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Jason Blake (ice hockey)

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Jason Blake
Blake with the Anaheim Ducks in 2010
Born (1973-09-02) September 2, 1973 (age 51)
Moorhead, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Los Angeles Kings
New York Islanders
HC Lugano
Toronto Maple Leafs
Anaheim Ducks
National team  United States
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1999–2012

Jason Wayne Blake (born September 2, 1973) is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

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Junior career

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He played for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).[1] Collegiately, he played one year at Ferris State University before transferring the University of North Dakota (UND). He had to sit out one season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association rules. He played three season for UND winning league titles all three years.[2] Blake starred on their 1996–1997 National Championship team.[2]

Kings and Islanders

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Blake went undrafted and was signed as a free agent with the Orlando Solar Bears[3] before being signed to an NHL contract by the Los Angeles Kings in 1999. He played in 64 games in 1999–00, his first season with the Kings, scoring 5 goals and played in 3 playoff games.[4] In 2000, Blake joined Team USA at the World Championships.[5] In the 2000–01 season, Blake played in only 17 games with the Kings before he was acquired by the New York Islanders in a January trade, who sent a conditional pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft in return.[4] During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Blake signed a brief contract with the Swiss team HC Lugano.[6] While with the Islanders Blake played the wing on a line with Alexei Yashin.[7][8] In 2004, Blake was selected as part of Team USA for the World Cup of Hockey.[5] Blake set career highs in goals and points during the 2005–06 season with 28 and 57, respectively. The following season he topped both totals, scoring 40 goals and 69 points. The 40th goal was scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 5, 2007.[9] Along with Islanders teammates Rick DiPietro and Mark Parrish, Blake was part of Team USA at the Winter Olympics held in Turin Italy in February 2006. Team USA was led by Peter Laviolette, his former coach with the Islanders. Team USA finished eighth in the tournament.[10] Blake scored his 100th career NHL goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on October 31, 2006. The milestone 100th goal came on the power play late in the 3rd period.[11] Blake was named an all-star for the first time in his career during the 2006–07 NHL season.[5] He recorded two assists in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game.[9] At the end of the 2006–07 season, Blake became an unrestricted free agent. He was quoted in Newsday in February 2007 saying he would probably test the free agent market if not re-signed by the Islanders prior to the NHL trading deadline.[12]

Maple Leafs

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Blake was neither traded nor re-signed before the deadline and on July 1, 2007, Blake signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs to a five-year contract worth US$20 million.[13] Before the season began on October 8, 2007, Blake announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a rare but highly treatable form of cancer. He continued to play for the Maple Leafs for the rest of the season.[14] In Blake's first season with Toronto, he played in all 82 regular season games while scoring 15 goals and 52 points. While he managed a considerable number of points, he struggled to score goals all season, having over 300 shots on goal, easily a career high.[15][16] He was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy at the end of the season for perseverance and dedication to hockey through the difficult times he faced after being diagnosed with cancer.[16][17] However, his 2008–09 season was up and down, with a fight during practice with teammate Mikhail Grabovski making headlines[18] and being taken out of the gameday lineup for poor play.[15] He finished the season with 25 goals and 63 points.[19] In the 2009–10 season, Blake struggled for the Maple Leafs, posting 10 goals and 26 points in 55 games.[19] In 2009, Blake was selected by Team USA for his second World Championship.[20] He was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, along with Vesa Toskala, for Jean-Sébastien Giguère on January 31, 2010.[21]

Ducks and retirement

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Blake played the entire 2010–11 season with the Ducks compiling 16 goals and 32 points in 72 games. He began the 2011–12 season playing on a line with Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu.[22] On October 15, 2011, Blake and the Ducks were playing the San Jose Sharks when Sharks' defenceman Brent Burns accidentally cut Blake's left arm/wrist after Blake fell down during a faceoff attempt. The cut required surgery to repair and kept Blake out of the lineup for three months.[23] He returned to play for the Ducks in January 2012 scoring three goals in his first two games back.[24] He finished the season with 45 games played, having scored 7 goals and 12 points. Following the season, Blake was again an unrestricted free agent. However, the season was delayed due to a lockout and Blake never signed with a team.[25]

