Born	February 3, 1982 (1982-02-03) (age 27), Fargo, ND
Height Weight	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Buffalo Sabres
NHL Draft	220th overall, 2000 Buffalo Sabres
Pro career	2002 – present

Paul Michael Gaustad (born February 3, 1982 in Fargo, North Dakota, United States) is a professional ice hockey center who is an alternate captain of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.

Gaustad was drafted in the 7th round (220th overall) by the Sabres in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. In the off-season Paul lives in Portland, Oregon. He also played for the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL.

Prior to joining Portland in 1999–2000, Gaustad was a Portland Jr. Hawk. Afterward, Gaustad started playing for a Tier II team in Burnaby, B.C. of the BCJHL. In his three seasons with the Winter Hawks, Gaustad registered 135 points (53–82–135) before making his professional debut with the Sabres AHL affiliate in Rochester in 2002–03. Upon his arrival in Rochester, the Fargo native registered 53 points (14–39–53) in 80 games while seeing his first action with the parent club.

In 2005, he secured a starting position with the Buffalo Sabres, where he played mostly as 4th line center, and played the power forward/enforcer role, along with teammates Adam Mair and Andrew Peters.

On February 7, 2007, in a game against the Ottawa Senators, his leg was cut and his tendon was sliced in a collision with Dany Heatley, an injury which at the time was thought to have ended his season; and later it was revealed that it could have potentially ended his career had it been an inch deeper. However, he did recover ahead of schedule and joined the Sabres in their post-season on May 4, 2007 for Game 5 against the New York Rangers at home in Buffalo.

After a productive campaign during the 2007-08 season in which he registered a solid 36 points while mainly on the third and fourth lines, Gaustad was re-signed by the Sabres to a 4 year contract extension worth $9.2 million on the eve of free agency.

On the ice, Gaustad is known for his teamwork and gritty play making him a popular favorite amongst fans. He is often in front of the net using his 6'5 frame to screen goaltenders and deflect goals. Because of this ability, he typically plays a unit on the powerplay.

Gaustad was also the recipient of the 2009 version of the Most Awesome Man Alive award, given to by the founders of the Most Awesome People Alive Club, founded in 1987 by Gowanda, New York native Sean Congdon.

[edit] Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1999–00	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		56	6	8	14	110		—	—	—	—	—
2000–01	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		70	11	30	41	168		16	10	6	16	59
2001–02	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		72	36	44	80	202		6	3	1	4	16
2002–03	Rochester Americans	AHL		80	14	39	53	137		3	0	0	0	4
2002–03	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Rochester Americans	AHL		78	9	22	31	169		16	3	10	13	30
2004–05	Rochester Americans	AHL		76	18	25	43	192		9	6	5	11	16
2005–06	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		78	9	15	24	65		18	0	4	4	14
2006–07	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		54	9	13	22	74		7	0	1	1	2
2007–08	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		82	10	26	36	85		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		62	12	17	29	108		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				277	40	71	111	332		25	0	5	5	16

[edit] External links

• Paul Gaustad - Sabres.com
• Paul Gaustad's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

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