Justin Abdelkader

Justin Abdelkader (; born February 25, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as EV Zug and HC Lugano of the National League (NL). He was drafted 42nd overall by the Red Wings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Amateur

Abdelkader played for the junior ice hockey Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League during his senior year of high school, scoring 27 goals and 52 points and helping the team win the 2004–05 Clark Cup Championship. He then began a three-year stint playing college ice hockey for the Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team of what was then the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

On April 7, 2007, Abdelkader scored the game-winning goal in the 2007 NCAA Championship Game against Boston College, securing the NCAA Division 1 National Championship for Michigan State University and earning him the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. He scored the latest game-winning regulation goal ever scored in an NCAA Frozen Four championship game when he scored with just 18.9 seconds left. A record which lasted until the 2014 Frozen Four when Minnesota scored with 0.6 left to eliminate North Dakota.

Professional

Detroit Red Wings

Abdelkader was drafted 42nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

On April 3, 2008, Abdelkader signed a one-game amateur tryout with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and was to play that night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In doing so, he forfeited his college eligibility for the 2008–09 season. The following day, Abdelkader signed a three-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He played one more game that season for Detroit. When Detroit won the Stanley Cup in June, Abdelkader was part of the team celebration. He was included in the team picture and awarded a Stanley Cup Ring. Abdelkader did not play enough games to qualify for engravement on the Stanley Cup in 2008.

Abdelkader scored 24 goals for the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2008–09 season and was one of the team's best offensive players in the playoffs.

On May 8, 2009, Abdelkader was brought up to the Red Wings as the replacement for Tomáš Kopecký, who sat out Game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals series against the Anaheim Ducks. Coach Mike Babcock sent Abdelkader to replace Kopecký "because he'll run over people. We expect him to play hard like Darren Helm. He's on the forecheck, and he's a physical guy." During the game, Abdelkader scored his first career point on an assist to Johan Franzén.

Abdelkader scored his first career NHL goal on May 30, 2009, in Game 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After shooting the puck, he grabbed the rebound out of the air with his glove, dropped the puck, and beat Marc-André Fleury high stick side. His second goal came nearly 24 hours later in the second game of the series, off of what commentators described as a "knuckle puck." He carried the puck into the forward zone alone against three Penguins defenders and fired a slapshot past Fleury. He became the first rookie to score a goal in consecutive finals games since Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli did it in 1981.

During the 2009–10 season, Abdelkader played 50 games for the Red Wings, scoring three goals while adding three assists. The Red Wings then re-signed Abdelkader on a two-year extension worth $1.575 million.

The 2010–11 season was Abdelkader's first full NHL season as a Red Wing. Abdelkader played in 74 games, scoring seven goals and adding 12 assists.

During the 2011–12 season, he missed only one game and finished the season with eight goals and 14 assists in 81 games.

On September 14, 2012, Abdelkader signed a four-year, $7.2 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

On October 9, 2015, Abdelkader became the second player in Red Wings history to score a hat trick in a season-opening home game, following Adam Brown in 1945. Abdelkader was named the First Star of the Week for the week ending October 12, 2015. He shared the league lead with four goals and tied for second in the NHL with five points. On November 12, 2015, the Red Wings signed Abdelkader to a seven-year, $29.75 million contract extension.

On October 6, 2020, Abdelkader was placed on waivers by the Red Wings to buy out the remaining three years of his contract.

EV Zug and HC Lugano

On February 3, 2021, Abdelkader joined EV Zug of the National League (NL) for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. He made his debut on February 23, 2021, in a 4–3 overtime victory against Genève-Servette HC at the Patinoire des Vernets. Abdelkader went on to win the 2021 NL title with EV Zug, recording six goals and three assists in 13 playoff games.

On February 24, 2022, Abdelkader joined HC Lugano of the NL for the remainder of the 2021–22 season. He recorded one assist in six regular season games. He recorded two goals and three assists in six games during the playoffs.

On December 20, 2022, Abdelkader signed with EV Zug for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.

International play

Abdelkader was selected to play for the United States national junior team at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Sweden.

Abdelkader was selected to play for the United States national team at the 2014 IIHF World Championship, where he was named team captain. Abdelkader was suspended for one game at the World Championships for a knee-to-knee hit infraction on Konstantin Pushkaryov in a game against Kazakhstan. Following Abdelkader's one-game suspension, he returned for the game against Germany, where he scored two goals, including the game-winning goal, in the final group stage game to lead the United States to the quarterfinals. During the United States' quarterfinal game against the Czech Republic, Abdelkader was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for charging Vladimír Sobotka in the second period. In July 2014, the IIHF announced that he would be suspended for three games at the 2015 IIHF World Championship for the hit on Sobotka (Adbelkader is only required to serve the suspension if he appears at that tournament). Abdelkader finished the tournament with three goals and one assist in seven games.

Abdelkader represented the United States at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he recorded one goal in three games.

Personal life

Abdelkader is the son of Joseph and Sheryl Abdelkader. The surname Abdelkader is Arabic. His paternal grandfather, Yusuf Abdul Qadir, anglicized to Joseph Abdelkader, emigrated from Jordan at the age of 19 to Muskegon, Michigan and married a Polish woman named Zuzanna (Susie).

He went to Churchill Elementary School and Mona Shores Middle School and graduated from Mona Shores High School in 2005. He was named to the all-state hockey team and awarded the Mr. Hockey award, given to the top high school ice hockey player in Michigan. During his senior year, he played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL.

Abdelkader received his Bachelor of Arts in General Management from Michigan State's Eli Broad College of Business on December 18, 2015.

Abdelkader proposed to his longtime girlfriend Julie Leshkevich in November 2016 at the Joe Louis Arena. The couple married on July 21, 2017, and gave birth to their first child in September 2018.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdelkader, Justin
1987 births
American men's ice hockey centers
American people of Jordanian descent
American people of Polish descent
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders players
Detroit Red Wings draft picks
Detroit Red Wings players
Eli Broad College of Business alumni
Grand Rapids Griffins players
HC Lugano players
Ice hockey players from Michigan
Living people
Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey players
Sportspeople from Muskegon, Michigan
Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic ice hockey players for the United States
EV Zug players
21st-century American sportsmen
NCAA men's ice hockey national champions