Jason Wayne Blake (born September 2, 1973) is an American 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 ...

forward 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).

Playing career

Junior career

He played for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL). Collegiately, he played one year at

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge N. Ferris and became a public institution in 1950. ...

before transferring to the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

(UND). He had to sit out one season due to

National Collegiate Athletic Association 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. ...

rules. He played three seasons for UND winning league titles all three years. Blake starred on their 1996–1997 National Championship team.

Kings and Islanders

Blake went undrafted and was signed as a

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 ...

with the Orlando Solar Bears before being signed to an NHL contract by 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. ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. He played in 64 games in 1999–00, his first season with the Kings, scoring 5 goals and played in 3 playoff games. In 2000, Blake joined Team USA at the World Championships. In the 2000–01 season, Blake played in only 17 games with the Kings before he was acquired by 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 Conference (N ...

in a January trade, who sent a conditional pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft in return. During the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

, Blake signed a brief contract with the Swiss team HC Lugano. While with the Islanders Blake played the wing on a line with Alexei Yashin. In 2004, Blake was selected as part of Team USA for the

World Cup of Hockey The World Cup of Hockey is an international ice hockey tournament. Inaugurated in 1996 World Cup of Hockey, 1996, it is the successor to the Canada Cup, which was held every three to five years from 1976 Canada Cup, 1976 to 1991 Canada Cup, 1991 ...

. Blake set career highs in goals and points during the 2005–06 season with 28 and 57, respectively. The following season he topped both totals, scoring 40 goals and 69 points. The 40th goal was scored against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

on April 5, 2007. Along with Islanders teammates Rick DiPietro and

Mark Parrish Mark Daniel Parrish (born February 2, 1977) is an Americans, American former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger. Parrish played 11 seasons and over 700 games in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Los Ang ...

, Blake was part of Team USA at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

held in

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Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in February 2006. Team USA was led by

Peter Laviolette Peter Philip Laviolette Jr. (born December 7, 1964) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally undrafted by t ...

, his former coach with the Islanders. Team USA finished eighth in the tournament. Blake scored his 100th career NHL goal against 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 Division (N ...

at the

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island. The venue is situated approximately east of the eastern limits of the borough of Queens in New York City, a ...

on October 31, 2006. The milestone 100th goal came on the power play late in the 3rd period. Blake was named an all-star for the first time in his career during the

2006–07 NHL season The 2006–07 NHL season was the 90th season of operation (89th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim officially shortened their name to the Anaheim Ducks prior to the season. The 2007 Stanley Cup pla ...

. He recorded two assists in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Blake became 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 was quoted in ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' in February 2007 saying he would probably test the free agent market if not re-signed by the Islanders prior to the NHL trading deadline.

Maple Leafs

Blake was neither traded nor re-signed before the deadline and on July 1, 2007, Blake signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs to a five-year contract worth US$20 million. Before the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

began on October 8, 2007, Blake announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a rare but highly treatable form of cancer. He continued to play for the Maple Leafs for the rest of the season. In Blake's first season with Toronto, he played in all 82 regular season games while scoring 15 goals and 52 points. While he managed a considerable number of points, he struggled to score goals all season, having over 300 shots on goal, easily a career high. He was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy at the end of the season for perseverance and dedication to hockey through the difficult times he faced after being diagnosed with cancer. However, his 2008–09 season was up and down, with a fight during practice with teammate Mikhail Grabovski making headlines and being taken out of the gameday lineup for poor play. He finished the season with 25 goals and 63 points. In the 2009–10 season, Blake struggled for the Maple Leafs, posting 10 goals and 26 points in 55 games. In 2009, Blake was selected by Team USA for his second

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. He was traded to the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

, along with Vesa Toskala, for Jean-Sébastien Giguère on January 31, 2010.

Ducks and retirement

Blake played the entire 2010–11 season with the Ducks compiling 16 goals and 32 points in 72 games. He began the 2011–12 season playing on a line with Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. On October 15, 2011, Blake and the Ducks were playing the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

when Sharks' defenceman Brent Burns accidentally cut Blake's left arm/wrist after Blake fell down during a faceoff attempt. The cut required surgery to repair and kept Blake out of the lineup for three months. He returned to play for the Ducks in January 2012 scoring three goals in his first two games back. He finished the season with 45 games played, having scored 7 goals and 12 points. Following the season, Blake was again an unrestricted free agent. However, the season was delayed due to a lockout and Blake never signed with a team.

Personal life

Blake's son, Jackson, was drafted in the fourth round, 109th overall, by 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 ...

in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He played

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

for

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Jason 1973 births American men's ice hockey left wingers Anaheim Ducks players Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winners Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey players HC Lugano players Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players from Minnesota Living people Long Beach Ice Dogs (IHL) players Los Angeles Kings players Lowell Lock Monsters players National Hockey League All-Stars New York Islanders players Olympic ice hockey players for the United States Orlando Solar Bears (IHL) players People from Moorhead, Minnesota Toronto Maple Leafs players Undrafted National Hockey League players North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players Waterloo Black Hawks players NCAA men's ice hockey national champions AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen