Ron Hainsey

Lore & Background

Hainsey was drafted in the first round, 13th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2000 NHL entry draft from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He made his NHL debut for the Canadiens on October 11, 2002, versus the New York Rangers. After three seasons with the Canadiens organization, he was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 29, 2005, where he established himself as a solid two-way defenseman.

On July 2, 2008, Hainsey signed a five-year, $22.5 million contract with the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent. He recorded 6 goals and 33 assists in his first season in Atlanta, and 45 points over the next two seasons. After the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg to become the Jets for the 2011–12 season, Hainsey recorded 10 assists in 56 games. He also played a role in the negotiations of the 2012–13 NHL lockout as a key part of the NHLPA negotiating team, emerging after marathon bargaining sessions on December 5, 2012, to tell the media both sides planned to meet again. He finished the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season with no goals and 13 points in 47 games with the Jets.

Hainsey later signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he was named an alternate captain during the 2015–16 season. On February 23, 2017, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins—his first career trade—in exchange for a second-round pick and Danny Kristo. With the Penguins, he made his Stanley Cup playoff debut on April 12, 2017, after 907 career NHL games, surpassing Olli Jokinen's previous record. He finished second in ice time for the playoffs in place of the injured Kris Letang and won the Stanley Cup, becoming the first player captain Sidney Crosby handed the trophy to.

Reader's Guide

Ron Hainsey's significance lies in his remarkable longevity and the unique record he set for the longest wait for a playoff appearance in NHL history. Playing 907 regular-season games before his first postseason game, he surpassed Olli Jokinen's previous mark of 799 games, a record that stood until Jeff Skinner passed it in 2023. His career spanned nearly 16 seasons without a playoff game before a late-season trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016–17 changed his trajectory. Hainsey not only made his playoff debut but also played a critical role on the Penguins' blue line, finishing second in ice time during the playoffs after Kris Letang's injury, and won the Stanley Cup. His journey from a first-round draft pick by Montreal through multiple teams—including the Winnipeg Jets, where he was part of the relocated Atlanta Thrashers franchise—to finally achieving postseason success exemplifies perseverance. Beyond his on-ice career, Hainsey contributed to the sport off the ice as a key member of the NHLPA negotiating team during the 2012–13 lockout, and after retirement became an executive in the NHLPA. His legacy includes over 1,100 career NHL games and a unique footnote in hockey history as the player who waited longest for his first playoff moment.

Did You Know?

• Hainsey played 907 regular-season games before making his Stanley Cup playoff debut, the longest such drought in NHL history at the time.
• He won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, his first playoff appearance, and was the first player captain Sidney Crosby handed the trophy to.
• He played in the 1995 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Springfield, Massachusetts.