Derian Hatcher
American defenseman, Stanley Cup captain, and OHL owner.
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Derian John Hatcher, born June 4, 1972, is an American former NHL defenseman who spent 16 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers. The younger brother of NHL veteran Kevin Hatcher, he entered the United States Hockey Hall of Fame with him on October 21, 2010. Hatcher now owns the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting.
Playing career
Derian Hatcher got his start in the game at the youth level, skating in the 1985 and 1986 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments as a member of the Detroit Compuware minor hockey program. On the ice, he built a reputation as a punishing defenseman who leaned hard on his imposing frame to deliver bone-rattling bodychecks.
The Minnesota North Stars liked what they saw, selecting him eighth overall in the first round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He made an immediate splash, scoring a goal in his NHL debut on October 12, 1991. Hatcher stuck with the North Stars through their relocation to Dallas in 1993, and he was handed the captaincy during the 1994-95 season.
Over the next ten seasons with the Stars, Hatcher piled up 71 goals, 223 assists, and 1,380 penalty minutes. His leadership peaked in 1999 when he captained Dallas to the Stanley Cup, making him the first American-born captain ever to hoist the trophy.
He held the title of longest-serving captain in franchise history until Jamie Benn eventually matched and then surpassed that mark. In July 2003, Hatcher inked a five-year, $30 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings. But his time in Motown was derailed early: a torn knee ligament suffered in just his third game sidelined him for nearly the entire season, limiting him to only 15 regular-season appearances.
When the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled due to a lockout, Hatcher joined Red Wings teammates Chris Chelios and Kris Draper in the minor leagues, suiting up for the Motor City Mechanics based in Fraser, Michigan. On August 2, 2005, after the Red Wings bought out the remaining $4.9 million on his contract because of the new salary cap, Hatcher signed a four-year, $14 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. On January 29, 2006, he was named interim captain of the Flyers, filling in for the injured Keith Primeau for the rest of the 2005-06 season. He also served as an alternate captain during his time in Philadelphia.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1987–88 | Detroit G. P. D. Midgets | MNHL | 25 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988–89 | Detroit G. P. D. Midgets | MNHL | 51 | 19 | 35 | 54 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1989–90 | North Bay Centennials | OHL | 64 | 14 | 38 | 52 | 45 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 1990–91 | North Bay Centennials | OHL | 64 | 13 | 50 | 63 | 163 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 28 |
| 1991–92 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 43 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 88 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 1991–92 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 67 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 178 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 83 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 211 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 1994–95 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 43 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 105 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 79 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 129 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 63 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 97 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| 1997–98 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 70 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 132 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 39 |
| 1998–99 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 80 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 102 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 24 |
| 1999–2000 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 57 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 68 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 29 |
| 2000–01 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 80 | 2 | 21 | 23 | 77 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 2001–02 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 80 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2002–03 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 106 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 33 |
| 2003–04 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 15 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| 2004–05 | Motor City Mechanics | UHL | 24 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2005–06 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 77 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 93 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 82 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 44 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 33 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 40 |
| NHL totals | 1,045 | 80 | 251 | 331 | 1,581 | 133 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 248 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | United States | WC | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 1996 | United States | WCH | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 1998 | United States | OG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | United States | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | United States | OG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Senior totals | 29 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 30 | ||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Derian Hatcher (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Hatcher and his brother Kevin previously owned a bar/restaurant in Utica, Michigan.
- In 2015, Hatcher, along with David Legwand, purchased the OHL's Sarnia Sting.
- Hatcher served as head coach of the Sarnia Sting, with Legwand as an assistant coach, from 2015 to 2020.
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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: Derian 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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