Brent Sopel (born January 7, 1977 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Vancouver Canucks

On April 3, 1996, just under a year after being drafted, Sopel signed his first professional contract with his draft team, the Vancouver Canucks.^[1] Sopel scored his first NHL goal on April 10, 1999 against the Edmonton Oilers' Tommy Salo.^[2]

Sopel was traded back to the Canucks during their 2006–07 season, on February 1, 2007, the NHL trade deadline. He missed the first game of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars after he injured his back picking a cracker up off the floor.^[3] The Canucks beat the Stars in quadruple overtime, in the sixth longest game in NHL history.^[4]

[edit] New York Islanders

On August 3, 2005, the Canucks traded Sopel to the New York Islanders for a conditional draft pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.^[5] On August 16, just under a week after being traded, Sopel signed a two-year, $4.8-million with the Islanders.^[6]

[edit] Chicago Blackhawks

Heading into the 2007–08 season with no contract, Sopel was invited to the Detroit Red Wings' training camp.^[7] However, on September 28, 2007, Sopel left Red Wings camp, signing a one-year, $1.5-million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks after the Red Wings had only offered a one-year, $500,000 contract.^[8][9] On January 10, 2008, Sopel signed a 3-year, $7-million contract extension with the Blackhawks, keeping him in Chicago through to the 2010-11 NHL season.^[10]

[edit] Awards

• 2002 – NHL Player of the Week (January 21 – 27)

[edit] Transactions

• July 8, 1995 – Drafted in the sixth round, 144th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
• August 3, 2005 – Traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Islanders for the Islanders' second round selection (Bryce Swan — later acquired by Anaheim) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft
• March 8, 2006 – Traded by the New York Islanders with Mark Parrish to the Los Angeles Kings for Denis Grebeshkov and Jeff Tambellini
• February 26, 2007 – Traded by the Los Angeles Kings to the Vancouver Canucks for the Canucks' second round selection (Wayne Simmonds — originally acquired from Anaheim) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and the Canucks' fourth round selection (Justin Jokinen — later acquired by Buffalo) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
• September 28, 2007 – Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Chicago Blackhawks profile
• Brent Sopel's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database