Brian Alan Holzinger (born October 10, 1972) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. He played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

and the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

Playing career

Holzinger was drafted in the sixth round, 124th overall, by the

in the

1991 NHL Entry Draft The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was the 29th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The worst team in the previous 1990–91 season, the Quebec Nordiques, was give ...

. He played High School Hockey at

Padua Franciscan High School Padua Franciscan High School is a private co-educational Franciscan college-preparatory school in Parma, Ohio. It is within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. History Founded in 1961 as a private school for boys, Padua Franciscan became ...

in Parma, Ohio and four years of college hockey at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

, and was the recipient of the

Hobey Baker Award The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 41 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton Universit ...

for top men's collegiate hockey player during his senior season. He made his

debut with the Sabres during the 1994–95 season, appearing in four regular season games and four playoff games (scoring two goals during the Sabres' playoff series against the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

). After four and a half seasons with the Sabres, he was traded at the trade deadline of the 1999–2000 season (along with Cory Sarich and Wayne Primeau) to the

in exchange for Chris Gratton and a second-round draft pick. In his first full season with the Lightning in 2000–01, Holzinger posted 36 points in 70 games. The following 2001–02 season, Brian was hampered by a shoulder injury that limited him to only 23 games. A broken leg suffered just prior to the 2002–03 season ensured Holzinger was again on the sidelines for the first half of the year. After being nursed back to health by his wife Jenna, Holzinger was traded at the trade deadline, this time to the

in exchange for Marc Bergevin. In the 2003–04 season, once again at the trade deadline, the Penguins traded Holzinger to the

in exchange for Lasse Pirjetä. As a result of this trade, Holzinger was the first Ohio native to play for the Blue Jackets franchise. In his NHL career, Holzinger appeared in 547 regular season games. He scored 93 goals and added 145 assists. In 52 Stanley Cup playoff games, he scored 11 goals and 18 assists.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holzinger, Brian 1972 births Living people Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey players Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Columbus Blue Jackets players Hobey Baker Award winners Ice hockey players from Ohio People from Parma, Ohio Pittsburgh Penguins players Rochester Americans players Springfield Falcons players Tampa Bay Lightning players Compuware Ambassadors players American men's ice hockey centers AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans