Anson Horace “Ace” Carter (born June 6, 1974) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) for eight teams from 1996 to 2007, most notably with the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

and

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

. He was last active as a player with HC Lugano in the Swiss Nationalliga A. After retiring from professional hockey, he joined

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...

as an analyst and is now currently an analyst for ''

NHL on TNT The ''NHL on TNT'' is an American presentation of National Hockey League (NHL) games produced by TNT Sports (formerly known as Turner Sports and later Warner Bros. Discovery Sports), and televised on TNT and streamed on Max in the United State ...

'' and MSG Network. Carter is also the founder of Big Up Entertainment, a

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

specializing in

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

music. He attended high school at Agincourt Collegiate Institute and attended

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

where he played at the college level. He is of Bajan descent.

Early life

Anson Carter was born on June 6, 1974, in Toronto, Ontario. He is one of three children of Horace and Valma Carter, who emigrated from

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. He started playing hockey seriously at the age of eight. Carter received a scholarship to play hockey at Michigan State University (MSU) in 1992.

Playing career

Carter was drafted by the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft in the 10th round, 220th overall, after playing AAA level hockey in the Metro Toronto Hockey League. After completing his AAA hockey career, Carter played one season in the Metro Junior 'A' Hockey League for the Wexford Raiders, scoring 18 goals and adding 22 assists for 40 points in 42 games, helping the Raiders to a league title as a result of sweeping the Bramalea Blues 4–0 in the championship final. (Incidentally, the Raiders' head coach was Stan Butler, current special advisor to the owner of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

's North Bay Battalion). Carter went on to play four years at

, earning himself honours on the CCHA First All-Star Team in 1994 and 1995, Second All-Star Team in 1996, as well as the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

West Second All-American Team in 1995. On April 3, 1996, the Nordiques' successor, the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

, traded his rights to the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Carter made his professional debut in 1996–97, splitting his time with the Capitals and their

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks ...

, before being traded to the

on March 1, 1997. As part of a blockbuster deal, Carter was sent with Jason Allison, Jim Carey, a third-round selection in the 1997 draft (63rd overall–

Lee Goren Lee Goren (born December 26, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and the Vancouver Canucks before playing the remainder of his car ...

) and a conditional second-round pick in the 1998 draft to the Bruins in exchange for Adam Oates, Bill Ranford and Rick Tocchet. Both Carter and Tocchet would work together as studio analysts with the ''

'' nearly a quarter of a century later beginning in 2021. After spending several seasons with the Bruins, Carter was traded (along with a conditional pick in the 2003 draft, a first- and a second-round pick in the 2001 draft) to the

in exchange for

Bill Guerin William Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player and the current general manager of the Minnesota Wild. He previously was the assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manag ...

and a first-round pick in the 2001 draft. In his second season with Edmonton, Carter would record career-highs in assists (32) and points (60). However, on March 11, 2003, he was again traded, to the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

(along with Aleš Píša) in exchange for Radek Dvořák and Cory Cross. At the completion of the 2002–03 season, Carter played for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in the 2003 World Championships. Over 14 minutes into the first overtime of the gold medal game against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, Carter beat Swedish goaltender Mikael Tellqvist with a wraparound goal. The goal was contested for several minutes before replays confirmed Tellqvist had stopped the puck behind the goal line. It was Canada's first World Championship win in five years. Lasting half a season with the Rangers, Carter was traded back to the Washington Capitals on January 23, 2004, in exchange for

Jaromír Jágr Jaromír Jágr (; born 15 February 1972) is a Czech professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger and owner of Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh ...

. His second go with the Capitals was even more short-lived than his stint with New York, as he was flipped to the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

for Jared Aulin just over a month later on March 8, 2004. On August 16, 2005, Carter signed a one-year contract with the

as an unrestricted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. He played in Vancouver on the second offensive line with twins

Henrik Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estoni ...

and

Daniel Sedin Daniel Hans Sedin (born 26 September 1980) is a Swedish ice hockey executive and former winger who played his entire 17-season National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Vancouver Canucks from 2000 to 2018. Born and raised in Örnsköldsvik ...

, where the trio were known colloquially as the "Brothers Line". He set a new career-high in goals with 33, leading the team, and earned the Canucks' Most Exciting Player Award. However, he did not re-sign with the Canucks at the end of the season. On September 13, 2006, Carter signed 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. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

, but was traded once again to the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

on February 23, 2007, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2008 NHL draft ( Tomas Kubalik). In September 2007, Carter rejoined the Edmonton Oilers on a try-out basis during their training camp, and played one exhibition game before being released on October 2, 2007. Without an NHL job, on November 5, Carter joined HC Lugano of the Swiss Nationalliga A.

After his career

After playing in the NHL for 11 seasons, Carter began his post-hockey career in 2013 with the

coverage of NHL regular season, and

Stanley Cup Playoffs The Stanley Cup playoffs () is the annual elimination tournament to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, and the league champion of the National Hockey League (NHL). The four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the NHL's regular s ...

games. Besides covering the professional ranks, Carter provides game analysis for NBCSN's Notre Dame's Fighting Irish college hockey. Additionally, Carter also made his debut as part of the 2018 Olympic coverage of the PyeongChang Winter games. On Canadian television, starting in 2022, Carter was a panelist on

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...

's ''Rogers Monday Night Hockey'' NHL broadcasts. He continues to be on Sportsnet NHL coverage in 2024. Carter founded the Big Up Entertainment

in March 2005. The label's first release was from

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, natives Main & Merc. Carter now lives in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. In 2022, Carter become the minority owner of the

Atlanta Gladiators The Atlanta Gladiators are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Duluth, Georgia. The Gladiators play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at Gas South Arena, approximately northeast ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. He is currently seeking to bring an NHL expansion team to Atlanta, with his new group Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment, which would be the city’s third team since the departure of the

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

in 1980 and the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL sea ...

in 2011.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

Transactions

*June 20, 1992 –

' 10th round draft choice, 220th overall, in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. *June 21, 1995 – Rights transferred to the

after Quebec Nordiques relocation. *April 3, 1996 – Traded by the Colorado Avalanche to the

in exchange for Washington's

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

4th round draft choice. *March 1, 1997 – Traded by the Washington Capitals, along with Jim Carey, Jason Allison and Washington's

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

3rd round draft choice to the

in exchange for Bill Ranford, Adam Oates and Rick Tocchet. *November 15, 2000 – Traded by the Boston Bruins, along with Boston's

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

1st round draft choice and Boston's 2001 2nd round draft choice to the

in exchange for

and future considerations. *March 11, 2003 – Traded by the Edmonton Oilers, along with Aleš Píša, to the

in exchange for Radek Dvořák and Cory Cross. *January 23, 2004 – Traded by the New York Rangers to the Washington Capitals in exchange for

. *March 8, 2004 – Traded by the Washington Capitals to the

in exchange for Jared Aulin. *August 17, 2005 – Signed a one-year, $1 million contract as a free agent with the

. *September 13, 2006 – Signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract as a free agent with the

. *February 23, 2007 – Traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets to the

in exchange for Carolina's

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

5th round draft choice ( Tomáš Kubalík).

References

Notes

External links

*
Big Up Entertainment official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Anson 1974 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Battle of the Blades participants Black Canadian ice hockey players Black Canadian sportsmen Boston Bruins players Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian sportspeople of Barbadian descent Carolina Hurricanes players Columbus Blue Jackets players Edmonton Oilers players HC Lugano players Ice hockey people from Toronto Los Angeles Kings players Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States MSG Network people New York Rangers players Quebec Nordiques draft picks Vancouver Canucks players Washington Capitals players