Blake Geoffrion

Blake Daniel Geoffrion (born February 3, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey player.

He last played with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.

His scoring outburst made him the first player to earn consecutive AHL player of the week since Jim Carey in 1994.

As a youth, he played in the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Cleveland.

He first attended the Culver Military Academy where he helped his team win the Indiana state championship in 2003.

He was invited to join the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) where he spent two seasons between 2004 and 2006.

He was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championship and won bronze at the 2007 World Junior Hockey Championship.

He moved on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he enjoyed a standout college career.

He made his international debut with Team USA at the 2006 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

He scored five points in six games in the tournament for the gold medal winning Americans.

Geoffrion joined the Badgers in 2006–07 where he led the team in penalties with 62 minutes.

Following his sophomore season with the Badgers, the Nashville Predators made Geoffrion their second round selection, 56th overall, at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

He again played for Team USA, this time at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where he appeared in all seven of his team's games, registering one assist as the Americans won a bronze medal.

In his sophomore season, Geoffrion improved to 30 points overall and tied for the team lead with 19 points in Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play.

His teammates named him the most competitive player on the Badgers.

He returned to the World Junior Hockey Championships in 2008, scoring one point in six games while the Americans failed to win a medal.

Named co-captain of the Badgers in his junior season of 2008–09, Geoffrion led his team in goals within the WCHA with 12 and tied for the lead overall at 15.

His overall total of 28 points was fourth best on the team.

He was a conference all-star in his senior year of 2009–10, was also named the consensus All-American and Player of the Year and won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the United States.

Geoffrion was born in Plantation, Florida, but grew up in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Serving as a tri-captain, he led the WCHA in goal scoring in 2009-10 with 19 and was second in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) with 28.

He reached the 50-goal plateau for his college career on March 13 and 100 points on February 19.

Considered one of the NCAA's most complete players, Geoffrion was his team's top faceoff performer and was praised for the way his play improved as his team's games grew in importance.

He was named a first-team all-star in both the WCHA and the NCAA-West.

Additionally, Geoffrion was named US College Hockey Online's national player of the year.

He chose to complete his college career before turning to the professional game and signed an amateur try-out contract with the Predators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, to conclude the 2009–10.

He appeared in three playoff games with the Admirals and scored two goals.

Soon after the Badgers reached the 2010 NCAA championship game, Geoffrion was named the winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in American college hockey.

In doing so, he became the first Wisconsin player to win the award.

Geoffrion and the Badgers were unable to cap off their season with a championship, however, losing 5–0 to the Boston College Eagles before a world indoor record crowd of 37,592 at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Predators signed Geoffrion to a two-year entry-level contract on June 15, 2010.

He was assigned back to Milwaukee to begin the 2010–11 AHL season where he struggled to begin the season before injuries and the promotion of other players to Nashville opened up more ice time for him.

After scoring 16 points in his first 31 games of the season, Geoffrion improved to 17 points in seven games at the end of January and beginning of February.

He was a second round selection of the Nashville Predators, 56th overall, at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut on February 26, 2011.

In doing so, he became the first fourth-generation player in the league's history, after his father Dan, grandfather Bernie and great-grandfather Howie Morenz.

He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2012 and while playing with their minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, suffered a depressed skull fracture that forced his retirement from the game in 2013.

He then joined the Columbus Blue Jackets initially as a pro scout, before earning a promotion as the assistant general manager to AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters.

A graduate of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, Geoffrion represented Team USA three times.

During the 2012-13 season, Geoffrion suffered a fractured skull which ultimately put an end to his professional hockey career.

From the USNTDP, Geoffrion was recruited to play with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers.