Eric Calder (born June 26, 1963) 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 ...

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

. He played two games 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 ...

with 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 ...

, one game each in the 1981–82 as an eighteen year old and in 1982–83 seasons as a nineteen year old. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1982 to 1997, was spent in the minor leagues ( AHL, CIAU, and then in Europe. He was selected by the Capitals in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Before playing in the NHL, Calder became one of the youngest players to play for the Canadian junior team, as a 17-year-old, at the

1981 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1981 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''1981 WJHC'') was the fifth edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held from December 27, 1980, until January 2, 1981. The tournament was held in Füssen, West Germany. Sweden ...

, located in Landsberg, Germany. He was one of three Canadians selected as MVP players. He spent three seasons with the

Cornwall Royals The Cornwall Royals were a junior ice hockey team based in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1969 to 1981, and the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 1992. This team shared its name with o ...

of the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

, winning the

1981 Memorial Cup The 1981 Memorial Cup occurred May 3–15 at the Windsor Arena in Windsor, Ontario. It was the 63rd annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Participating team ...

as a member of the team. After back to back Memorial Cup Championships Cornwall moved the Ontario Hockey League. After appearing in his two NHL games, Calder played a season of minor professional hockey with the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

of the

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 ...

before returning to school, attending the

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a Public university, public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Milton. The ...

. While at Laurier, he was named an Ontario University Athletic Association all-star in 1986, 1987 and 1988 and a Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union All-Canadian in 1988. Following graduation, Calder returned to the pro game, playing in France, Germany, and England until retiring as a player in 1998.

Post-playing career

He is currently operating Skills Plus Hockey in Kitchener-Waterloo and Goderich. He last coached a team in 2017, the Waterloo Wolves Midget AAA team that plays in the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calder, Eric 1963 births Living people 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Brest Albatros Hockey players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Chamonix HC players Cornwall Royals (OHL) players Cornwall Royals (QMJHL) players Dragons de Rouen players Fort Wayne Komets players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Kitchener, Ontario Manchester Storm (1995–2002) players Schwenninger Wild Wings players Washington Capitals draft picks Washington Capitals players