Steve Downie
| Steve Downie | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 3, 1987 Newmarket, ON, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Philadelphia Flyers | ||
| NHL draft |
29th overall, 2005 Philadelphia Flyers | ||
| Playing career | 2007–present | ||
Steve Downie (born April 3, 1987, in Newmarket, ON) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays right wing for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Downie was selected in the 1st round, 29th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. Downie was suspended for 5 games early in the 2005-06 OHL season for on-ice altercations with a teammate during practice. Downie blindly cross-checked and then fought teammate Akim Aliu during practice on September 28, knocking out 3 of Aliu's teeth. [1] The incident stemmed from 16 year old Aliu's refusal to take part in a hazing incident, which involved rookies being forced to stand naked in a cramped bus bathroom. The team suspended Downie for five games and Aliu for one, and Downie was told to undergo professional counselling. Head coach Moe Mantha was suspended by the OHL and later fired by the team, and the team was fined $35,000 by the OHL. [2] Downie left the team and requested a trade, and was eventually traded from the Windsor Spitfires, going to the Peterborough Petes in exchange for Peter Aston. Known for his high on-ice potential but immaturity in certain situations, Downie has also been involved in other unsportsmanlike incidents, including punching an opposing winger on the back of the head immediately after a face-off, when the winger was not aware. [3]
Brent Sutter named Downie to the Canadian World Junior Team for the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He made a name for himself in Vancouver where he was a contributor to Canada’s gold medal-winning effort, scoring two goals and four assists in six games and being named to the all-tournament team.
On May 30, 2006, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they had signed Downie to a three-year entry-level contract. “It is unbelievable,” said Downie in a Flyers press release. “[Signing with the Flyers] was one of the goals that I had set at the beginning of the year and I am just very thankful for this chance. I’m a gritty, physical player and I also am an offensive player as well.”
After attending Flyers' training camp in the fall and playing in several pre-season games, the club returned Downie to Peterborough.
Downie returned to the international stage yet again in December of 2006. He participated at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Leksand and Mora, Sweden. On January 5, 2007, Team Canada won the gold medal for the first time on European ice since 1997, with a 4-2 defeat over Team Russia. Throughout the whole tournament, though, Downie was involved in trade rumors. He was speculated to be traded to the Kitchener Rangers, London Knights, Saginaw Spirit, Windsor Spitfires, or Sudbury Wolves, and on January 8, 2007, Downie was traded to Kitchener in exchange for Yves Bastien, the Rangers' second-round picks in the 2007 and 2008 OHL Priority Selections, as well as the 2007 second-round pick of the Brampton Battalion.
Suspension
During a September 25, 2007, preseason game against the Ottawa Senators, Downie was involved in an incident in which he checked left winger Dean McAmmond. Downie hit an unsuspecting McAmmond, catching him with his head down. Due the extent of McAmmond's injury (and the fact that Downie left his feet to make the hit) Downie was suspended by the NHL, as they were cracking down on any play resulting in a head injury. [4]
On September 28, 2007, Downie was suspended by the League for 20 games. To date, it is the fifth longest suspension given by the league. [5] [6]
On September 29, 2007, The Philadelphia Flyers announced they had sent Downie down to the team's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. Downie was considered automatically ineligible to play pending a review by the AHL. AHL commissioner David Andrews had the option to uphold the NHL's suspension, change it, dispense with it completely. [7] In the end, Andrews ruled that Downie was ineligible to play in the AHL for one month from the start of the 2007-08 season. [8]
NHL
Downie made his National Hockey League debut on December 5, 2007 against the Minnesota Wild.
He scored his first NHL goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 5, 2008.
Awards
- 2006: Gold Medal (2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships)
- 2007: Gold Medal (2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships)
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002-03 | Aurora Tigers | OPJHL | 34 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 49 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 90 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 27 | ||
| 2004-05 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 61 | 21 | 52 | 73 | 179 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 49 | ||
| 2005-06 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2005-06 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 34 | 16 | 34 | 50 | 109 | 19 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 38 | ||
| 2006-07 | Peterborough Petes | OHL | 28 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 92 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2006-07 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 17 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 32 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 15 | ||
| 2006-07 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| OHL Totals | 188 | 82 | 152 | 234 | 506 | 42 | 18 | 35 | 53 | 129 | ||||
| AHL Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
Stats as of the end of the 2006-07 AHL Regular Season
Personal
- Downie's father died in a car accident when Downie was only seven years old while driving to a hockey practice.[9]
- He is deaf in his right ear due to the hearing disorder otosclerosis and wears a hearing aid.
- He currently lives in Queensville, outside Newmarket.
International play
Played for Ontario in:
Played for Canada in:
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ontario | U-17 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| 2006 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| 2007 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 16 |
External links
- 1987 births
- Canadian ice hockey right wingers
- Ice hockey personnel from Ontario
- Kitchener Rangers alumni
- Living people
- National Hockey League first round draft picks
- People from Newmarket, Ontario
- Peterborough Petes alumni
- Philadelphia Flyers draft picks
- Philadelphia Flyers players
- Philadelphia Phantoms players
- Windsor Spitfires alumni