Michael Ryan Rupp (born January 13, 1980) 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 has previously 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 ...
(NHL) for the
New Jersey Devils,
Phoenix Coyotes,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
and
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
.
Rupp scored the
Stanley Cup-clinching goal — and first
Stanley Cup playoff goal of his career — in the
2003 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2002–03 season, and the culmination of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. The second-seeded Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils defeated th ...
, which gave the Devils franchise its third Cup championship. Rupp currently serves as an analyst on
NHL Network and
AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. He serves as a co Host of That's Hockey Talk with Nick Maraldo and Kyle “Gumpy” Cathcart which comes out of the Pat McAfee Incorporated Studios.
Playing career
Rupp played high school hockey at
St. Edward High School in
Lakewood, Ohio. He was originally drafted in the first round, ninth overall, by the
New York Islanders in the
1998 NHL Entry Draft. After remaining unsigned while still playing in the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...
(OHL) with the
Erie Otters
The Erie Otters are a Major junior ice hockey team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Midwest division of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of only three American teams in the circuit. The team name refers to the North Am ...
, however, Rupp opted to return to the
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft (french: Repêchage d'entrée dans la LNH) is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL) systematically select the rights to available ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirem ...
and was subsequently selected 76th overall in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
by the
New Jersey Devils.
Rupp played his first professional season in
2000–01 with the
Albany River Rats of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL), the top minor league affiliate of the Devils. He later made his NHL debut January 13, 2003 with the Devils, where he helped the team win the
Stanley Cup after scoring the Cup-clinching goal. Rupp is the only player in Stanley Cup history to have his first playoff goal be the Stanley Cup winning goal.
The following season, in
2003–04, Rupp was traded by the Devils, along with a second-round draft pick, to the
Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for
Jan Hrdina
Jan Hrdina (born February 5, 1976) is a Czech former professional ice hockey player.
Playing career
Hrdina was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in the 5th round, 128th overall.
In March 2003, the Pittsburgh Peng ...
on March 5, 2004. After the
2004–05 NHL lockout, Rupp was traded with
Jason Chimera and
Cale Hulse to 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 ...
in exchange for
Geoff Sanderson
Geoffrey M. Sanderson (born February 1, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Drafted by the Hartford W ...
and
Tim Jackman on October 8, 2005. Columbus declined to submit Rupp, a restricted free agent, a qualifying offer in June 2006.
On July 9, 2006, Rupp signed a one-year, $450,000 contract to return to the New Jersey Devils. After a successful season establishing himself as a gritty hardworking player, Rupp re-signed with the Devils on June 28, 2007, to a two-year contract.
On July 1, 2009, Rupp signed a two-year, $1.65 million contract with the
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 ...
. While scoring his first career
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
on November 30, 2009, against the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, Rupp scored his sixth, seventh, and eighth goals for a new career-high just 28 games into the
2009–10 season.
On July 1, 2011, Rupp signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract with the New York Rangers. He scored two goals in the
2012 Winter Classic
The 2012 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series, played on January 2, 2012, at Citizens Bank ...
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 ...
to help the Rangers prevail 3–2. After Rupp scored his first goal, he saluted the crowd in a similar, yet mocking, fashion to how then-Flyer
Jaromír Jágr
Jaromír Jágr (; born 15 February 1972) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger for and the owner of Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguin ...
celebrates a goal; the mocking gesture immediately led to a retaliatory confrontation initiated by Philadelphia forward
Scott Hartnell
Scott Wesley Hartnell (born April 18, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Hartnell ...
.
During the
lockout-shortened, 48-game
2012–13 season, on February 4, 2013, Rupp was traded to the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
in exchange for forwards
Darroll Powe and
Nick Palmieri
Nicholas Palmieri (born July 12, 1989) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third-round of the 2007 NHL Draft.
Playing career
As a youth, Palmieri played in the 2002 Quebec Intern ...
.
On April 11, 2014, Rupp was suspended by the NHL for four games without pay for a "late illegal check to the head" of
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
forward
T. J. Oshie.
Broadcasting career
Since retiring in 2014, Rupp serves as both a studio analyst for the
NHL Network, and a post-game analyst on
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 ...
games for
AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
In addition to NHL Network, Rupp is a co-host of That’s Hockey Talk, of Pat McAfee Inc. alongside Nick Maraldo and Kyle “Gumpy (Gump)” Cathcart.
Personal life
Rupp's childhood ice hockey teams included the Parma Heights Wings Municipal Hockey Club, where he started playing at age nine. He attended and played for
St. Edward High School, a catholic college preparatory school in
Lakewood,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. In just two years playing for the
varsity squad at St. Edward, the team won two state championships in 1995 and 1996. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Devils, Rupp traveled to
SouthPark Mall in
Strongsville
Strongsville is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and a suburb of Cleveland. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 44,750. The city's nickname 'Crossroads of the Nation,' originated from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O ...
, Ohio, to display the Cup and sign autographs for fans in his home state.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rupp, Michael
1980 births
Albany River Rats players
American men's ice hockey left wingers
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Danbury Trashers players
Erie Otters players
Ice hockey players from Cleveland
Iowa Wild players
Living people
Minnesota Wild players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
New Jersey Devils draft picks
New Jersey Devils players
New York Islanders draft picks
New York Rangers players
Phoenix Coyotes players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio) alumni
Stanley Cup champions
Syracuse Crunch players
Windsor Spitfires players