Dave Steckel
Encyclopedia
David Steckel is an American professional ice hockey
center
currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the National Hockey League
.
in the first round, 30th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft
. Steckel played one full season with the US Junior National Team
in the United States Hockey League
before entering Ohio State University
. He played four seasons with the Buckeyes hockey team, and then joined the American Hockey League
's Manchester Monarchs
for the 2004–05 season
.
Steckel, a free agent, then signed with the Washington Capitals August 25, 2005, on the recommendation of Bruce Boudreau
.
He made his NHL
debut with the Washington Capitals
in the 2005–06 season, appearing in seven games. After appearing in five more games with the Capitals in 2006–07
, he made the team's opening night roster in 2007–08
.
Steckel proved himself to be a valuable commodity to the Capitals. He often centered the third line and was called on as a key member of the penalty kill. Steckel also proved himself very effective at face-offs, and typically was placed on the ice to take face-offs during critical moments of games. Near the end of the season, Steckel broke his finger blocking a shot and had to have pins put in. However, he missed very few games and was back on the ice during the playoffs.
Steckel's size and grit have served the Capitals well, and it was expected that he would have an expanded role in the 2008–09 season.
In the 2008-09 season Steckel was once again one of the Capitals top face-off men and one of their top penalty killers. He was 2nd on the team in shorthanded time-on-ice per game (first among forwards) with 3:48. On face-offs, he finished the season 5th in the NHL, winning 57.9% of his draws. He scored 8 goals and had 11 assists during the regular season. In the 2nd round of the 2009 playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins
he scored his first-ever playoff game-winning goal in overtime of Game 6 to force a Game 7.
During the 2011 NHL Winter Classic
on January 1, 2011, Steckel landed a shoulder check
to the head of Pittsburgh
's Sidney Crosby
, arguably the NHL's top player at the time. Crosby experienced mild concussion symptoms and neck pain but remained in the game. A subsequent hit from Tampa
's Victor Hedman
left Crosby with severe concussion symptoms and he did not return for the rest of the regular season, the 2010–11 Stanley Cup Playoffs, or the first twenty games of the 2011-12 NHL season. Hedman later said that be believed it was Steckel's hit which had caused Crosby's severe concussion, and many observers concurred that it was the hit from Steckel which indeed caused Crosby's head injury.
On February 28, 2011, Steckel along with Washington's 2012 2nd round pick was traded from the Capitals to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Jason Arnott
.
On October 4, 2011, Steckel was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs
in exchange for a 4th round pick in 2012.
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...
center
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
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...
.
Playing career
Steckel was drafted by the Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the first round, 30th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft
2001 NHL Entry Draft
The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 23–24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:...
. Steckel played one full season with the US Junior National Team
USA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
in the United States Hockey League
United States Hockey League
The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger...
before entering Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. He played four seasons with the Buckeyes hockey team, and then joined the 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...
's Manchester Monarchs
Manchester Monarchs
The Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:...
for the 2004–05 season
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...
.
Steckel, a free agent, then signed with the Washington Capitals August 25, 2005, on the recommendation of Bruce Boudreau
Bruce Boudreau
Bruce Allan Boudreau is a Canadian professional ice hockey head coach and current head coach of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League . As a player, Boudreau played professionally for 20 seasons, logging 141 games in the NHL and 30 games in the World Hockey Association...
.
He made his 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...
debut with 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...
in the 2005–06 season, appearing in seven games. After appearing in five more games with the Capitals in 2006–07
2006–07 Washington Capitals season
-Regular season:* December 15, 2006 - Ovechkin gets the second hat trick of his career. The third goal is scored six seconds into overtime, tying Ovechkin for the fastest scoring goal in overtime history.-October:-November:-December:-January:-February:...
, he made the team's opening night roster in 2007–08
2007–08 Washington Capitals season
The 2007–08 Washington Capitals season began on October 5, 2007. It was the Washington Capitals' 34th season in the National Hockey League.On November 22, coach Glen Hanlon was fired after starting the Capitals with a 6-14-1 record; the team's worst start since 1981–82...
