Tyler Kennedy

Tyler Kennedy (born July 15, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils. He was selected by the Penguins in the fourth round, 99th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Tyler Kennedy
Kennedy in March 2015
Born (1986-07-15) July 15, 1986
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
NHL Draft 99th overall, 2004
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 2007–2016

Playing career

Junior and Pittsburgh Penguins
Kennedy with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012

Kennedy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth round, 99th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.[1] After being selected, Kennedy played two seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He then began playing for Pittsburgh's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, for the 2006–07 season. The next season, 2007–08, Kennedy then played in his first NHL game on October 27, 2007, against the Montreal Canadiens. He later scored his first career NHL goal on November 3 against the New York Islanders.

Kennedy with the Pittsburgh Penguins in February 2008.

In his debut season, Kennedy was named to the NHL's YoungStars Team in 2008 alongside Penguins teammate Kris Letang. However, Kennedy was unable to compete in the game due to mononucleosis. In September 2008, just prior to the 2008–09 season, the Penguins signed Kennedy to a new contract effective through to the 2010–11 season.[2]

In the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings, Kennedy scored a goal in Game 4 of the series,[3] also adding the game-winning goal in Game 6.[4] The Penguins would go on to defeat Detroit in seven games to win the Stanley Cup.[3]

Although up to this point Kennedy has had a low profile in terms of hockey fame, he attracted some notoriety when Penguins fans and ultimately the public address announcer at Mellon Arena would chant his name in the style of former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler Mr. Kennedy (Ken Anderson).[5]

During the 2011 off-season, Kennedy signed a new contract with the Penguins, although his signing caused some controversy when it was reported that Pittsburgh may have deterred former Penguin legend Jaromír Jágr by signing Kennedy.[6] Jágr later signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh's state rivals.[7] Early in the 2011–12 season with the Penguins, Kennedy was sidelined by a concussion. He finished the season with 33 points in 60 games.

San Jose Sharks

During the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Kennedy was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a second-round draft pick.[8] His production declined upon arriving in San Jose, scoring only 4 goals and 17 points in 67 games.

New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils

The following season, Kennedy was traded to the New York Islanders in exchange for a conditional third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[9] He finished the season appearing in 13 regular season games for the club and three games during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.

In September 2015, Kennedy attended the New Jersey Devils' training camp on a professional try-out (PTO) contract; he was released after appearing in three pre-season games.[10] Unsigned after the first quarter of the 2015–16 season played, Kennedy returned to the Devils in training with the club on another PTO contract on November 18, 2015.[11] On November 27, Kennedy signed a one-year, two-way contract with New Jersey worth $600,000. Appearing in 50 games for the team, Kennedy scored 3 goals and 16 points.

Retirement

Kennedy announced his retirement from professional hockey on January 3, 2017.[12] He finished his NHL career with 89 goals and 215 points in 527 games, as well as one Stanley Cup win.

Personal life

Kennedy married Brandi Engel on May 9, 2014, in Maui, Hawaii.[13] The couple has one daughter, Cookie, who was born on October 28, 2015.[14]

Awards

Career statistics
Tyler Kennedy, April 2011.
    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2002–03 Sault Ste. Marie Jr. Greyhounds NOJHL 6 8 8 16 4 — — — — —
2002–03 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 61 5 10 15 33 4 0 0 0 0
2003–04 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 63 16 26 42 28 — — — — —
2004–05 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 61 21 36 57 37 4 1 3 4 4
2005–06 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL 64 22 48 70 60 4 1 2 3 2
2006–07 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 40 12 25 37 20 — — — — —
2007–08 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 10 5 4 9 10 — — — — —
2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 55 10 9 19 35 20 0 4 4 13
2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 67 15 20 35 30 24 5 4 9 4
2009–10 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 64 13 12 25 31 10 0 0 0 2
2010–11 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 21 24 45 37 7 2 1 3 2
2011–12 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 60 11 22 33 29 6 3 3 6 2
2012–13 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 46 6 5 11 19 9 2 3 5 2
2013–14 San Jose Sharks NHL 67 4 13 17 34 — — — — —
2014–15 Worcester Sharks AHL 3 2 1 3 0 — — — — —
2014–15 San Jose Sharks NHL 25 4 5 9 8 — — — — —
2014–15 New York Islanders NHL 13 2 3 5 2 3 0 0 0 2
2015–16 New Jersey Devils NHL 50 3 13 16 14 — — — — —
NHL totals 527 89 126 215 239 79 12 15 27 27

References
  1. "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". National Hockey League.
  2. "Penguins Re-Sign Forward Tyler Kennedy". National Hockey League. September 26, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  3. Buker, Rick (2010). "Total Penguins: The Definitive Encyclopedia of the Pittsburgh Penguins". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Wharnsby, Tim (June 10, 2009). "Going to Game 7; Staal and Kennedy score, Fleury bars the door, the Pittsburgh Penguins avoid elimination and the NHL final series is ...". The Globe and Mail. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. Rossi, Rob (March 17, 2008). "Pens' 'Mr. Kennedy' enjoys attention from fans". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  6. Yerdon, Joe (December 29, 2011). "Apparently Tyler Kennedy Prevented Jagrs return to Pittsburgh". Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  7. "Flyers sign Jagr and Talbot, lose Leino". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 2, 2011.
  8. Dubow, Josh (2013-06-30). "Sharks acquire Tyler Kennedy from Penguins". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  9. "Islanders trade for Neuvirth, Kennedy: report". National Hockey League. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  10. "Devils give Kennedy the Ax from PTO". NBC Sports. 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
  11. New Jersey Devils (2015-11-18). "Devils invite Kennedy to train on PTO". Twitter]]. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  12. "CTV Northern Ontario: That's a wrap". 2017-01-03.
  13. Sinichak, Jessica (May 9, 2014). "Brandi Engel & Tyler Kennedy". Pittsburgh Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  14. Engel, Brandi (November 1, 2015). "Brandi Engel - Cookie G Kennedy ❤ Born 10/28/15 at 7:50 am. 6 lbs, 14oz, 20.25 in". Facebook. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
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