Chris Minard

Chris Minard
Born	(1981-11-18) November 18, 1981 Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Pittsburgh Penguins Edmonton Oilers Kölner Haie Düsseldorfer EG
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2002–2017

Christopher Minard (born November 18, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers before finishing his career in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Minard began his professional career in 2002 with the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the ECHL. His brother, Mike Minard, also played briefly in the NHL, as a goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers.

Playing career

During the 2004–05 season he played with the Alaska Aces, and made his AHL debut, playing one game with the Milwaukee Admirals. During the NHL lockout, Minard played on a line with Scott Gomez, who had returned to his hometown of Anchorage to play for the season. During the season, Minard posted career highs in goals scored. This led to Gomez influencing New Jersey Devils management to give Minard a training camp slot, where he would earn a spot for the 2005–06 AHL season with the Albany River Rats, and the 2006–07 season with the Lowell Devils.

Minard was signed by the Penguins on July 12, 2007. He made his NHL debut on January 21, 2008 against the Washington Capitals. On February 26, Minard recorded his first NHL point, with an assist against the New York Islanders. Minard scored his first NHL goal on March 12, 2008, beating Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres.

On July 13, 2009 he signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, one month after the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Minard was included on team picture, and awarded a Stanley Cup Ring. He did not play enough games to get his name stamped on the Stanley Cup.

After three seasons in the German DEL, with Kölner Haie and failing the qualify for the playoffs in the 2014–15 season, Minard opted to leave the club and sign a two-year contract with rivals Düsseldorfer EG on March 4, 2015. At the conclusion of his second year with Düsseldorfer in the 2016–17 season, having contributed with just 9 points in 49 games, Minard opted to end his professional career after 15 seasons.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	Owen Sound Platers	OHL		9	0	1	1	0		1	0	0	0	2
1998–99	Owen Sound Platers	OHL		43	6	9	15	18		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Owen Sound Platers	OHL		38	12	14	26	39		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Toronto St. Michael's Majors	OHL		28	5	14	19	6		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Toronto St. Michael's Majors	OHL		40	11	8	19	28		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Oshawa Generals	OHL		28	12	12	24	18		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Oshawa Generals	OHL		67	36	35	71	20		5	2	3	5	6
2002–03	Pensacola Ice Pilots	ECHL		72	15	17	32	71		4	0	0	0	6
2003–04	San Angelo Saints	CHL		64	39	36	75	51		5	1	1	2	2
2004–05	Alaska Aces	ECHL		69	49	29	78	54		15	4	4	8	12
2004–05	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Alaska Aces	ECHL		33	26	16	42	38		22	14	5	19	54
2005–06	Albany River Rats	AHL		37	7	12	19	26		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Lowell Devils	AHL		65	32	17	49	30		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		56	25	17	42	33		23	11	6	17	10
2007–08	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		15	1	1	2	10		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		54	34	23	57	38		12	6	3	9	12
2008–09	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		20	1	2	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Springfield Falcons	AHL		40	22	16	38	18		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		5	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		79	18	17	35	45		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		39	21	11	32	25		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Kölner Haie	DEL		52	23	15	38	32		12	3	1	4	18
2013–14	Kölner Haie	DEL		52	18	15	33	93		17	8	2	10	8
2014–15	Kölner Haie	DEL		45	12	11	23	55		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Düsseldorfer EG	DEL		52	12	4	16	54		5	0	2	2	0
2016–17	Düsseldorfer EG	DEL		49	4	5	9	32		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				40	2	4	6	14		—	—	—	—	—

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database