Personal life

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Blake's son, Jackson, was drafted in the fourth round, 109th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He played college ice hockey for North Dakota.[26]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1991–92 Moorhead High School HS-MN 25 30 30 60 — — — — — —
1992–93 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 45 24 27 51 107 — — — — —
1993–94 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 47 50 50 100 76 — — — — —
1994–95 Ferris State University CCHA 36 16 16 32 46 — — — — —
1996–97 University of North Dakota WCHA 43 19 32 51 44 — — — — —
1997–98 University of North Dakota WCHA 38 24 27 51 62 — — — — —
1998–99 University of North Dakota WCHA 38 28 41 69 49 — — — — —
1998–99 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 5 3 5 8 6 13 3 4 7 20
1998–99 Los Angeles Kings NHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
1999–00 Long Beach Ice Dogs IHL 7 3 6 9 2 — — — — —
1999–00 Los Angeles Kings NHL 64 5 18 23 26 3 0 0 0 0
2000–01 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 2 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
2000–01 Los Angeles Kings NHL 17 1 3 4 10 — — — — —
2000–01 New York Islanders NHL 30 4 8 12 24 — — — — —
2001–02 New York Islanders NHL 82 8 10 18 36 7 0 1 1 13
2002–03 New York Islanders NHL 81 25 30 55 58 5 0 1 1 2
2003–04 New York Islanders NHL 75 22 25 47 56 4 2 0 2 2
2004–05 HC Lugano NLA 7 2 2 4 4 — — — — —
2005–06 New York Islanders NHL 76 28 29 57 60 — — — — —
2006–07 New York Islanders NHL 82 40 29 69 34 5 1 2 3 2
2007–08 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 15 37 52 28 — — — — —
2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 25 38 63 40 — — — — —
2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 56 10 16 26 26 — — — — —
2009–10 Anaheim Ducks NHL 26 6 9 15 10 — — — — —
2010–11 Anaheim Ducks NHL 76 16 16 32 41 6 3 1 4 0
2011–12 Anaheim Ducks NHL 45 7 5 12 6 — — — — —
NHL totals 871 213 273 486 455 30 6 5 11 19

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1998 United States WC Q Q 2 0 1 1 2
2000 United States WC 5th 7 1 1 2 2
2004 United States WCH 4th 4 1 0 1 2
2006 United States OG 8th 6 0 0 0 2
2009 United States WC 4th 9 1 3 4 4
Senior totals 26 3 4 7 10

Awards and honors

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Award Year
USHL
Forward of the Year 1994
Player of the Year 1994
Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award 1994 [27]
College
All-CCHA Rookie Team 1995
All-WCHA First Team 1997, 1998, 1999
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 1998
WCHA All-Tournament Team 1998 [28]
AHCA West First-Team All-American 1999
NHL
All-Star Game 2007
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy 2008

References

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  1. ^ "Jason Blake: 'It'd be minus 10...but you loved it.'". CBC Sports. December 8, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Murphy, James (November 20, 2008). "Blake recalls fond days at North Dakota". NHL.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  3. ^ Solano, Javier (April 9, 1999). "Blake Makes Quick Impact". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Blake returns to his roots". The Hamilton Spectator. January 11, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Jason Blake is an All-Star!". NHL.com. July 12, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Jason Blake zum HC Lugano". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). December 1, 2004. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "Hopes pinned on Kvasha". The Globe and Mail. September 22, 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Hunter, Paul (September 15, 2007). "Blake could be right fit for Sundin". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Fischler, Stan (March 26, 2021). "Maven's Memories: Jason Blake Played Big During Time with Islanders". New York Islanders. Retrieved November 16, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  10. ^ "Looking Back at the Isles on Team USA". New York Islanders. July 4, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  11. ^ "Islanders take advantage of struggling Blackhawks for another home win". cbssports.com. October 31, 2006. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  12. ^ Interview with New York Newsday[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ McGrann, Kevin (July 1, 2007). "Leafs sign free-agent winger Jason Blake". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  14. ^ "Statement from Jason Blake regarding his condition". Toronto Maple Leafs. October 8, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved November 16, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  15. ^ a b Kennedy, Ryan (November 13, 2008). "Maple Leafs Watch: The Curious Case of Jason Blake". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Hunter, Paul (June 13, 2008). "Blake wants to prove himself as a Leaf". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "Blake, Pisani, Chelios finalists for NHL's Masterton Trophy". CBC Sports. 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  18. ^ Johnston, Chris (February 13, 2009). "Grabovski, Blake fight during Leafs practice". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Iorfida, Chris (January 31, 2010). "Leafs get Giguere for Blake, Toskala". CBC Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  20. ^ "Oshie added to U.S. roster for World Championship". Grand Forks Herald. April 23, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  21. ^ "Ducks trade Jean-Sebastien Giguere to Toronto". Los Angeles Times. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  22. ^ Reitz, Matt (October 15, 2011). "Jason Blake suffers "severe" cut in win against San Jose". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  23. ^ "Anaheim Ducks winger Jason Blake out three months after surgery on tendon". The Hockey News. The Canadian Press. October 15, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  24. ^ "Blake, Ducks double up Canucks". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. January 15, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  25. ^ "Former UND standout Blake faces NHL free agency". Grand Forks Herald. January 11, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  26. ^ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (April 22, 2019). "Jackson Blake, son of former UND star and longtime NHLer, commits to UND". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  27. ^ "Dave Tyler Award winners". United States Hockey League. 2011-01-02. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
  28. ^ "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by WCHA Player of the Year
1998–99 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
2008 		Succeeded by
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