Darren Haydar
Haydar with the Chicago Wolves in 2012
Born (1979-10-22) October 22, 1979
Milton, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Nashville Predators
Atlanta Thrashers
Colorado Avalanche
EHC München
KHL Medveščak Zagreb
EC VSV
NHL Draft 248th overall, 1999
Nashville Predators
Playing career 2002–2016

Darren J. Haydar (born October 22, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Haydar was selected by the Nashville Predators in the ninth round (248th overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He is one of the top AHL players of all-time, having won two Calder Cup championships and is the AHL’s all-time leader in playoff goals (63), assists (80) and points (143).[1] Despite his prowess in the AHL, Haydar played little in the NHL, scoring only a single goal and eight points over 23 games.

Playing career

Prior to turning professional Haydar played two years with the Milton Merchants of the Junior A Ontario Provincial Hockey League, where he established league records for goals (71) and points (140) in a season. He then spent four years (1998–2002) for the University of New Hampshire, scoring 219 points with 102 goals. In 2002, he was named a First Team All-American and was Hockey East Player of the Year.

He was drafted 248th overall by Nashville Predators in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. On September 11, 2002, Haydar signed a three-year entry level contract with the Predators.[2] He spent almost all of his Predators career at their farm team as a standout with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, only playing twice for the Predators, both in the 2002–03 NHL season. He helped the Admirals win the Calder Cup in the 2003–04 season.

Haydar was signed by the Atlanta Thrashers as a Free Agent on July 4, 2006.[3] He was assigned to affiliate the Chicago Wolves for the 2006–07 season. On December 23, 2006, Haydar picked up a point in his 32nd consecutive game, breaking the record for the longest AHL scoring streak. The stick used by Haydar as well as the hockey puck involved in the record-breaking point were preserved in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He went on to notch a point in 39 consecutive games, tallying 79 points during the streak.[4] At season's end Haydar finished with 122 points in 73 games. He was named in the AHL's First All-Star Team and won the Les Cunningham Award for being the AHL's most valuable player.[5]

Haydar during his tenure with EHC München.

In the 2007–08 season, Haydar again was relied heavily upon with the Wolves, and was instrumental in helping the Wolves win the Calder Cup, his second. Darren also played as a reserve forward with the Thrashers and scored his first NHL goal on October 13, 2007, against Martin Brodeur in a 6-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils.[6]

For the 2008–09 season, Haydar was signed by the Detroit Red Wings on July 23, 2008.[7] He was assigned to and named captain of affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins, leading the Griffins in scoring with 80 points in 79 games. As a result, was named in the 2008–09 AHL's Second All-Star Team.[8]

On July 4, 2009, Haydar was signed by the Colorado Avalanche to a one-year contract.[9] Haydar was reassigned by the Avalanche to affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, prior to the 2009–10 season. While leading the Monsters in scoring, Darren was named to play in the 2010 AHL All-Star game but missed the game due to injury.[10] Upon his return Haydar was recalled by the injury hit Avalanche on February 10, 2010.[11] He made his Avalanche debut and played his first NHL game since 2007 on the same day in a 4-3 overtime win against the Thrashers.[12] Haydar was returned to the Monsters and in the last game of the season he recorded an assist, to become the 43rd player in history to reach 600 points.[13]

A free agent at season's end, Haydar signed an AHL contract to return to the team he formerly captained, the Chicago Wolves on July 28, 2010.[14] In 2013, as part of the Milwaukee Admirals celebrating their 35th season, Haydar was voted by fans as the 3rd greatest Milwaukee Admiral of all time.

After three further seasons with the Wolves, Haydar left North America for the first time in his career and signed a one-year contract in Europe with EHC München of the DEL on July 25, 2013.[15]

In 2013, he was added to the Team Canada roster for the 2013 Spengler Cup. Haydar finished in a tie with Byron Ritchie for the team scoring lead with a pair of goals and four assists.[16]

Upon completing a single season in the DEL on June 9, 2014, he signed a one-year contract, along with former Wolves teammate, Jason Krog, in the Kontinental Hockey League with Croatian club, KHL Medveščak Zagreb.[17] In the 2014–15 season, having recorded just 1 assist in 4 games, Haydar opted to leave the club. With Krog following suit, they both signed a try-out contract with Austrian club, EC VSV, on October 2, 2014. After showing early scoring touch in Villach, Krog and Haydar both opted to remain signing a one-year contract on October 15, 2014.[18]

In the off-season, Haydar left Villach as a free agent and returned to play for a second stint in Germany after signing with Lausitzer Füchse of the DEL2 on September 28, 2015.[19][20]

Suffering an off-season training back injury, Haydar has opted to sit out the 2016–17 season — having recently returned to Milton after three seasons in Europe and in the midst of making plans for his post-playing future.[21] He later concluded his professional career in accepting a position as a sales representative at a real estate entity in Milton, Ontario, working alongside his older brother Ryan, who was also a hockey player but now has officially retired.

In 2018, Haydar was inducted into his hometown Milton Sports Hall of Fame along with his teammates on the 1996-98 Milton Merchant teams.[22] In 2019, Haydar was inducted into the same hall as a standalone athlete inductee.[23] In 2020, the Milwaukee Admirals retired Haydar's jersey and celebrate his accomplishments with a bobble-head night.[24]

Personal

After first experiencing symptoms in 2012, Haydar was diagnosed over a year later with multiple sclerosis and has organized a charity golf tournament in support of the MS Society of Canada’s Hamilton-Halton Chapter since 2017. He is married to Sara, who is a throat cancer survivor, and he has three sons. He works in real estate with his older brother, Ryan.[25]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1995–96 Milton Merchants OPJHL 61234 —————
1996–97 Milton Merchants OPJHL 51326810068 —————
1997–98 Milton Merchants OPJHL 51716914065 —————
1998–99 University of New Hampshire HE 4131306134 —————
1999–00 University of New Hampshire HE 3822194142 —————
2000–01 University of New Hampshire HE 3918234138 —————
2001–02 University of New Hampshire HE 4031457628 —————
2002–03 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 7529467536 61452
2002–03 Nashville Predators NHL 20000 —————
2003–04 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 7922375935 2211152610
2004–05 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 5924265042 734714
2005–06 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 8035579250 2118173518
2006–07 Chicago Wolves AHL 73418112255 1510142414
2006–07 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 40000 —————
2007–08 Chicago Wolves AHL 5119395852 241215278
2007–08 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 161782 —————
2008–09 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 7931498026 1047114
2009–10 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 6623416460 —————
2009–10 Colorado Avalanche NHL 10000 —————
2010–11 Chicago Wolves AHL 7727477460 —————
2011–12 Chicago Wolves AHL 7021365732 54480
2012–13 Chicago Wolves AHL 7120375758 —————
2013–14 EHC München DEL 4413223522 211212
2014–15 KHL Medveščak Zagreb KHL 40110 —————
2014–15 EC VSV EBEL 4523214426 510120
2015–16 Lausitzer Füchse DEL2 4221163760 —————
2017–18 Dundas Real McCoys ACH 13717244 21010
2018–19 Dundas Real McCoys ACH 12415192 53360
2019–20 Dundas Real McCoys ACH 45270 200010
AHL totals 780292496788506 110638014370
NHL totals 231782 —————

Awards and honors

Records

  • AHL All-Time Playoff goals record- 59
  • AHL All-Time Playoff assist record- 76
  • AHL All-Time Playoff points record- 135

References

  1. ↑ "Story of the Calder Cup". American Hockey League. March 5, 2016. Archived from the original on May 11, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Preds sign their '99th ninth-round draft pick". ESPN. September 11, 2002. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Thrashers sign Braithwaite, Krog and Haydar". Atlanta Thrashers. July 4, 2006. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Haydar ends streak". ChiTown Daily News. January 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Chicago's Haydar named AHL MVP". mysportsbook. April 13, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  6. ↑ "Devils score in final minute to vault past winless Thrashers". CBS Sports. October 13, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  7. ↑ "Haydar, Oulahen sign one-year deals". Detroit Red Wings. July 23, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Haydar named to AHL second team". Detroit Red Wings. April 2, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Haydar signs with Avs to give NHL 'one last chance'". Milton Canadian Champion. July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Darren Haydar named to AHL All-Star Team". The Plain Dealer. December 29, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Avs O'Reilly a game time decision". Denver Post. February 10, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Cumiskey OT hero as Avs rally for win". CBS Sports. February 10, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  13. ↑ "Haydar hits 600 in season finale". AHL. April 11, 2010. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Former Captain and League MVP Haydar returns to Chicago". Chicago Wolves. July 28, 2010. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  15. ↑ "Top scorer Darren Haydar comes to Munich" (in German). EHC München. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  16. ↑ "Spengler Cup had". January 3, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Top AHL tandem Krog-Haydar together again". medvescak.com. www.medvescak.com. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Villach makes the impossible possible!" (in German). EC VSV. October 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Foxes undertake Darren Haydar" (in German). Lausitzer Füchse. September 28, 2015. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Profile of Darren Haydar on the website of the club". Lausitzer Füchse. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Retirement looming for Haydar". insidehalton.com. October 2, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ "2018 class named for Milton Sports Hall of Fame induction". June 27, 2018.
  23. ↑ "2019 induction class named for Milton Sports Hall of Fame". July 2019.
  24. ↑ "Milwaukee Admirals". Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Former AHL star looks to score one for MS awareness". May 2, 2017.
  26. ↑ "2013-14 Hockey East Media Guide". Hockey East. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  27. ↑ "2010–11 First and Second All-Stars named". AHL.com. March 31, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  28. ↑ "American Hockey League Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2020". OurSports Central. October 10, 2019.
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