Eric Boulton

Eric Boulton
Born	(1976-08-17) August 17, 1976 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey player (retired)
Years active	2000–2017
Known for	NHL enforcer duties

Eric Boulton (born August 17, 1976) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger. Selected 234th overall in the ninth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers, Boulton never suited up for them but played in the NHL from 2000 through 2016 with the Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils, and New York Islanders. He was chiefly recognized for his enforcer duties on the ice.

Playing career

Although drafted by the New York Rangers in 1994, Boulton made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres, where he spent four seasons. During the 2004 NHL Lockout, he competed with the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL before signing with the Atlanta Thrashers once NHL play resumed.

In October 2005, Boulton was suspended for six games following an elbowing incident that injured Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Paul Ranger. The NHL deemed his conduct careless and unjustifiable. Earlier that same month, he had nearly caused injury to Eric Lindros with a comparable hit.

The Thrashers re-signed Boulton to a two-year contract in 2008. He achieved his first NHL hat trick on December 18, 2010, against the New Jersey Devils. Subsequently, as an unrestricted free agent, he inked a two-year deal with the Devils, joining former Thrashers teammates Ilya Kovalchuk and Johan Hedberg. After a disappointing season where the Devils failed to score during his time on ice, he was bought out of his contract in June 2012.

The following day, Boulton agreed to a one-year contract with the New York Islanders and later extended his tenure through three additional consecutive one-year agreements. He holds the franchise record for penalty minutes with the Atlanta Thrashers at 639.

After concluding the 2016–17 season, Boulton retired from active play and shifted into a scouting position within the Islanders organization.

Regular season and playoffs

2011–12 AHL seasonAlbany Devils AHL 2|||00|||00|||00 2012–13 NHL seasonNew York Islanders NHL 15|||00|||00|||36 2013-14 NHL season New York Islanders NHL 23|||2|||2|||88 2014-15 NHL season New York Islanders NHL 10|||2|||00|||30 2015-16 NHL season New York Islanders NHL 6|||00|||00|||02 2016-17 AHL seasonBridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 2|||00|||01|||01

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1993–94	Oshawa Generals	OHL		45	4	3	7	149		5	0	0	0	16
1994–95	Oshawa Generals	OHL		27	7	5	12	125		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Sarnia Sting	OHL		24	3	7	10	134		4	0	1	1	10
1995–96	Sarnia Sting	OHL		66	14	29	43	243		9	0	3	3	29
1996–97	Charlotte Checkers	ECHL		44	14	11	25	325		3	0	1	1	6
1996–97	Binghamton Rangers	AHL		23	2	3	5	67		3	0	0	0	4
1997–98	Charlotte Checkers	ECHL		53	11	16	27	202		4	1	0	1	0
1997–98	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		8	0	2	2	42		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Kentucky Thoroughblades	AHL		34	3	3	6	154		10	0	1	1	36
1998–99	Florida Everblades	ECHL		26	9	13	22	143
1998–99	Houston Aeros	IHL		7	1	0	1	41		—	—	—	—	—
1999–00	Rochester Americans	AHL		76	2	2	4	276		18	2	1	3	53
2000–01	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		35	1	2	3	94		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		35	2	3	5	129		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		58	1	5	6	178		—	—	—	—	—
2003–04	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		44	1	2	3	110		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Columbia Inferno	ECHL		48	23	16	39	124		4	2	3	5	8
2005–06	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		51	4	5	9	87		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		45	3	4	7	49		4	0	0	24
2007–08	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		74	4	5	9	127
2008–09	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		76	3	10	13	176
2009–10	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		62	2	6	8	113
[[2010–11 NHL season]|2010–11]]	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		69	6	4	10	87
[[2011–12 NHL season]|2011–12]]	New Jersey Devils	NHL		51	0	0	115
NHL totals				654	31	48	79	1421		4	00	00	00	24