Daniel Boyle (born July 12, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and an alternate captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2004.
Playing career
Undrafted after four years with the Miami RedHawks of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), Boyle was signed as a free agent by the Florida Panthers on March 30, 1998.[1] He played his first two seasons in the Panthers’ farm system in the American Hockey League (AHL), earning All-Rookie Team honours in 1999, as well as Second Team All-Star honours in 1999 and 2000.[1] Boyle earned a full-time roster spot with the Panthers in 2000–01, recording 4 goals and 22 points. The next season, his fourth in Florida, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a fifth round draft choice (Martin Tůma) in 2003 on January 7, 2002.[1] After completing the season with 20 points in 41 games after coming over from the Panthers, he was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Lightning on August 6, 2002.[2]
Boyle quickly emerged as an offensive threat on the highly-talented Lightning, playing behind Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards. He recorded 13 goals and 53 points in his first full season with the Lightning in 2002–03 before helping the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Boyle went overseas to play for Djurgårdens IF of the Elitserien. As NHL play resumed the next season, Boyle continued to produce with a 15-goal, 53-point season in 2005–06. He recorded his first career NHL hat trick against the New York Rangers on December 23, 2006, adding an assist for a four-point game in a 4–3 win.[3] The following season, Boyle elevated his game to career-high numbers of 20 goals, 43 assists and 63 points, good enough for Second Team All-Star honours.
He suffered a major setback, however, in September 2007, injuring himself in a freak accident after a pre-season game when a skate slipped off a hook in his locker and hit him in the left wrist, severing three tendons.[4] Boyle underwent initial wrist surgery on September 23;[5] he attempted to return on October 29, but after playing his first four games of the 2007–08 season, Boyle underwent additional surgery on the injured wrist,[6] missing another 36 games. He did not make a full comeback until January 24, 2008, scoring two goals in his return,[7] and soon thereafter was re-signed to a six-year, $40 million contract extension on February 25.[8] He completed his injury-shortened campaign with 25 points in 37 games.
Despite coming off a recent contract extension with the Lightning, on July 4, 2008, Boyle was traded along with Brad Lukowich to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, a first round draft pick in 2009 and a fourth round draft pick in 2010.[9] Boyle was pressured to waive his no-trade clause by Tampa Bay’s new ownership, who said they would otherwise place him on waivers where he would likely be claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. Already knowing Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov, Boyle agreed to be traded to the Sharks.[citation needed]
In his first season with the Sharks, he tallied 16 goals and 57 points over 77 games, leading all team defencemen. The following season, on December 31, 2009, Boyle scored his 100th goal against the Phoenix Coyotes in a 3–2 shootout win. He finished the campaign with 15 goals and 58 points. In the opening series of the 2010 playoffs, Boyle ended game three against the Colorado Avalanche in overtime by inadvertently shooting the puck into his own net. Pressured by Avalanche forward Ryan O’Reilly, Boyle attempted to ring the puck around the boards behind his net, but it was deflected by O’Reilly into the Sharks’ net between Nabokov’s pad and the post.[10] Nonetheless, the Sharks won the series 4-2, winning games 4, 5, and 6. Boyle had a point in all three of these games.
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
Competitor for  Canada |
||
| Olympic Winter Games | ||
| Gold | 2010 Vancouver | Ice hockey |
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2005 | Austria |
Boyle made his international debut with Team Canada at the 2005 World Championships in Austria during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. He contributed 3 assists in 9 games as part of a silver-medal winning effort by Team Canada; they were defeated 3–0 in the gold medal game by the Czech Republic. The next year, Boyle was named as a reserve in light of injuries to Scott Niedermayer and Ed Jovanovski for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.[11] He did not appear in a game as Team Canada was kept from the podium.
On December 30, 2009, Steve Yzerman named Boyle to the 2010 Winter Olympics team as a full member.[12] On February 28, 2010, the team defeated the United States to win Canada’s eighth gold medal in Olympic men’s hockey.[13]
Personal life
Growing up, Boyle attended French-speaking École élémentaire Ste-Anne and École Secondaire Publique De La Salle in Ottawa.
During game one of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals with the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Calgary Flames, an electrical fire broke out in his Florida home, causing an estimated $300,000 worth of damage.