Sheldon Souray
| Sheldon Souray | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Souray during his time with the Edmonton Oilers in September 2007 | |||
| Born |
July 13, 1976 Elk Point, Alberta | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 237 lb (108 kg; 16 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
New Jersey Devils Montreal Canadiens Edmonton Oilers Dallas Stars Anaheim Ducks | ||
| National team |
| ||
| NHL draft |
71st overall, 1994 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 1995–2013 | ||
Sheldon Souray (born July 13, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played parts of 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks. Outside of the NHL, Souray has also played for Färjestad BK of the Elitserien.
Souray is a three-time All-Star, being named on in 2004, 2007, and 2009.
Career
[change | change source]Before playing in the NHL, Souray played parts of three seasons with the Tri-City Americans, two seasons with the Prince George Cougars, and one season with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
He was drafted 71st overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1994 NHL entry draft. On October 17, 1997, Souray made his NHL debut in a 4–2 loss against the Ottawa Senators.[1] On November 12, he recorded his first NHL point, assisting on a Bobby Holík goal in a 3–2 win against the New York Rangers.[2] On December 16, Souray scored his first NHL goal against Jason Muzzatti in a 4–3 win against the New York Rangers.[3]
On March 1, 2000, the Devils traded Souray along with Josh DeWolf and a 2001 second-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Vladimir Malakhov.[4] He was named to the first All-Star game in 2004. That year, he also headed overseas to play for Färjestad BK of the Elitserien while the NHL entered a lockout.[5] He returned to the Canadiens after the lockout ended. The next season, he had a productive year, scoring 12 goals and 39 points which was a career-best for him. The 2006–07 season was even better for him as he scored 26 goals and recorded 38 assists for 64 points which was another career-best. He was named to his second All-Star Game and recorded the second-hardest slapshot in the Skills Competition at 100.0 mph.[6]
On July 12, 2007, Souray signed a five-year, $27 million contract to join the Edmonton Oilers.[7] Although his first season with the team was filled with injuries, he did well enough the next season to be named to his third All-Star game. On October 8, 2009, Souray was checked into the boards head-first by Jarome Iginla and suffered a concussion which caused him to miss 16 games.[8] On January 30, 2010, the Oilers played the Flames against and Souray fractured his wrist during a fight with Iginla which caused him to miss the rest of the season.[9] Recovery did not go smoothy and Souray ended up developing a staph infection in his healing hand.[10] Souray was not happy with the Oilers and the way they treated his recovery so he demanded a trade.[11] In return, the Oilers responded to his demand with an angry letter of their own.[12] On June 30, 2011, the Oilers bought out the remainder of his contract and he became a free agent.[13]
On July 1, 2011, Souray signed a one-year, $1.65 million contract to join the Dallas Stars.[14] On November 4, Souray scored the 100th career NHL goal against Semyon Varlamov in a 7–6 win over the Colorado Avalanche.[15]
On July 1, 2012, Souray signed a three-year, $11 million contract to join the Anaheim Ducks.[16]
On June 30, 2015, Souray announced that he was retiring from playing professional ice hockey.[17]
Personal life
[change | change source]Souray is of Métis descent which he is proud of.[18]
He married American actress Angelica Bridges in 2002 and they have two daughters together. They divorced in 2007.[19]
On February 27, 2016, Souray married American professional wrestler Kelly Kelly.[20] They divorced in 2017.[21] On September 12, 2021, Souray married American model Tess Annique. They have one son together.[22]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Be A Player: Rewind - Sheldon Souray". National Hockey League Players Association. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "New Jersey Devils - New York Rangers - Nov 12, 1997". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Devils Prove Unshakeable in 4-3 Defeat of Rangers". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Canadiens finally trade troubled Malakhove for Souray, DeWolf". CBC News. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Souray among latest to join European teams". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Chara carries a big stick". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Sheldon Souray signs with Oilers". CBC Sports. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Report: Souray broke hand in fight". ESPN. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Sheldon Souray's fractured wrist is the low point of the Oilers' rotten season". Edmonton Oilers. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "NHL Defenseman Details Life-Threatening Injury". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Exclusive: Sheldon Souray asks to be traded". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Quinn on Souray Request:'Get the hell out'". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Oilers wash their hands of Sheldon Souray". Global News. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Stars sign D Sheldon Souray". ESPN. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Eriksson's OT goal lifts Stars past Avs 7-6". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Ducks Sign Souray to Three-Year Contract". Anaheim Ducks. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Sheldon Souray, Scott Clemmensen announce retirements". The Hockey News. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "The Sheldon Souray File". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Actress Seeks $14 Million From NHL Star Ex". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Barbie Blank Is Married! WAGS Star Couldn't Be Happier to Marry Best Friend and Husband Sheldon Souray". E!. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "'WAGS' Star Barbie Blank and Sheldon Souray Split". Us Weekly. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Souray: 'Asking for help wasn't my strong suit'". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Albany River Rats players
- Anaheim Ducks players
- Canadian ice hockey defencemen
- Dallas Stars players
- Edmonton Oilers players
- Hershey Bears players
- Ice hockey people from Alberta
- Kelowna Rockets players
- Montreal Canadiens players
- New Jersey Devils players
- Prince George Cougars players
- Tri-City Americans players