Jason Chimera (; born May 2, 1979) is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

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 ...

left winger who played for five teams 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

Chimera played his junior career in the WHL, for Medicine Hat and Brandon. He was selected 121st overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by his hometown team, the

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 ...

, mostly because of his outstanding skating. Chimera played three seasons on the Hamilton Bulldogs, which at that point was the Oilers' farm team in 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 ...

. In his final season, he was named to the AHL First All-Star team. Chimera played two seasons for Edmonton before being traded to the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

for draft choices. Because of the NHL lockout, he did not play the following season and went to play in Italy for Mastini Varese. Chimera was subsequently dealt to 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 ...

, without playing a game in Phoenix, as part of a trade for

Geoff Sanderson Geoffrey M. Sanderson (born February 1, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Drafted by the Hartford ...

. With the Blue Jackets, Chimera predominantly played left wing on the team's third line. He was usually centered by

Manny Malhotra Emmanuel "Manny" Noveen Malhotra (born May 18, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He is the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League (AHL), and was previously an assistant coach in the National ...

and spent significant time playing alongside right wingers such as Dan Fritsche and Trevor Letowski. However, Chimera began the 2008–09 season as the veteran presence on a line with rookies Derick Brassard and Jakub Voracek. He was a member of the 2007 Canadian

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team that won gold in a 4–2 win against

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. Chimera was traded 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 ...

on December 28, 2009 for Chris Clark, the Capitals captain, and Milan Jurčina. The trade came less than two months after Capitals superstar

Alexander Ovechkin Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin (, ; born 17September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger and Captain (ice hockey), captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "the ...

was injured either during a scrum/fight with Chimera, or as Ovechkin exited the penalty box, colliding with Columbus' Raffi Torres. The injury was the longest of Ovechkin's career at the time, keeping him out of six games. On April 20, 2011, during the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs against 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 ...

, Chimera scored the game-winning goal for the Capitals to win Game 4 on the road in double overtime, 4–3, which is currently the longest playoff game victory in franchise history with a record time of 92:36. Chimera was re-signed a two-year contract extension with the Capitals on November 8, 2013. On July 1, 2016, Chimera signed a two-year deal as a free agent with 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 ...

. During the subsequent season, Chimera played in his 1,000th game. In the 2017–18 season, his final season under contract with the Islanders, Chimera was dealt at the trade deadline to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Chris Wagner on February 26, 2018. While with the Capitals, Chimera was nicknamed “the Ice Cheetah” for his speed on the ice.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chimera, Jason 1979 births Living people Anaheim Ducks players Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian ice hockey left wingers Columbus Blue Jackets players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Edmonton Oilers draft picks Edmonton Oilers players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players New York Islanders players Piráti Chomutov players Ice hockey people from Edmonton Medicine Hat Tigers players HC Varese players Washington Capitals players