David Hale (ice hockey)

David M. Hale
Born	(1981-06-18) June 18, 1981 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Occupation	Professional ice hockey defenseman (retired)
Years active	2003–2011, 2013–2014
Known for	NHL record for most games played before scoring first goal (231 games)

David M. Hale (born June 18, 1981) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman. Throughout an eight-season tenure in the NHL, he represented the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators. Hale is notable for holding the NHL record for the most games played before netting his inaugural goal, which he accomplished in his 231st game during his sixth year as a pro.

Playing career

Originating from Colorado Springs, Hale played high school hockey at Coronado High School prior to advancing to the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL. Selected 22nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he continued his development at the University of North Dakota competing in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Hale's NHL debut occurred on October 8, 2003. On February 27, 2007, the Devils traded him along with a fifth-round draft pick to the Calgary Flames in return for a third-round pick.

As a free agent on July 3, 2008, Hale inked a two-year deal with the Phoenix Coyotes. He finally scored his first NHL goal on November 26, 2008, setting a new league benchmark for the longest duration without scoring at the start of a career.

On July 21, 2009, Hale was involved in a trade sending him and Todd Fedoruk from the Coyotes to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Radim Vrbata. Acting primarily as a depth defenseman, he took part in 35 games before being assigned for conditioning to Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. After sustaining a foot fracture while with Norfolk, he returned to Tampa Bay but saw limited ice time for the remainder of the season.

On August 4, 2010, Hale agreed to a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators. During that season, he divided his playing time between Ottawa and their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, though he did not feature in Binghamton’s Calder Cup playoff campaign.

Hale officially retired from professional hockey on October 15, 2011.

In June 2013, Hale resumed his playing career by signing with HC Appiano, an Italian semi-professional team competing in the Inter-National League.

Regular season and playoffs

 2008–09 NHL season   Phoenix Coyotes   NHL                                                                48    3    6    9    36    —    —    —    —    — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2009–10 NHL seasonTampa Bay Lightning NHL                                                                                                                                                        39    0    4    4    25    —    —    —    —    — |-   2009–10 AHL seasonNorfolk Admirals AHL                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         4    1    1    2    0 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 2010–11 AHL seasonBinghamton Senators AHL                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    30  5  14  19  65  — — — — — |- bgcolor="#ffffff" 2013–14 HC Appiano ITA.2 4 01 1 4 — — — — — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1997–98	Coronado High School	HS-CO		25	11	33	44	154		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Sioux City Musketeers	USHL		56	3	15	18	127		5	0	0	0	18
1999–2000	Sioux City Musketeers	USHL		54	6	18	24	187		5	0	2	2	6
2000–01	North Dakota Fighting Sioux	WCHA		44	4	5	9	79		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	North Dakota Fighting Sioux	WCHA		34	4	5	9	63		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	North Dakota Fighting Sioux	WCHA		26	2	6	8	49		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	New Jersey Devils	NHL		65	0	4	4	72		1	0	0	0	0
2004–05	Albany River Rats	AHL		30	2	3	5	39
2005–06	New Jersey Devils	NHL		38	0	4	4	21		8	0	2	2	12
2005–06 AHL season	Albany River Rats	AHL		30	2	5	7	64
2006–07 NHL season	New Jersey Devils	NHL		43	0	1	1	26
2006–07 AHL season	Lowell Devils	AHL		2	0	1	1	0
2006–07	Calgary Flames	NHL		11	0	0	0	10		2	0	0	0	6
2007–08 NHL season	Calgary Flames	NHL		58	0	2	2	46		6	0	0   |  0    |   2    |
(NHL totals)				} International Year Team Tournament   GP G A Pts PIM 2001 United States WJC 7 0 2 2 6 Junior career totals 7 0 2 2 6 Awards and honors Distinction Season All-WCHA Third Team 2002–03 External links