, 156th overall, by the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...

in the

2020 NHL Entry Draft The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the 58th NHL Entry Draft, held from October 6–7, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards

Babe Pratt Trophy The Babe Pratt Trophy is an annual award presented to the best defenceman on the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). One of six annual team awards presented to Canucks players, it is voted by the team fans and is presented at the ...

(

' best defenceman): 1999 * Selected to one

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

Transactions

*June 20, 1992 – Drafted 117th overall in the

by the

*February 7, 2001 – Traded to the

with a 2nd round draft pick (

) for Dan Cloutier *June 22, 2001 – Traded to the New York Islanders with Alexander Kharitonov for

and a 2nd round draft pick (

) *August 2, 2005 – Signed a four-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks *July 1, 2009 – Signed with the

*July 1, 2012 – Signed with the

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aucoin, Adrian 1973 births Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Chicago Blackhawks captains Chicago Blackhawks coaches Chicago Blackhawks players Columbus Blue Jackets players Hamilton Canucks players Ice hockey people from Ottawa Ice hockey players at the 1994 Winter Olympics Living people Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics Modo Hockey players National Hockey League All-Stars Nepean Raiders players New York Islanders players Olympic ice hockey players of Canada Olympic medalists in ice hockey Olympic silver medalists for Canada Phoenix Coyotes players Syracuse Crunch players Tampa Bay Lightning players Vancouver Canucks draft picks Vancouver Canucks players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden Canadian ice hockey coaches