Brent Sopel

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Defence
shoots = Right
nickname = Sopes
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 205
team = Chicago Blackhawks
former_teams = Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
New York Islanders
league = NHL
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1977|1|7
birth_place = Calgary, AB, CAN
draft = 144th overall
draft_year = 1995
draft_team = Vancouver Canucks
career_start = 1997

Brent Sopel (born January 7, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Vancouver Canucks

On April 3, 1996, just under a year after being drafted, Sopel signed his first professional contract with his draft team, the Vancouver Canucks. [cite news|last=Jamieson |first=Jim |title=Sports |publisher=The Province|date=1996-04-04 |url=|accessdate=2007-10-22] Sopel scored his first NHL goal on April 10, 1999 against the Edmonton Oilers' Tommy Salo. [cite news|last=Jamieson |first=Jim |title=Canucks wear ugly tie |publisher=The Province|date=1999-04-11 |url=|accessdate=2007-10-22]

Sopel was traded back to the Canucks during their 2006-07 season, on February 1, 2007, the trading deadline. He missed the first game of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars after he injured his back picking a cracker up off the floor. [cite news|last=Ziemer |first=Brad |title=Sopel's heard enough cracker jokes |publisher=The Vancouver Sun|date=2007-04-13 |url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=a3ef0d89-d6db-494c-a8aa-434d8b0e1453 |accessdate=2007-09-29] The Canucks beat the Stars in quadruple overtime, in the sixth longest game in NHL history. [cite news|last=Heika |first=Mike |title=Stars lose to Canucks in fourth OT |publisher=The Dallas Morning News|date=2007-04-12 |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/041207dnspostarslede.13808604.html|accessdate=2007-09-29]

New York Islanders

On August 3, 2005, the Canucks traded Sopel to the New York Islanders for a conditional draft pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. [cite news|last=Pap |first=Elliott |title=Brent Sopel moves on to New York Islanders |publisher=The Vancouver Sun|date=2005-08-04 |url=|accessdate=2007-10-22] On August 16, just under a week after being traded, Sopel signed a two-year, $4.8-million with the Islanders. [cite news|title=Sopel signs on |publisher=The Province|date=2005-08-17 |url=|accessdate=2007-10-22]

Chicago Blackhawks

Heading into the 2007-08 season with no contract, Sopel was invited to the Detroit Red Wings' training camp. [cite news|last=Hunter |first=Paul |title=A Leaf training camp hopeful|publisher=Toronto Star|date=2007-09-16 |url=http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/257124 |accessdate=2007-09-29] However, on September 28, 2007, Sopel left Red Wings camp, signing a one-year, $1.5-million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks after the Red Wings had only offered a one-year, $500,000 contract. [cite news|title=Sopel leaves Wings, signs with Chicago|publisher=TSN|date=2007-09-28|url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=219440&hubname=nhl|accessdate=2007-09-29] [cite news|last=Sassone |first=Tim |title=Sopel's poise big part of Hawks' early success|publisher=Daily Herald|date=2007-10-17 |url=http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=58713 |accessdate=2007-10-22] On January 10, 2008, Sopel signed a 3-year, $7-million contract extension with the Blackhawks, keeping him in Chicago through the 2010-11 NHL season. [cite news|title=Sopel inks three-year deal with Hawks|publisher=TSN|date=2008-01-10|url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=226950&hubname=nhl|accessdate=2008-01-10]

Awards

*2002 – NHL Player of the Week (January 21 – 27)

Transactions

*July 8, 1995 – Drafted in the sixth round, 144th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
*August 3, 2005 – Traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Islanders for the Islanders' second round selection (Bryce Swan — later acquired by Anaheim) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft
*March 8, 2006 – Traded by the New York Islanders with Mark Parrish to the Los Angeles Kings for Denis Grebeshkov and Jeff Tambellini
*February 26, 2007 – Traded by the Los Angeles Kings to the Vancouver Canucks for the Canucks' second round selection (Wayne Simmonds — originally acquired from Anaheim) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and the Canucks' fourth round selection (Justin Jokinen — later acquired by Buffalo) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft
*September 28, 2007 – Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks

Career statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	PTS	PIM		GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1993-94	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		11	2	2	4	2		--	--	--	--	--
1994-95	Saskatoon Blades	WHL		22	1	10	11	31		--	--	--	--	--
	Swift Current Broncos	WHL		41	4	19	23	50		3	0	3	3	0
1995-96	Swift Current Broncos	WHL		71	13	48	61	87		6	1	2	3	4
1995-96	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		1	0	0	0	0		--	--	--	--	--
1996-97	Swift Current Broncos	WHL		62	15	41	56	109		10	5	11	16	32
1996-97	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		3	0	0	0	0
1997-98	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		76	10	33	43	70		5	0	7	7	12
1998-99	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		53	10	21	31	59		--	--	--	--	--
1998-99	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		5	1	0	1	4		--	--	--	--	--
1999-00	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		50	6	25	31	67		4	0	2	2	8
1999-00	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		18	2	4	6	12		--	--	--	--	--
2000-01	Kansas City Blades	IHL		4	0	1	1	0		--	--	--	--	--
2000-01	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		52	4	10	14	10		4	0	0	0	2
2001-02	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		66	8	17	25	44		6	0	2	2	2
2002-03	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		81	7	30	37	23		14	2	6	8	4
2003-04	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		80	10	32	42	36		7	0	1	1	0
2005-06	New York Islanders	NHL		57	2	25	27	64		--	--	--	--	--
	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		11	0	0	1	1		--	--	--	--	--
2006-07	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		44	4	19	23	14		--	--	--	--	--
	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		20	1	4	5	10		11	0	0	0	2
2007-08	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		58	1	19	20	28		--	--	--	--	--
	NHL Totals			492	40	161	201	251		42	2	9	11	10

References

External links

* [http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8462176&service=page&tab=prf Official Chicago Blackhawks profile]
*hockeydb|21513

Persondata
NAME= Sopel, Brent
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Professional ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH= January 7, 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH= Calgary, Alberta, Canada
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=