Michael John Sillinger (born June 29, 1971) 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 ...

player 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 17 seasons. Sillinger played for 12 teams and was traded nine times during his NHL career, both of which are league records (tied with Brent Ashton for the latter). Originally drafted 11th overall in

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

out of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL) by the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, Sillinger began his NHL career in Detroit before continuing on to play for the

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty may refer to: Businesses *Mighty Audio, an American company known for its product ''Mighty'', a portable audio player *Mighty Animation, an animation studio based in Guadalajara, Mexico Films *''The Mighty'', a 1998 comedy–drama * ''The ...

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 ...

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

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 ...

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 ...

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

and

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 ...

. Of these 12 teams, Sillinger played full seasons with only Detroit, Vancouver, Columbus and New York. During his tenure with Detroit, he captured a

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

championship in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

with the

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Nati ...

, while leading the playoffs in scoring as an

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) rookie. Internationally, Sillinger represented Team Canada on two occasions, winning a gold medal at the 1991 World Junior Championships and captaining his country at the 2000 World Championships. After retirement, Sillinger joined 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 ...

as Director of Player Development from 2009 to 2014. Beginning in 2014, Sillinger began working in a scouting and recruitment role for the Regina Pats, his former junior club.

Playing career

Sillinger began playing

major junior Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's nationa ...

in the

(WHL) with the Pats in 1987–88. After a 43-point rookie campaign, he emerged as a top prospect in the juniors in his second WHL season. With 53 goals and 131 points in 1988–89, Sillinger led the Pats in scoring for the first of three consecutive seasons. The

then made Sillinger their first-round pick, selecting him 11th overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. Upon being drafted, Sillinger returned to the Pats for two more seasons, where he posted 129- and 116-point campaigns to receive WHL Second and First All-Star Team honours in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

and

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, respectively. Following his 1990–91 season with the Pats, Sillinger was called up to the Red Wings roster, making his NHL debut in the final three games of the regular season, tallying an assist. He also appeared in three playoff games with Detroit that season, also accumulating one assist. The following season, in 1991–92, Sillinger spent his professional rookie season in the

(AHL) with Detroit's minor league affiliate, the

, where he scored at an above-point-per-game pace with 66 points in 64 games. Despite being called up for eight games for Detroit's playoff run, Sillinger still went on to lead the AHL playoffs in scoring with 28 points in 15 games, winning the

championship with Adirondack. Sillinger continued to spend time in the AHL with Adirondack at the start of the 1992–93 season, but returned to and remained in the NHL later that season after scoring at a two-point-per-game pace in 15 games. After being called up to Detroit, he had his most prolific season with the club, scoring 29 points in 62 games. Due to the

1994–95 NHL lockout The 1994–95 NHL lockout was a lockout that came after a year of National Hockey League (NHL) hockey that was played without a collective bargaining agreement. The lockout was a subject of dispute as the players sought collective bargaining a ...

, Sillinger went abroad to play in the

Austrian Hockey League The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League, ICEHL), known as the win2day ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons, is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria. It c ...

for EC Wien, where he tallied 27 points in just 13 games. When NHL play resumed, he appeared in 13 games for the Red Wings before being traded to the

on April 4, 1995 with Jason York for Stu Grimson, Mark Ferner and Anaheim's 6th round choice in 1996 NHL Entry Draft (used to select Magnus Nilsson). Sillinger remained in Anaheim the next season, but was traded the following campaign in 1995–96 to the

in exchange for Roman Oksiuta on March 15, 1996. He played one full season with the Canucks in 1996–97, managing 37 points, before being dealt away to the

midway through the 1997–98 season for a fifth-round selection in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

on February 5, 1998. Sillinger's stint with the Flyers began promising, scoring 22 points in the 27 games to close the season following his trade, but after managing just three assists in the first 25 games in 1998–99, he was dealt away to the

midway through the campaign along with

Chris Gratton Christopher Allan Gratton (born July 5, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who last played with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the cousin of Josh Gratton, who had also briefly played i ...

