Chris Higgins (ice hockey b. 1983)

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Chris Higgins (ice hockey b. 1983) bigraphy, stories - American ice hockey player

Chris Higgins (ice hockey b. 1983) : biography

June 2, 1983 –

Christopher "Chris" Higgins (born June 2, 1983) is an American professional ice hockey winger with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He finished a two-year career with the Yale Bulldogs, earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before turning professional for the 2003–04 season. After two seasons with the Canadiens’ minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), he joined the NHL in 2005–06. He recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 2009. After brief stints with the Rangers, Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers, he joined the Canucks in February 2011. Internationally, Higgins has competed for the United States in two World Junior Championships (2002 and 2003) and one World Championship (2009).

Playing style

Listed at 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall and 203 pounds (92 kilograms), Higgins plays mostly in the style of a power forward. He is known as a two-way player with good skating, capable of contributing offensively while remaining defensively responsible. He has alternated between playing the wing and center positions. Early in his career, he was compared to Dallas Stars forward Brendan Morrow.

Notes

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1999–00 Avon Old Farms USHS 27 19 20 39 10
2000–01 Avon Old Farms USHS 24 22 13 35 12
2001–02 Yale University ECAC 27 14 17 31 32
2002–03 Yale University ECAC 28 20 21 41 41
2003–04 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 67 21 27 48 18 10 3 2 5 0
2003–04 Montreal Canadiens NHL 2 0 0 0 0
2004–05 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 76 28 23 51 33 4 3 3 6 4
2005–06 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 23 15 38 26 6 1 3 4 0
2006–07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 61 22 16 38 26
2007–08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 82 27 25 52 22 12 3 2 5 2
2008–09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 12 11 23 22 4 2 0 2 2
2009–10 New York Rangers NHL 55 6 8 14 32
2009–10 Calgary Flames NHL 12 2 1 3 0
2010–11 Florida Panthers NHL 48 11 12 23 10
2010–11 Vancouver Canucks NHL 14 2 3 5 6 25 4 4 8 2
2011–12 Vancouver Canucks NHL 71 18 25 43 16 5 0 0 0 2
2012–13 Vancouver Canucks NHL 41 10 5 15 10 4 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 523 133 121 254 170 56 10 9 19 8