Michael Sauer (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Curtis Sauer (born August 7, 1987) is an American
ice hockey
defenseman
currently playing for the New York Rangers
of the NHL
. He is the younger brother of Phoenix Coyotes
defenseman Kurt Sauer
, and of former Atlanta Falcons
and Minnesota Vikings
(NFL
) linebacker
Craig Sauer
.
He was drafted in the 2nd round, 40th overall by the New York Rangers
in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft
; the Rangers acquired this draft pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs
as part of the Brian Leetch
trade a year prior.
Sauer signed his first professional contract with the Rangers on August 8, 2006. He played for the Rangers' minor league affiliate in Hartford of the AHL
for most of the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons, and was promoted to the Rangers on March 23, 2009. He made his NHL debut with the Rangers at Madison Square Garden
on March 24, 2009 against the Minnesota Wild
.
After spending all of 2009 with Hartford, Sauer began the 2010 season in the NHL with the Rangers, and was in the Rangers' opening night lineup. He scored his first NHL goal on December 9, 2010 against Brian Elliott
of the Ottawa Senators
. On July 8th 2011, Sauer a restricted free agent re-signed with the rangers on a 2 year $2.5 million deal.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
defenseman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
currently playing for the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
of the 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...
. He is the younger brother of Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
defenseman Kurt Sauer
Kurt Sauer
Kurt Christopher Sauer is a professional ice hockey defenseman who last played for the Phoenix Coyotes in the National Hockey League. He is the older brother of Michael Sauer, also a defenseman who plays for the New York Rangers....
, and of former Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
(NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
) linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Craig Sauer
Craig Sauer
Craig Curtis Sauer is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played for the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings...
.
He was drafted in the 2nd round, 40th overall by the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft
2005 NHL Entry Draft
The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft.As a lockout cancelled the games of the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on July 22, 2005. Teams were assigned 1 to 3 balls based on their playoff appearances and first overall draft picks from the past three years...
; the Rangers acquired this draft pick from 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...
as part of the Brian Leetch
Brian Leetch
Brian Joseph Leetch is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 18 National Hockey League seasons with the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. He is generally considered one of the top defensemen in NHL history, being particularly noted for his...
trade a year prior.
Sauer signed his first professional contract with the Rangers on August 8, 2006. He played for the Rangers' minor league affiliate in Hartford of the 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...
for most of the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons, and was promoted to the Rangers on March 23, 2009. He made his NHL debut with the Rangers at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on March 24, 2009 against the Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
.
After spending all of 2009 with Hartford, Sauer began the 2010 season in the NHL with the Rangers, and was in the Rangers' opening night lineup. He scored his first NHL goal on December 9, 2010 against Brian Elliott
Brian Elliott
Brian Elliott is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, 291st overall...
of 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...
. On July 8th 2011, Sauer a restricted free agent re-signed with the rangers on a 2 year $2.5 million deal.
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 | +/- | ||
| 2004–05 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
32 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 10 | +6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 59 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 68 | -1 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -1 | ||
| 2006–07 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 33 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 46 | -8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Medicine Hat Tigers Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who play out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Division Titles. The Tigers play at the Medicine Hat Arena.... |
WHL | 32 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 29 | +9 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 34 | +11 | ||
| 2007–08 2007–08 AHL season The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:... |
Hartford Wolf Pack Hartford Wolf Pack The Connecticut Whale is a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. They play in the American Hockey League . They play their home games at the XL Center.... |
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... |
71 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 80 | -2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | ||
| 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... |
New York Rangers New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the... |
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 | 0 | -1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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:... |
Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 64 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 35 | +29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 AHL season The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11... |
Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 42 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 45 | +2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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... |
New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 75 | +20 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | ||
| NHL totals | 79 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 75 | +19 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | ||||