Eric Tangradi
American left winger who played for six NHL teams.
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Eric Tangradi, a left winger from the Philadelphia area, played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and New Jersey Devils, plus a stint with Barys Nur-Sultan in the KHL. The Anaheim Ducks picked him 42nd overall in the second round of the 2007 draft.
Amateur
Tangradi started his hockey career at Archbishop Carroll High School, winning a Pennsylvania State AA Championship in 2004 against two-time champions Peters Township, and spent one season at Wyoming Seminary Prep. He then played three years of junior hockey for the Belleville Bulls in the Ontario Hockey League, serving as captain in 2008. His breakout came in 2008–09, when he posted 38 goals and 88 points in 55 games.
That December, he signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Ducks. On February 26, 2009, the Ducks traded him and Chris Kunitz to the Penguins for defenseman Ryan Whitney. Later that season, Tangradi was named the Boston Pizza OHL & CHL Player of the Week, and at year’s end he earned Belleville’s Humanitarian of the Year, Most Outstanding Forward, and Top Scorer awards.
Professional
In the AHL, Tangradi notched his first professional point—an assist on a Wyatt Smith goal—in his debut with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on October 3, 2009, against the Syracuse Crunch. He scored his first professional goal on November 11, 2009, against Portland Pirates goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, then fought Kyle Rank on the next face-off. He made his NHL debut in the season’s final game on April 11, 2010, against the New York Islanders.
The following season, he made the Penguins out of training camp. On October 11, 2010, he got his first NHL point, assisting on an Alex Goligoski goal against the Devils, and on October 15, he scored his first NHL goal against Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro. After being sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on December 8, 2010, he recorded his first professional hat trick against Toronto Marlies goalies Jussi Rynnas and Ben Scrivens.
During the infamous February 11, 2011, game against the Islanders, Tangradi took an elbow to the head from forward Trevor Gillies, who was suspended nine games. Tangradi missed two months with concussion symptoms. On January 13, 2012, he picked up his first NHL fighting major against Erik Gudbranson of the Florida Panthers.
Lore & Background
Tangradi grew up in the Philadelphia area as a fan of the Philadelphia Flyers, with Eric Lindros' and Keith Primeau's jerseys and the Flyers' Legion of Doom poster on his wall. He played high school hockey for Archbishop Carroll, winning a Pennsylvania State AA Championship in 2004, and one season for Wyoming Seminary Prep School. He then played three seasons of junior hockey with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League, serving as captain in 2008. In 2008–09, he posted 38 goals and 88 points in 55 games and was signed to a three-year entry-level deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
On February 26, 2009, he was traded along with Chris Kunitz to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Ryan Whitney. Tangradi made his NHL debut on April 11, 2010, and scored his first NHL goal on October 15, 2010. During a game on February 11, 2011, he was elbowed in the head by Trevor Gillies, resulting in a nine-game suspension for Gillies and a two-month absence for Tangradi due to concussion symptoms.
He was traded to the Winnipeg Jets during the 2012–13 season, then to the Montreal Canadiens on October 5, 2014. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings on July 8, 2015, and later with the New Jersey Devils on July 25, 2018. After a stint with Barys Nur-Sultan, he returned to the Grand Rapids Griffins on a one-year AHL contract on December 6, 2019. He announced his retirement on May 5, 2021.
Reader's Guide
Eric Tangradi's professional career spanned 11 seasons across the NHL, AHL, and KHL, with his most notable contributions coming as a physical left winger and depth scorer. He played for six NHL organizations, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was part of the organization that won multiple Stanley Cups during his tenure, though he did not appear in the playoffs for those championship teams. His time with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins left a mark, as he ranks ninth on the team's all-time goals list with 60 in 178 games. Tangradi's career was interrupted by a significant concussion from an illegal hit by Trevor Gillies in 2011, which sidelined him for two months.
He later achieved a full NHL season with the Winnipeg Jets in 2013–14, playing a fourth-line left wing role. His legacy includes being a member of the 2017 Calder Cup Champion Grand Rapids Griffins, and he was named to the 2011 AHL All-Star game. After retiring, he transitioned to real estate and later became head coach of Shady Side Academy's boys' prep hockey team in June 2022.
Career statistics and honours
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2005–06 | Wyoming Seminary | USHS | 38 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006–07 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 65 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 32 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 14 |
| 2007–08 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 56 | 24 | 36 | 60 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 20 |
| 2008–09 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 55 | 38 | 50 | 88 | 61 | 16 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 12 |
| 2009–10 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 65 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2009–10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2010–11 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 42 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011–12 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 37 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 40 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| 2011–12 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 34 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2012–13 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 36 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 55 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 48 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2015–16 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 72 | 28 | 28 | 56 | 66 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 2015–16 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 54 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 53 | 19 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 12 |
| 2017–18 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 74 | 31 | 33 | 64 | 51 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 2018–19 | Binghamton Devils | AHL | 41 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Barys Nur-Sultan | KHL | 22 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 21 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 150 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 86 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Eric Tangradi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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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: Eric Tangradi (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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