Paul Michael Gaustad (born February 3, 1982) 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 ...

centerman who played for the

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

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

of 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). He is nicknamed "Goose."

Playing career

Junior

Gaustad was drafted in the seventh round, 220th overall, by the

in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. In the off-season, he lives in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. He also played for the

Portland Winter Hawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Divisio ...

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). Prior to joining Portland in 1999–2000, Gaustad was a Portland Jr. Hawk. Afterward, Gaustad started playing for a Tier II team in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, of the

British Columbia Junior Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

(BCJHL). In his three seasons with the Winter Hawks, he registered 135 points (53 goals and 82 assists) before making his professional debut with the Sabres'

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) affiliate, the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

, in 2002–03.

Professional

Upon his arrival in Rochester, Gaustad registered 53 points (14 goals and 39 assists) in 80 games while also seeing his first action with the parent club, the Buffalo Sabres. In the 2005–06 season, Gaustad secured a starting position with the Sabres, where he played mostly as fourth line center and played the power forward/enforcer role, along with teammates

Adam Mair Adam Mair (born February 15, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils. He is currently a pla ...

and

Andrew Peters Andrew Peters (born May 5, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Peters played in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres, and the New Jersey Devils. Throughout his playing career, Peters was best known for hi ...

. Gaustad, who had worn the number 14 in Rochester, had to double his number to 28 in Buffalo, due to 14 being retired in honor of Sabres legend

René Robert René Paul Robert (December 31, 1948 – June 22, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and ...

. On February 7, 2007, in a game against the

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 ...

, Gaustad's leg was cut and his tendon was sliced in a collision with

Dany Heatley Daniel James Heatley (born January 21, 1981) is a German-born Canadian former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial ...

, an injury which at the time was thought to have ended his season. It was later revealed that the injury could have even potentially ended his career had it been an inch deeper. However, he did recover ahead of schedule and joined the Sabres in their

2007 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 11, 2007. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals, se ...

on May 4, 2007, for Game 5 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 ...

at home in

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

. After a productive campaign during the 2007–08 season, in which he registered a solid 36 points while mainly on the third and fourth lines, Gaustad was re-signed by the Sabres to a four-year, $9.2 million contract extension on the eve of the free agency period, which was set for July 1, 2008. On the ice, Gaustad is known for his teamwork and gritty play making him a popular favorite among fans. He is often in front of the net, capitalizing on his 6'5" frame to screen opposition

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

s and deflect goals. Because of his size and ability, he typically plays a unit on the power play. At the 2012

NHL trade deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft ...

, on February 27, Gaustad and a

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

fourth-round draft pick (

Juuse Saros Juuse Saros (born 19 April 1995), nicknamed "Juice", is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saros was selected by the Predators in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2 ...

) were sent to the

in exchange for a

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

first-round pick. On September 8, 2016, Gaustad announced his retirement from the NHL after 12 seasons via his Instagram account.

Personal life

Gaustad was born in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

and moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

at a young age, which he considers his hometown.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaustad, Paul 1982 births Living people American men's ice hockey centers Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Ice hockey people from North Dakota Ice hockey people from Oregon Nashville Predators players Sportspeople from Fargo, North Dakota Portland Winterhawks players Rochester Americans players Sportspeople from Portland, Oregon