Brian Pothier
Encyclopedia
Brian Pothier is an American
professional ice hockey
player. Pothier played in the National Hockey League
(NHL) from 2000 until 2010. He is currently playing in the Swiss National League for Geneve Servette.
. After his senior year he was signed as a free agent
by the Atlanta Thrashers
on March 27, 2000. After two seasons with the Thrashers he was moved to the Ottawa Senators
prior to the 2002–03 season in a trade for Shawn McEachern
, and was later signed by the Washington Capitals
as a free agent in the summer of 2006.
On January 3, 2008, Pothier was injured suffering a concussion, possibly when Boston Bruins
right winger Milan Lucic
hit him hard into the boards, resulting in the fourth reported concussion of his career which sidelined Brian for the next fourteen months. Pothier later attributed his post-concussion symptoms and long recovery period to an undiagnosed astigmatism
resulting from his latest concussion. He stated that he had recovered from the concussion two to three months after the injury, but his astigmatism led to the symptoms previously thought to be post-concussion syndrome
until it was properly diagnosed in December 2008.
On December 17, 2008, he practiced in full gear for the first time since the injury. On March 4, 2009, Pothier was assigned to the Capitals American Hockey League
affiliate, the Hershey Bears
, for conditioning and to see if he experienced any post-concussion symptoms. After successfully completing his conditioning stint, Pothier was recalled back to the Capitals and made his return to the ice on March 16, 2009, fourteen months after the initial injury. He then scored his first goal since his injury on March 31, 2009 against the Tampa Bay Lightning
.
In the 2009–10
season after scoring 11 points in 41 games with the Capitals, Brian was traded along with prospect Oskar Osala
to the Carolina Hurricanes
in exchange for defensemen Joe Corvo
on March 3, 2010.
On July 27, 2010, Pothier ended his North American career and signed a two-year contract with European team Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss NLA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. Pothier played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) from 2000 until 2010. He is currently playing in the Swiss National League for Geneve Servette.
Playing career
Undrafted to the NHL, Pothier played collegiate hockey with Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
. After his senior year he was signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
on March 27, 2000. After two seasons with the Thrashers he was moved to the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
prior to the 2002–03 season in a trade for Shawn McEachern
Shawn McEachern
Shawn K. McEachern is an American ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. He is the current head boys' varsity ice hockey coach at The Rivers School, an independent 6–12 school in Weston, Massachusetts....
, and was later signed by the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
as a free agent in the summer of 2006.
On January 3, 2008, Pothier was injured suffering a concussion, possibly when Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
right winger Milan Lucic
Milan Lucic
Milan Lucic is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger of Serbian origin currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . He played major junior with the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League for three seasons and captured a Memorial Cup, while being named...
hit him hard into the boards, resulting in the fourth reported concussion of his career which sidelined Brian for the next fourteen months. Pothier later attributed his post-concussion symptoms and long recovery period to an undiagnosed astigmatism
Astigmatism
An optical system with astigmatism is one where rays that propagate in two perpendicular planes have different foci. If an optical system with astigmatism is used to form an image of a cross, the vertical and horizontal lines will be in sharp focus at two different distances...
resulting from his latest concussion. He stated that he had recovered from the concussion two to three months after the injury, but his astigmatism led to the symptoms previously thought to be post-concussion syndrome
Post-concussion syndrome
Post-concussion syndrome, also known as postconcussive syndrome or PCS, and historically called shell shock, is a set of symptoms that a person may experience for weeks, months, or occasionally up to a year or more after a concussion – a mild form of traumatic brain injury . PCS may also...
until it was properly diagnosed in December 2008.
On December 17, 2008, he practiced in full gear for the first time since the injury. On March 4, 2009, Pothier was assigned to the Capitals American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
affiliate, the Hershey Bears
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of...
, for conditioning and to see if he experienced any post-concussion symptoms. After successfully completing his conditioning stint, Pothier was recalled back to the Capitals and made his return to the ice on March 16, 2009, fourteen months after the initial injury. He then scored his first goal since his injury on March 31, 2009 against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
.
In the 2009–10
2009–10 NHL season
The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010...
season after scoring 11 points in 41 games with the Capitals, Brian was traded along with prospect Oskar Osala
Oskar Osala
Oskar Osala is a Finnish professional ice hockey Left Wing currently playing with the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Playing career:He started his career with Vaasa-based Sport...
to the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
in exchange for defensemen Joe Corvo
Joe Corvo
Joseph Corvo is an American professional ice hockey player who plays for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Corvo was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 4th round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.-Early career:...
on March 3, 2010.
On July 27, 2010, Pothier ended his North American career and signed a two-year contract with European team Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss NLA.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1996–97 | R.P.I. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's... |
NCAA | 34 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | R.P.I. | NCAA | 35 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | R.P.I. | NCAA | 37 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | R.P.I. | NCAA | 36 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Orlando Solar Bears | IHL | 76 | 12 | 29 | 41 | 69 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 11 | ||
| 2000–01 | Atlanta Thrashers Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 33 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 2001–02 AHL season The 2001–02 AHL season was the 66th season of the American Hockey League. It was the season of the biggest growth in the AHL's history, as it accepted eight new teams. The demise of the International Hockey League brought six teams transferring from the defunct league, in addition to two expansion... |
Chicago Wolves Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team playing in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
39 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 2002–03 AHL season The 2002–03 AHL season was the 67th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs finished first overall in the regular season... |
Binghamton Senators Binghamton Senators The Binghamton Senators are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . Nicknamed the B-Sens, they play in Binghamton, New York at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. Along with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, the B-Sens are minor league affiliates of the Ottawa Senators... |
AHL | 68 | 7 | 40 | 47 | 58 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2002–03 | Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 14 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 52 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 AHL season The 2004–05 AHL season was the 69th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season... |
Binghamton Senators | AHL | 77 | 12 | 36 | 48 | 64 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 77 | 5 | 30 | 35 | 59 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Washington Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... |
NHL | 72 | 3 | 25 | 28 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 38 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the... |
Washington Capitals | NHL | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 AHL season The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:... |
Hershey Bears Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of... |
AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 NHL season The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010... |
Washington Capitals | NHL | 41 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Carolina Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center... |
NHL | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Geneve-Servette HC Genève-Servette HC Genève-Servette HC, is a professional ice hockey team based in Geneva, Switzerland and compete in National League A.-History:* 1905 : Foundation of Servette FC's ice hockey section.... |
NLA | 44 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| NHL totals | 362 | 26 | 92 | 118 | 202 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 18 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -Championship:Final standings# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # — relegated to Division I for 2008# — relegated to Division I for 2008- Group A :Final standings# — promoted to Championship for 2008# # # #... |
United States | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Senior int'l totals | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
Transactions
- March 27, 2000 – Signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Thrashers
- June 29, 2002 – Traded to the Ottawa Senators for Shawn McEachern and a sixth round selection in 2004.
- July 1, 2006 – Signed as a free agent by the Washington Capitals
- March 3, 2010 – Traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Oskar Osala and second round selection in 2011 for Joe Corvo