Ed Jovanovski
First overall pick in 1994, played 20 NHL seasons.
Last updated
Ed Jovanovski is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL. He was selected first overall in the 1994 NHL entry draft by the Florida Panthers and helped the team advance to the Stanley Cup Final during his rookie season.
Lore & Background
Jovanovski played major junior hockey for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, earning First All-Star, Second All-Star and All-Rookie Team honours. After being drafted first overall by the Panthers, he signed a four-year contract and made his NHL debut in the 1995–96 season, scoring his first goal against the Hartford Whalers. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team and helped the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1996, where they lost to the Colorado Avalanche. After three-and-a-half seasons in Florida, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in a seven-player deal involving Pavel Bure.
In Vancouver, he won the Babe Pratt Trophy as the team's best defenceman three consecutive years and led the club's defencemen in scoring four consecutive years. He later signed with the Phoenix Coyotes as an unrestricted free agent in July 2006, leading their defencemen in scoring for three years. He returned to the Florida Panthers for three seasons before retiring in 2015.
Reader's Guide
Jovanovski's career spanned two decades and included stints with three NHL teams. Known as a two-way defenceman, he recorded one 50-point season and three seasons of 40 or more points. He was a three-time NHL All-Star and represented Canada internationally, winning a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics and gold at the 1995 World Junior Championship.
He also played in four World Championships, winning silver in 2005 and 2008, and participated in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. His physical style and offensive contributions made him a notable figure in the league, particularly during his time with the Canucks where he became a fan favourite. His return to the Panthers late in his career bookended his professional journey, having been the franchise's first-ever first overall draft pick.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Silver World Championships — 2005 Austria
- Silver World Championships — 2008 Canada
- Gold World Cup — 2004 Canada
- Gold Olympic Games — 2002 Salt Lake City
- Gold World Junior Championships — 1995 Canada
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1992–93 | Windsor Bulldogs | WOHL | 48 | 7 | 46 | 53 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 62 | 15 | 35 | 50 | 221 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 1994–95 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 50 | 23 | 42 | 65 | 198 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 39 |
| 1995–96 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 70 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 137 | 22 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 52 |
| 1996–97 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 61 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 172 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1997–98 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 81 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 158 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 41 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 31 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 75 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 79 | 12 | 35 | 47 | 102 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 82 | 17 | 31 | 48 | 101 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| 2002–03 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 67 | 6 | 40 | 46 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 22 |
| 2003–04 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 56 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 64 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 2005–06 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 44 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006–07 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 54 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 80 | 12 | 39 | 51 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008–09 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2009–10 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 66 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 55 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2010–11 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 50 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2011–12 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 66 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2012–13 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 1,128 | 137 | 363 | 500 | 1,491 | 76 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 102 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 1998 | Canada | WC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 2000 | Canada | WC | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 2002 | Canada | OLY | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 2004 | Canada | WCH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | Canada | WC | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 2008 | Canada | WC | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Junior totals | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Senior totals | 40 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 30 | ||
Awards and honours
OHL
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-Rookie Team | 1994 |
| Second All-Star Team | 1994 |
| First All-Star Team | 1995 |
NHL
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-Rookie Team | 1996 |
| Calder Memorial Trophy Runner-up | 1996 |
| All-Star Game | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008 |
Vancouver Canucks
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Babe Pratt Trophy (Canucks' best defenceman) | 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Ed Jovanovski (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Jovanovski was nicknamed 'JovoCop'.
- He broke his right hand during a preseason fight with Brendan Shanahan before his rookie season.
- He played in the 1990 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Windsor.
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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: Ed Jovanovski (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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