Andrew Peters
Andrew Peters | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 5, 1980 Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Years active | 1995–2011 |
| Known for | NHL left winger, enforcer role with Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils |
Andrew Peters (born May 5, 1980) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a left winger. His NHL career included stints with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, where he was primarily recognized for his enforcer role.
Playing career
Selected 34th overall by the Sabres in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Peters also competed in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Rochester Americans, and in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) representing both the Oshawa Generals and Kitchener Rangers.
During his time with Rochester, Peters accumulated a league-leading 388 penalty minutes. A memorable moment in his career occurred when he unknowingly fought against his brother Geoff Peters in a game; the siblings later assisted each other on a goal while playing together.
In 2005, Peters disclosed that he had previously used androstenedione before it was prohibited by the FDA in 2004, stating he had discontinued use three years earlier.
Primarily valued for his physicality rather than offensive production, Peters experienced a significant scoring drought spanning from the 2003–04 season until February 20, 2007. His goals were rare, including one into an empty net during the 2003–04 season and another more than a year later in February 2008. In March 2008, he was suspended for one game following an altercation with Colton Orr of the New York Rangers.
On January 6, 2009, Peters was involved in an incident with Ottawa Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu, who bit his thumb during a confrontation. Peters received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct while Ruutu was handed a two-game suspension.
The New Jersey Devils extended an invitation to Peters for their training camp on September 12, 2009, subsequently signing him to a two-year one-way contract at the NHL minimum salary of US$500,000 on September 25. He was placed on waivers by the Devils on June 30, 2010, and his contract was bought out on July 2, with compensation of US$166,667 paid for each of the next two seasons.
On August 20, 2010, Peters agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the Florida Panthers valued at US$500,000 at the NHL level and $75,000 in the AHL. Shortly after, on October 6, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Darcy Hordichuk and immediately loaned back to Rochester Americans alongside Nathan Paetsch. Both players faced suspension following a team curfew violation on November 1; Paetsch was later reassigned to Syracuse Crunch while Manitoba Moose opted not to add Peters to their roster.
Peters and Vancouver mutually terminated his contract on February 8, 2011. Instead of reporting to the Manitoba Moose as requested, he announced his retirement from professional hockey soon after.
Post-playing career
Following retirement, Peters contributed to the Sabres Hockey Network and co-hosted The Instigators, a daily talk show on WGR Buffalo and MSG Western New York with former teammate Craig Rivet. After stepping down from this role in September 2021, they continued their partnership through the podcast After The Whistle, broadening its coverage beyond just the Sabres.
He also took on the role of head coach for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres under-15 squad, guiding them to win the New York State Championship in March 2017 and securing a berth at the National Championship tournament held in Arizona.
Currently, Peters serves as coach for the Amherst Knights boys' team at the 10U level.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995–96 | Oakville Blades | OPJHL | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Georgetown Raiders | OPJHL | 46 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 105 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 60 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 220 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | ||
| 1998–99 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 54 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 137 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 36 | ||
| 1999–00 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 42 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 95 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 2000–01 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 49 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 118 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 67 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 388 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 57 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 223 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | ||
| 2003–04 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 42 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 151 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 58 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 125 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 44 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 175 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 733 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | ||||
| NHL totals | 229 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 650 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||