Rhett Adam Warrener (born January 27, 1976) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

who played over 700 games 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 Florida Panthers,

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 ...

and

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

between 1995 and 2008. He was a member of the Canadian national junior team that won a gold medal at the 1996 World Junior Championship. Warrener retired in 2009 after missing a full season due to a shoulder injury. He briefly remained with the Flames as a scout before turning to broadcasting. He co-hosts the morning radio show on Calgary's Sportsnet 960 radio. Warrener was born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, but grew up in

Frontier, Saskatchewan Frontier ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Frontier No. 19 and Census Division No. 4. Frontier is on Highway 18 and is served by the Frontier Airport located (3.7&nb ...

Playing career

Junior

Warrener played his junior hockey with the

Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Eastern Division of the Western Hockey League, formerly the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL). They are based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, playing at the 15,195-seat SaskTe ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL). They selected him with their first selection, fifth overall, in the 1991 WHL Bantam Draft. He appeared in two WHL games in 1991–92 before joining the Blades full-time in

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

. Warrener was named the team's rookie of the year that season after recording 19 points in 68 games. He made his first appearance with the national team in the summer of 1993, joining the under-18 team for the 1993

Pacific Cup The Pacific Cup was a rugby league football competition for national teams from the Pacific region. History The Pacific Cup was started in 1975 by Keith Gittoes of the New South Wales Rugby League.1993–94 season in which Warrener scored 26 points and recorded 131 penalty minutes, the Florida Panthers selected him with their second round selection, 27th overall, at the

1994 NHL Entry Draft The 1994 NHL Entry Draft was the 32nd NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Hartford Civic Center on June 28–29, 1994. The last active players in the NHL from this draft class were Patrik Elias and Eric Boulton, who both played their last NHL ...

. He played a third full season in the WHL in 1994–95, scoring 39 points and recording 137 penalty minutes in 66 games.

Professional

Warrener joined the Panthers for the 1995–96 season and made his NHL debut on October 17, 1995, against the New Jersey Devils. He appeared in 28 regular season games for Florida, tallying three assists, and played in nine more for 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 ...

Carolina Monarchs The Carolina Monarchs were a short-lived ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the Greensboro Coliseum. In the spring of 1997, the Hartford Whalers of the NHL announced that they would pl ...

. He appeared in 21 additional games in the

1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL), began on April 16, 1996. The 16 teams that qualified (8 from each conference) played best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and ch ...

as the Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

. During the season, the Panthers released Warrener to the Canadian national junior team for the

1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''1996 WJHC'') was the 20th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, hosted in Massachusetts. The tournament was won by Canada—defeating Sweden 4–1 in the gold-medal game—earning ...

. He appeared in six games, recording four penalty minutes, and won a gold medal as Canada defeated Sweden for the championship. Establishing himself as a regular defenceman in the Panthers lineup, Warrener appeared in 62 games in 1996–97. He scored his first NHL goal on January 23, 1993, against

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

' goaltender Rob Tallas and finished the season with 4 goals and 13 points. He appeared in a career high 77 games in 1997–98, recording four assists, and had seven assists in 44 games in 1998–99 when the Panthers traded him. Warrener was sent to the

, along with a draft pick, for Mike Wilson on March 23, 1999. The Sabres reached the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

in the sixth game of the series. Like many of that year's Sabres players, Warrener believes

Brett Hull Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadian–American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Calgary Flames, ...

's controversial Cup clinching goal should not have counted given Hull's foot was in the goal crease in apparent violation of the rules of the time. Warrener was one of the top defencemen of the playoffs; his plus-minus of +12 was the third best total of the post-season. Warrener led the Sabres' defence with a +18 rating in 1999–2000. He again led the defence with a +10 in 2000–01 and set a career high with 19 points. The Sabres named him the recipient of their

Tim Horton Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton (January 12, 1930 – February 21, 1974) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 24 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburg ...

Memorial Award as the team's "unsung hero" Warrener's five goals and 113 penalty minutes in 2001–02 were both career highs. He was limited to 50 games in 2002–03 after missing time with a broken foot, concussion, abdominal strain and inner-ear imbalance. The

acquired Warrener, along with Steve Reinprecht in exchange for

Chris Drury Christopher Ellis Drury (born August 20, 1976) is an American professional ice hockey executive and former player. He has served as the president and general manager for the New York Rangers since May 5, 2021. He previously served as the genera ...

and Steve Bégin on July 3, 2003. He appeared in 77 games in 2003–04, scoring three goals and 17 points, and appeared in his 500th NHL game on November 22, 2003, against the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

. He added an assist in 24 playoff games as the Flames reached the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. Warrener was considered one of the team's best defenders; head coach

Darryl Sutter Darryl John Sutter (born August 19, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Calgary Flames. He is one of seven Sutter brothers, six of whom made the NHL ( Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich, and ...

said he was the Flames' most underrated players and was influential in helping the team reach the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. It was the third time he reached the final in his first season with a team, but he again fell short of winning the championship as the Flames were defeated for the Cup in seven games by the

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 ...

. After missing the 2004–05 season due to a labour stoppage, Warrener scored 6 points in 61 games in 2005–06 but again missed significant time to injuries. Named an alternate captain in 2006–07, he appeared in 62 games, scoring ten points. Warrener missed the majority of the 2007–08 season with a variety of injuries, including a broken leg along with ankle and throat injuries. Consequently, the Flames placed Warrener on waivers prior to the 2008–09 season, intending to remove him from the team roster. Instead, he was placed on injured reserve following shoulder surgery. While he hoped to return to the Flames' lineup at some point during the season, but ultimately missed the entire season. Realizing his shoulder remained too weak, Warrener announced his retirement following the season but remained with the Flames as a scout.

Personal

Heavily involved in the community, Warrener was recognized by the Flames on several occasions for his charitable endeavours. He purchased a luxury suite to bring kids otherwise unable to attend to Flames and

Calgary Hitmen The Calgary Hitmen are a major junior ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL). They play their home games at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Bret "The Hitman" ...

games and supported numerous community charities, including the Alberta Children's Hospital and KidSport. The team named him winner of the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award as the Flames' player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, determination and leadership on the ice, combined with dedication to community service" in both 2006 and 2007. Additionally, he was named the team's nominee for the 2008

King Clancy Memorial Trophy The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is a sports award given annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. The ...

leadership on and off the ice. Warrener, who was born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, and his wife Christina, a native of Buffalo, continue to live in Calgary. The couple have two sons. Unsatisfied in his role as a scout, Warrener left the game for a time. He returned to the sport as a broadcaster, appearing as an intermission panelist for the team's television broadcasts and joining Sportsnet 960 radio for a weekly segment called "Warrener Wednesdays". He parlayed his weekly guest spot into a daily co-host position on the station's morning show. As a co-host Warrener made a strong impact in the Calgary community supporting many charity events. In spring 2019 he decided to leave radio in order to rejoin the Flames organization in a player development role. Along with

Mike Commodore Michael W. Commodore (born November 7, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Commodore played for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). In 2006, he won the Stanley Cup as part of the Carolina Hurricanes. Commodor ...

, he played a role in Paul Brandt's music video, "

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

", as a truck driver.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Honours and awards

References

*Career statistics:

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Warrener, Rhett 1976 births Living people Buffalo Sabres players Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Carolina Monarchs players Florida Panthers draft picks Florida Panthers players Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan People from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon Blades players