Brian Elliott

Brian "Moose" Elliott (born April 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent.

He most recently played for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Elliott was not drafted by an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team in 2001 and returned to York-Simcoe for Major Midget the following season.

After a solid season in the Eastern AAA Hockey League, Elliott was signed by the Ajax Axemen of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 2002–03.

After a standout season with the Ajax Axemen in 2002–03, Elliott was drafted in the ninth round, 291st overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

The second-last player selected in the draft, Elliott was not expected to progress to the NHL.

He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round, 291st overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

After being drafted, he would spend four seasons with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, serving as a backup for his first two seasons before securing the starting goaltender position in the 2005–06 season.

For his efforts, he was selected as a finalist for the 2005–06 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, collecting eight shutouts in 33 appearances, and leading the Badgers to the 2006 NCAA National Championship.

He was then signed by the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Binghamton Senators – an affiliate of the Ottawa Senators – on March 23, 2007, and played in eight games with Binghamton near the end of the 2006–07 season.

Elliott was invited to the Ottawa Senators' 2007–08 training camp, but was ultimately assigned to Binghamton on September 25, 2007.

He was recalled to Ottawa four days later to back up Martin Gerber, as starting goaltender Ray Emery was recovering from wrist surgery.

On October 10, Elliott played in his first NHL game and earned the win against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Upon Emery's return, Elliott was sent back to Binghamton, where he played in 44 games that season.

On January 9, 2009, Elliott was recalled by Ottawa after being named the AHL's Goalie of the Month for December.

He had been a standout in Binghamton, posting an 18–8–1 record with a 2.31 goals against average (GAA) and .926 save percentage.

His play earned him the starting position for the Canadian team in the 2009 AHL All-Star Game.

Elliott made an immediate impact in Ottawa.

The team had struggled all season, with inconsistent goaltending being an issue.

Craig Hartsburg, Ottawa's head coach at the time, said of the move, "We need some saves, some big saves, and he's done it down there [in Binghamton]."

Elliott would finish the season in Ottawa, sharing goaltending duties with veteran Alex Auld.

Elliott's emergence effectively made Martin Gerber expendable to the team, and he would later be claimed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Elliott was nominated for the NHL's Rookie of the Month award for March 2009, though he would lose out to St. Louis Blues forward T. J. Oshie.

In January 2010, he was awarded the NHL's First Star of the Week for January 18–24, and named the League's Second Star of the Week for January 25–31.

Prior to the trade deadline of the 2010–11 season, Elliott was traded as a part of Ottawa's rebuilding process to the Colorado Avalanche on February 18, 2011, in exchange for goaltender Craig Anderson.

After winning just two of his 12 starts with the Avalanche, combined with a sub-par 3.83 GAA, Elliott was released as a free agent after Colorado declined his qualifying offer.

Elliott signed a one-year contract worth $600,000 with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2011.

Forming a formidable goaltending tandem with Jaroslav Halák, Elliott revitalized his career, posting a 23–10–4 record while sporting a 1.56 GAA.

A two-time NHL All-Star in 2012 and 2015, Elliott has also played in the NHL for the Senators, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames.

Elliott grew up in Newmarket, Ontario, playing minor hockey for the Newmarket Redmen AA and the York-Simcoe Express AAA teams in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.

He was also chosen to participate in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa.

On January 18, 2012, Elliott signed a two-year contract extension with the Blues.

The deal carried an average annual value of $1.8 million.

Elliott reportedly earned $1.7 million in 2012–13 and $1.9 million in 2013–14.

After taking over for the injured Halák during the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Elliott led the Blues to a series victory over the San Jose Sharks before ultimately being swept in round two by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings.

On May 19, 2014, Elliott signed a three-year contract extension to remain in St. Louis.

The deal has an average annual value of $2.5 million.

On January 22, 2015, Elliott was named to the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, replacing Columbus Blue Jackets' goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who pulled out due to injury.

On March 12, 2015, Elliott tied Jaroslav Halák for the Blues' franchise record in shutouts.

Five days later, on March 17, Elliott surpassed Halák for the Blues' shutout franchise record.