Justin Abdelkader

He became the first rookie to score a goal in consecutive finals games since Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli did it in 1981.

Justin Abdelkader (born February 25, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for EV Zug of the Swiss National League (NL).

Abdelkader played for the junior ice hockey Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League during his senior year of high school, scoring 27 goals and 52 points and helping the team win the 2004–05 Clark Cup Championship.

He then began a three-year stint playing college ice hockey for the Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team of what was then the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

He was drafted 42nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

He previously played for HC Lugano of the NL.

Abdelkader was drafted 42nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

On April 7, 2007, Abdelkader scored the game-winning goal in the 2007 NCAA Championship Game against Boston College, securing the NCAA Division 1 National Championship for Michigan State University and earning him the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player.

He scored the latest game-winning regulation goal ever scored in an NCAA Frozen Four championship game when he scored with just 18.9 seconds left.

On April 3, 2008, Abdelkader signed a one-game amateur tryout with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and was to play that night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In doing so, he forfeited his college eligibility for the 2008–09 season.

The following day, Abdelkader signed a three-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

He played one more game that season for Detroit.

When Detroit won the Stanley Cup in June, Abdelkader was part of the team celebration.

He was included in the team picture and awarded a Stanley Cup Ring.

Abdelkader did not play enough games to qualify for engravement on the Stanley Cup in 2008.

Abdelkader scored 24 goals for the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2008–09 season and was one of the team's best offensive players in the playoffs.

On May 8, 2009, Abdelkader was brought up to the Red Wings as the replacement for Tomáš Kopecký, who sat out Game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals series against the Anaheim Ducks.

Coach Mike Babcock sent Abdelkader to replace Kopecký "because he'll run over people. We expect him to play hard like Darren Helm. He's on the forecheck, and he's a physical guy."

During the game, Abdelkader scored his first career point on an assist to Johan Franzén.

Abdelkader scored his first career NHL goal on May 30, 2009, in Game 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After shooting the puck, he grabbed the rebound out of the air with his glove, dropped the puck, and beat Marc-André Fleury high stick side.

His second goal came nearly 24 hours later in the second game of the series, off of what commentators described as a "knuckle puck."

He carried the puck into the forward zone alone against three Penguins defenders and fired a slapshot past Fleury.

During the 2009–10 season, Abdelkader played 50 games for the Red Wings, scoring three goals while adding three assists.

The Red Wings then re-signed Abdelkader on a two-year extension worth $1.575 million.

The 2010–11 season was Abdelkader's first full NHL season as a Red Wing.

Abdelkader played in 74 games, scoring seven goals and adding 12 assists.

During the 2011–12 season, he missed only one game and finished the season with eight goals and 14 assists in 81 games.

On September 14, 2012, Abdelkader signed a four-year, $7.2 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

A record which lasted until the 2014 Frozen Four when Minnesota scored with 0.6 left to eliminate North Dakota.

On October 9, 2015, Abdelkader became the second player in Red Wings history to score a hat trick in a season-opening home game, following Adam Brown in 1945.

Abdelkader was named the First Star of the Week for the week ending October 12, 2015.

He shared the league lead with four goals and tied for second in the NHL with five points.

On November 12, 2015, the Red Wings signed Abdelkader to a seven-year, $29.75 million contract extension.

On October 6, 2020, Abdelkader was placed on waivers by the Red Wings to buy out the remaining three years of his contract.

On February 3, 2021, Abdelkader joined EV Zug of the National League (NL) for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.

He made his debut on February 23, 2021, in a 4–3 overtime victory against Genève-Servette HC at the Patinoire des Vernets.

Abdelkader went on to win the 2021 NL title with EV Zug, recording six goals and three assists in 13 playoff games.

On February 24, 2022, Abdelkader joined HC Lugano of the NL for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.