Wade Redden

Wade Redden (born June 12, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a development coach of the Ottawa Senators, with whom he spent the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), which lasted from 1996 to 2013.

He also played for the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.

He played for the Canadian national team internationally seven times, winning two gold medals in the World Junior Championships and one in the World Cup of Hockey.

He was a two-time NHL All-Star.

Born on June 12, 1977, in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Redden, who is Métis, grew up in Hillmond, Saskatchewan.

Redden went to school at Hillmond, where he completed kindergarten to grade nine.

He went to Lloydminster comprehensive school for grade ten.

After that, he played one year with the Lloydminster Blazers, before joining the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Brandon Wheat Kings for the 1993–94 season.

In his first year of major junior hockey with Brandon, he was awarded the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for WHL rookie of the year honours.

The Wheat Kings made it to two Memorial Cup appearances, in 1995 and 1996, whilst Redden was a member of the team.

He was also a member of the 1995 and 1996 Canadian teams at the World Junior Hockey Championships, both teams winning gold medals.

Redden was originally selected second overall by the New York Islanders in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, but never played for the team – he was traded in a three-team deal with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs that saw his rights, along with Kirk Muller, Ken Belanger, Damian Rhodes, Don Beaupre, Martin Straka and the rights to Bryan Berard move between the teams on January 23, 1996.

The trade had become necessary when the Senators' efforts to sign Berard, whom they had selected first overall in the same draft, had become futile.

Redden joined the Senators from the Wheat Kings for the 1996–97 season, making the team out of his first training camp.

He scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot, against Jocelyn Thibault of the Montreal Canadiens on October 5, 1996.

Redden would be named NHL Rookie of the Month for April 1997, and was an important part of the team's drive to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs that season; The appearance was the first in modern Senators' history.

By the 1999–2000 season, Redden was an important part of the team.

On October 2, 1999, he was named alternate captain of the Senators, a position he eventually held for nine seasons.

Near the end of the season, however, he suffered an ankle injury, forcing him to miss the 2000 playoffs, a contributing factor in the Senators losing in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Despite the injury setback, the following year Redden continued his improvement, averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per game, scoring 37 assists, recording a three-point game as well as several two-point games.

After the Senators were eliminated from the 2001 playoffs, he was named to the Team Canada's senior team for the first time for the 2001 IIHF World Championship.

The next year, 2001–02, Redden was named to the 2002 NHL All-Star Game to represent the Senators.

In the next season, he would have nine multi-point games in 2002–03 and would set a personal best of 17 goals in the following 2003–04 season, which helped earn him a spot in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game.

He was also named to the gold medal-winning Canadian team for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and would also play for Canada in the 2005 IIHF World Championship.

In the 2005–06 season, Redden missed games due to a knee injury and to be with his mother, Pat, as she battled cancer.

He finished the season with a career-high 50 points and a joint-NHL-leading plus-minus rating of +35 in 65 games.

He also had 12 multi-point games, including a four-point game against the New York Rangers on December 26, 2005.

After the 2005–06 season, the Senators were faced with having their two top defencemen (Redden and Zdeno Chára) becoming unrestricted free agents, and having to choose to sign only one to keep the team salaries within the League-mandated salary cap.

The Senators ultimately chose to retain Redden, and the two agreed on a two-year, $13 million contract with a no-trade clause; Chára signed instead with the Boston Bruins.

Redden's salary made him the highest-paid player on the team, and the media and fans expected another top-notch season.

Redden being of Metis descent, was noted to be the highest paid aboriginal player in the NHL.

For his career-season, Redden was selected to Team Canada's roster, along with teammate Dany Heatley, for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

The 2006–07 NHL season was a difficult one for Redden, however, playing with a new defensive partner, Andrej Meszároš, who had previously played on a defensive pair alongside Chára.

Despite the initial struggles, by the time of the 2007 playoffs, Redden and Meszároš had jelled and were a strong pairing for the Senators.

Redden participated in all of Ottawa's run to the Stanley Cup Finals, recording 10 points in 20 playoff games, albeit in a losing effort as the Senators eventually lost to the Anaheim Ducks in five games.

The 2007–08 was eventful for Redden.

Newly promoted general manager Bryan Murray attempted to trade Redden to the Edmonton Oilers during the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

He then completed his 11th and 12th year in Brandon, Manitoba at Crocus Plains Regional High School while playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Redden has an older sister Nikki, and an older brother, Bart making him the youngest of three.

Redden played minor hockey with the teams at Hillmond High School, and the Mid West Red Wings, which were from the rural area.