Kevin Hatcher
American defenseman, 17 NHL seasons, five-time All-Star.
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Kevin John Hatcher is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1984 to 2001. He is best known for his tenure with the Washington Capitals, where he served as team captain and set franchise records for defensemen, and for being the older brother of fellow NHL player Derian Hatcher. Hatcher was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
Lore & Background
Hatcher grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and began playing organized hockey at age four. He played major junior hockey for the North Bay Centennials of the Ontario Hockey League, joining his brother Mark on the team. Drafted 17th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1984 NHL entry draft, Hatcher made his NHL debut on April 6, 1985, and scored his first goal the following day, becoming the second youngest defenseman in franchise history to do so. He was named to the 1986 NHL All-Rookie Team after recording nine goals and 10 assists in his rookie season.
Hatcher served as captain of the Capitals during the 1992–93 season, replacing Rod Langway. That season he set a franchise record for defensemen with 34 goals and recorded a hat-trick on January 13, 1993.
He was traded to the Dallas Stars on January 18, 1995, in exchange for Mark Tinordi and Rick Mrozik. After two seasons with the Stars, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Sergei Zubov. He later played for the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes before retiring in 2001.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1982–83 | Detroit Compuware Ambassadors | MNHL | 75 | 30 | 45 | 75 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983–84 | North Bay Centennials | OHL | 67 | 10 | 39 | 49 | 61 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 1984–85 | North Bay Centennials | OHL | 58 | 26 | 37 | 63 | 75 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 9 |
| 1984–85 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985–86 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 79 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 119 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 |
| 1986–87 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 78 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 144 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| 1987–88 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 71 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 137 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 55 |
| 1988–89 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 62 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 101 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| 1989–90 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 13 | 41 | 54 | 102 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| 1990–91 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 79 | 24 | 50 | 74 | 69 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| 1991–92 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 79 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 105 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| 1992–93 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 83 | 34 | 45 | 79 | 114 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 1993–94 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 72 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 108 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 37 |
| 1994–95 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 47 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 66 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 1995–96 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 74 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 80 | 15 | 39 | 54 | 103 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1997–98 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 74 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 66 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 1998–99 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 66 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 24 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 1999–2000 | New York Rangers | NHL | 74 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 57 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| NHL totals | 1,157 | 227 | 450 | 677 | 1,392 | 118 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 252 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | United States | WJC | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | United States | CC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1991 | United States | CC | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| 1996 | United States | WCH | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 1998 | United States | OG | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Senior totals | 24 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 20 | ||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Kevin Hatcher (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- He became the youngest player to appear in an NHL playoff game at age 18 years and 7 months.
- Hatcher recorded a hat-trick as a defenseman on January 13, 1993, in a 5–4 win over the Rangers.
- He and his brother Derian were inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame on October 21, 2010.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Kevin Hatcher (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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