- Kevin Bieksa
Infobox Ice Hockey Player
team=Vancouver Canucks
former_teams =
image_size = 200px
league = NHL
position = Defence
shoots = Right
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 205
nickname = Juice
'Boom Boom'
'BXA'
Bieksallent
The K is before the S
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1981|6|16
birth_place = Grimsby, ON, CAN
draft = 151st overall
draft_year = 2001
draft_team =Vancouver Canucks
career_start = 2004Kevin Bieksa (born on
June 16 ,1981 in Grimsby,Ontario ) is a Canadianprofessional ice hockey defenceman with aLithuania n background, who currently plays for theVancouver Canucks of theNational Hockey League .Playing career
Bieksa played four years of
college hockey atBowling Green University , starting in 2000-01. After hisfreshman year, he was drafted by theVancouver Canucks with the 151st pick in the2001 NHL Entry Draft . In 2003-04, he made his professional debut with the Canucks' AHL affiliate, theManitoba Moose , playing the final four games of the season. The following year, he was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team after recording 39 points in his first full professional season. After another solid start with the Moose in 2005-06, he was called up by the Canucks and played his first NHL game onDecember 19 ,2005 , against theLos Angeles Kings . [Citeweb|title=Canucks blow two goal lead, fall to Kings in shootout|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=251219022|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=2008-07-21|date=2005-12-20] Bieksa finished the season playing in 39 games for the Canucks, averaging 16 minutes of ice-time per game. OnAugust 17 ,2006 , he was re-signed by the Canucks. [citeweb|title=Canucks re-sign Bieksa and Bouck|url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nhl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23920_4925126,00.html|publisher=Rocky Mountain News|accessdate=2008-07-21|date=2006-08-18]Switiching his jersey number from 25 to 3 in 2006-07, he scored his first NHL goal on
October 13 ,2006 , againstEvgeni Nabokov in a loss to theSan Jose Sharks . [citeweb|title=Whitney's last second goal lifts Canes|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=138035|publisher=Sporting News|accessdate=2008-07-21|date=2006-10-14] Bieksa rapidly developed into one of the Canucks' top blueliners and he finished the season leading all team defensemen in points and penalty minutes. He was regularly given a shutdown role against opposing teams' top forwards and was awarded the team'sBabe Pratt Trophy as best defenseman. After the Canucks were eliminated by theAnaheim Ducks in the second round of the playoffs, the Canucks acknowledged Bieksa's breakout season with a 3-year, $11.25 million contract extension, effective 2008-09. [cite press release|title=Canucks sign defenceman Kevin Bieksa to a three year extension|url=http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=328631|publisher=Vancouver Canucks|date=9 July 2007|accessdate=2007-09-26]On
November 1 ,2007 , Bieksa suffered a severe calf laceration in a game against theNashville Predators . After battling withVern Fiddler against the boards, Fiddler's skate slashed Bieksa across the back of his right calf. Bieksa was helped to the bench, leaving a trail of blood behind him on the ice. [citeweb|title=Ellis, Predators finally win a road game|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/2007-11-02-2757384001_x.htm|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=2008-07-21|date=2007-11-02] The injury limited him to just 12 points in 34 games in 2007-08.His last name, which is pronounced phonetically ("Bee-ek-sa"), is frequently mispronounced by sports newscasters and hockey broadcasters such as Bob Cole and
Harry Neale , to the frustration or amusement of many fans. It has even been misspelled on scoreboards. [cite news|last=MacIntyre |first=Iain |title=A spell of success for Kevin Bieksa|publisher=The Vancouver Sun|date=16 January 2007 |url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=e2ec46a3-314c-42e7-a036-f2529c70f4d7&k=89235|accessdate=2007-09-26]Off the ice
Kevin Bieksa and his wife, Katie, have one child, Cole Walter, born
October 24 ,2007 . [cite news|last=|first=|title=Baby sidetracks Bieksa|publisher=The Province|date=24 October 2007 |url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/canucks/story.html?id=c77a5643-1857-4162-83ea-aac7702e1f2d&k=46699|accessdate=2007-10-30]Award and achievements
*AHL All-Rookie Team - 2005
*Cam Neely Award (The Hockey News ' Breakout Player of the Year) - 2007
*Babe Pratt Trophy (Canucks' top defenceman) - 2007Career statistics
References
External links
* [http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8469598&service=page&tab=prf Official Vancouver Canucks profile]
*hockeydb|63159
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.