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Eric Boulton

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Eric Boulton
Boulton with the Atlanta Thrashers in April 2010
Born (1976-08-17) August 17, 1976 (age 48)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Buffalo Sabres
Atlanta Thrashers
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
NHL draft 234th overall, 1994
New York Rangers
Playing career 1996–2017

Eric Boulton (born August 17, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Boulton was drafted 234th overall in the ninth round of the 1994 draft by the New York Rangers. While he never played for the Rangers, he played for the Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders between 2000 and 2016. Boulton was best known for his role as an enforcer.

Playing career

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Boulton was drafted in the ninth round, 234th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1994 Entry Draft of the National Hockey League (NHL). Despite being drafted by the Rangers, he would eventually make his NHL debut playing for the Buffalo Sabres, where he played for four seasons. During the 2004 NHL Lockout, he played for the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL. After the Lockout ended, Boulton began playing with the Atlanta Thrashers.

In October 2005, Boulton was suspended for six games after elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Paul Ranger, causing a hairline fracture of the jaw and a concussion.[1] The incident occurred at the end of a 6–0 rout of the Thrashers on October 20, 2005. NHL vice-president Colin Campbell said, "It is clear Mr. Boulton's actions were careless and caused injury. There is no circumstance that can justify this type of action." Only a week earlier, Boulton had made a similar move in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, almost injuring Eric Lindros.

Boulton was re-signed by the Thrashers in 2008 to a two-year deal. He recorded his first career hat trick on December 18, 2010, against the New Jersey Devils. He then signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Devils for a 2-year contract worth $575,000 in the first year and $750,000 in the second, joining former Thrashers teammates Ilya Kovalchuk and Johan Hedberg.[2] After a dismal season in which the Devils did not record a single goal for with Boulton on the ice, Boulton was bought out of the final year of his contract on June 30, 2012. The next day, Boulton proceeded to sign a one-year deal with the New York Islanders.[3] He re-signed with the Islanders for the next three consecutive seasons as well, all on one-year deals.[4] Boulton is the Thrashers' all-time leader in penalty minutes with 639 penalty minutes.

After the 2016–17 season, Boulton ended his professional career, however continued his association with the Islanders in accepting a scouting role.[5]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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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 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 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 69 6 4 10 87
2011–12 New Jersey Devils NHL 51 0 0 0 115
2011–12 Albany Devils AHL 2 0 0 0 0
2012–13 New York Islanders NHL 15 0 0 0 36
2013–14 New York Islanders NHL 23 2 2 4 88
2014–15 New York Islanders NHL 10 2 0 2 30
2015–16 New York Islanders NHL 6 0 0 0 2
2016–17 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 2 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 654 31 48 79 1421 4 0 0 0 24

References

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  1. ^ "NHL suspends Boulton six games for Elbow hit". ESPN. October 25, 2005. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  2. ^ Vorkunov, Mike (July 15, 2011). "Adam Larsson, Devils' top pick, finally inks deal with team". NJ.com. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  3. ^ "Eric Boulton re-signs with New York Islanders for one year". National Hockey League. May 17, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  4. ^ "Islanders, Boulton Agree On 1-Year, 2-Way Contract". July 22, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  5. ^ "Eric Boulton now a scout". Twitter. September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
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