, in exchange for Mikael Renberg and Daymond Langkow on December 12, 1998. Sillinger, however, continued to struggle and tallied just 10 points with his new team for the remainder of the campaign for a combined 13 points between the Flyers and Lightning, a career-low. He returned to form as he started the 1999–2000 season in Tampa Bay, scoring 44 points in 67 games with the Lightning. However, at the trade deadline, he was sent to the

in exchange for Ryan Johnson and Dwayne Hay on March 14, 2000. Sillinger returned to the Panthers to begin the following season, but was once again dealt at the trade deadline, this time to the

, marking his sixth trade in seven years. In the 2001 off-season, Sillinger joined his eighth NHL team, the

, but for the first time was not relocating via trade, instead, joining the Blue Jackets through free agency. In two seasons with the Blue Jackets, Sillinger recorded back-to-back 43-point campaigns. Following his second season in Columbus, Sillinger was traded twice on the same day on July 22, 2003. He was first sent to the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

with a second round draft choice in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

(Johan Fransson) for Darryl Sydor before being dealt again from Dallas to the

for defenceman Teppo Numminen. In his first season with Phoenix, however, he was dealt again at the trade deadline to the

for goaltender Brent Johnson. After finishing the 2003–04 season with the Blues, Sillinger remained inactive in 2004–05 due to the NHL lockout. When NHL play resumed in 2005–06, Sillinger broke the NHL record for teams played with, previously held by Michel Petit and J. J. Daigneault, by joining the

, again, at the trade deadline. He was traded from St. Louis in exchange for Timofei Shishkanov on January 30, 2006. In his fourteenth NHL season, Sillinger set a career-high 63 points playing between St. Louis and Nashville after having recorded just 24 points the previous season between Phoenix and St. Louis. Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the 2006 off-season, Sillinger joined his twelfth and final NHL team, the

, signing on July 2, 2006. He continued where he left off from his career season in 2005–06 with 59 points in his first season with the Islanders. Helping New York to the post-season, he set another NHL record by competing in the playoffs for his eighth NHL team. In 2007–08, Sillinger played in his 1,000th NHL game on November 1, 2007, versus the

. His family joined him on ice for a pre-game ceremony honouring the achievement. Sillinger went on to tally an assist in the milestone game as the Islanders won 4–0. His second season with the Islanders was, however, cut short due to a hip injury that required microfracture surgery in February 2008. He finished the campaign with 26 points in 52 games. Playing in his 17th NHL season in 2008–09, Sillinger was met with further hip complications and underwent hip resurfacing surgery in February 2009, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.Isles C Sillinger Out After Hip Surgery
Yahoo Sports, February 3, 2009 Due to the lingering hip complications, Sillinger announced his retirement from hockey on August 26, 2009.

Personal life

Sillinger was born and raised in Regina,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. He has three sons,

Owen Owen may refer to: People and fictional characters * Owen (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Places United States * Owen, Missouri, a ghost town * Owen, Wisconsin * Owen County, Indiana ...

, Lukas, and Cole, with his wife Karla, also a Regina native. During Sillinger's NHL career, the family spent the off-seasons in Regina, and have chosen to remain in Regina following Sillinger's retirement. Owen played for the Regina Pat Canadians midget hockey team and was named the most valuable player at the 2015 Telus Cup. Owen now plays with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, and Lukas plays with Arizona State in the NCAA. Cole was the 11th overall pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft to the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) based in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Established in 1970, the team is tied with the Kamloops Blazers for the most Ed Chynoweth Cups as league cha ...

. Cole was selected twelfth overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the

, one of Mike’s former teams.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

*
Shooting Stars Foundation
Official Charity Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sillinger, Mike 1971 births Living people Adirondack Red Wings players Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian people of German descent Columbus Blue Jackets players Detroit Red Wings draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Edmonton Oilers executives Florida Panthers players Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players Nashville Predators players NHL first-round draft picks New York Islanders players Ottawa Senators players Philadelphia Flyers players Phoenix Coyotes players Regina Pats players Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan St. Louis Blues players Tampa Bay Lightning players Vancouver Canucks players