.
Steckel proved himself to be a valuable commodity to the Capitals. He often centered the third line and was called on as a key member of the penalty kill. Steckel also proved himself very effective at face-offs, and typically was placed on the ice to take face-offs during critical moments of games. Near the end of the season, Steckel broke his finger blocking a shot and had to have pins put in. However, he missed very few games and was back on the ice during the playoffs.
Steckel's size and grit have served the Capitals well, and it was expected that he would have an expanded role in the 2008–09 season.
In the 2008-09 season Steckel was once again one of the Capitals top face-off men and one of their top penalty killers. He was 2nd on the team in shorthanded time-on-ice per game (first among forwards) with 3:48. On face-offs, he finished the season 5th in the NHL, winning 57.9% of his draws. He scored 8 goals and had 11 assists during the regular season. In the 2nd round of the 2009 playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
he scored his first-ever playoff game-winning goal in overtime of Game 6 to force a Game 7.
During the 2011 NHL Winter Classic
2011 NHL Winter Classic
The 2011 NHL Winter Classic was the fourth edition of the annual outdoor ice hockey game held by the National Hockey League as a regular season game. The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on January 1, 2011 at 8:00 p.m...
on January 1, 2011, Steckel landed a shoulder check
Checking (ice hockey)
Checking in ice hockey is any one of a number of defensive techniques. It is usually not a penalty.- Types :There are various types of checking:...
to the head of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
's Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League...
, arguably the NHL's top player at the time. Crosby experienced mild concussion symptoms and neck pain but remained in the game. A subsequent hit from Tampa
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...
's Victor Hedman
Victor Hedman
Victor Erik Olof Hedman is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League . He was drafted second overall by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft...
left Crosby with severe concussion symptoms and he did not return for the rest of the regular season, the 2010–11 Stanley Cup Playoffs, or the first twenty games of the 2011-12 NHL season. Hedman later said that be believed it was Steckel's hit which had caused Crosby's severe concussion, and many observers concurred that it was the hit from Steckel which indeed caused Crosby's head injury.
On February 28, 2011, Steckel along with Washington's 2012 2nd round pick was traded from the Capitals to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Jason Arnott
Jason Arnott
Jason William Arnott is a professional ice hockey centre for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. He began his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers in 1993–94 after being selected seventh overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team...
.
On October 4, 2011, Steckel was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in exchange for a 4th round pick in 2012.
Career statistics
| 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 | ||
| 1998–99 | U.S. National Development Team USA Hockey National Team Development Program The National Team Development Program was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players in the country under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program, an Under-17 squad and an Under-18 squad. The teams are both based in Ann... |
USDP | 53 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | U.S. National Development Team | USDP | 58 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 108 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Ohio State University Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States... |
CCHA Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship... |
33 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Ohio State University | CCHA | 36 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Ohio State University | CCHA | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Ohio State University | CCHA | 41 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Reading Royals Reading Royals The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Sovereign Center located in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania... |
ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States... |
9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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... |
Manchester Monarchs Manchester Monarchs The Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:... |
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... |
63 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 2005–06 AHL season The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals.... |
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 | 74 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 58 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 20 | ||
| 2005–06 | 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 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... |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 2006–07 AHL season The 2006–07 AHL season was the 71st season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup, defeating the defending champions, the Hershey Bears in the finals.... |
Hershey Bears | AHL | 71 | 30 | 31 | 61 | 46 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 16 | ||
| 2006–07 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 67 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 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 | 76 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 34 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 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 | 79 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 NHL season The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech... |
Washington Capitals | NHL | 57 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | New Jersey Devils New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 309 | 24 | 35 | 59 | 115 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III. The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known... |
||
| CCHA Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey college athletic conference that operates mostly in Michigan and Ohio, although it also has members in Alaska and Indiana. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. It holds its championship... All-Rookie Team |
2001 | |