Colby Shane Cohen (born April 25, 1989) 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 hock ...

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

. 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

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 ...

and in the AHL with the

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the primary development team for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rh ...

, the minor league affiliate of the

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 ...

. Currently, Colby serves as an NCAA

College Ice Hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

and

NHL 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 ...

color analyst for

Westwood One (current) Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...

and

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

, as well as a game and studio analyst for

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 ...

games on

NBC Sports Chicago NBC Sports Chicago (formerly Comcast SportsNet Chicago) is an American regional sports network that broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as college sports events and original sports- ...

Playing career

Amateur

Cohen first played junior hockey with the Syracuse Stars in the

Eastern Junior Hockey League The Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) was a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior A ice hockey league. Founded in 1993 by Dan Esdale, the EJHL had fourteen teams from across the Northeastern United States. The EJHL champion then competed for th ...

and the

Ontario Junior Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league was listed as the 7th best ...

in the 2004–05 season. Colby was selected to play in the

U.S. National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program: under-17 and under- ...

and represented the United States in the

2006 World U-17 Hockey Challenge The 2006 World U-17 Hockey Challenge was an ice hockey tournament for under-17 players held in Saskatchewan, Canada between December 29, 2005 and January 4, 2006. Canada Quebec defeated the United States 5–2 in the final to claim the gold medal, ...

, in a silver-medal performance. Committing to a collegiate career with

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

for 2008, Cohen began the 2006–07 season with the USNTDP before leaving, citing unhappiness within his role, to join the

Lincoln Stars The Lincoln Stars are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Stars' home ice is the Ice Box on the former Nebraska State Fair grounds and adjacent to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. History ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

. In his lone season with the Stars, Cohen established his offensive prowess and led the entire USHL among defensemen with 60 points in 53 games to earn a place in the USHL Second All-Star Team. Cohen was then selected as the

's second choice, 45th overall, in the

2007 NHL Entry Draft The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007. The draft ...

, joining the Avalanche's first-round pick, former Development Program teammate and fellow BU recruit

Kevin Shattenkirk Kevin Michael Shattenkirk (born January 29, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey Defenceman, defenseman who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Lo ...

. In his freshman year with the Terriers in 2007–08, he played in 39 out of a possible 40 games in the

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

, finishing third among Terriers Blueliners, and trailing only Shattenkirk in Assists with 13. In his sophomore year, Colby enjoyed his most successful collegiate season as BU advanced to the

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

Tournament. In 43 games he compiled 8

Goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

and 24 Assists to finish second among Terrier defensemen with 32

Points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

, while also posting a Plus/Minus of 24 to finish fifth overall in the country. Colby earned selection to the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament after scoring the overtime game-winning Goal, from a pass from Defense partner Shattenkirk, in a 4–3 victory over the

Miami Redhawks The Miami RedHawks are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Miami is a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Divis ...

to win the

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

National Championship. Returning for his junior campaign with the Terriers in 2009–10, Cohen was named as Player of the Month in January but was unable to help the team defend its National Championship after losing in the Hockey East Semi-finals. Cohen was named to the Hockey East ''First All-Star Team'' and the NCAA ''East First All-American Team'' as he led the team's defense with 30 points in 36 games, scoring 14 goals which were the most scored in a single season by a BU Defenseman in over 30 years. Following elimination, Cohen brought an end to his collegiate career, signing an entry-level contract with the Avalanche, alongside Shattenkirk, on April 3, 2010.

Professional

Upon signing with the Avalanche, Cohen moved directly into 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 Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

and made his professional debut with the Lake Erie Monsters. He finished the 2009–10 season with one assist in three games. Prior to the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season, Cohen attended his first Avalanche training camp and was among the final cuts assigned to Lake Erie on October 3, 2010. After starting the season with the Monsters, Cohen was recalled by the injury-depleted Avalanche and made his NHL debut in a 5–0 shutout win against 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 (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

on November 6, 2010. In his ascension to the NHL, Cohen again joined Shattenkirk as a teammate along the blueline. Colby Cohen (5846754774)

After three games with the Avalanche, Cohen was returned to Lake Erie before being traded to the Boston Bruins for

Matt Hunwick Matthew John Hunwick (born May 21, 1985) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins ...

on December 29, 2010. On April 14, 2011, Cohen was called up by the Boston Bruins as a spare for the playoffs, but he did not play so his name was not engraved on the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

as a result when the team won the

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 13, 2011, after the conclusion of the 2010–11 NHL regular season. The first game of the Finals between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins was held on June ...

. The Bruins did, however, include Cohen in the official Stanley Cup photo, and he was presented with a Stanley Cup ring. On June 26, 2013, Cohen signed his first European contract with the Finnish club

Ässät Ässät or Ässä may refer to: * HC Ässät Pori Oy, Finnish sports club ** Porin Ässät (men's ice hockey) ** Porin Ässät (women's ice hockey) ** Porin Ässät (men's football) ** PATA (esports) *, Finnish band from Oulu *S Group, Finnish Con ...

. Five games into the 2013–14 season with Ässät, Cohen left the team to join the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

of the

, for which he would play two games. After his stint with the Rampage, Cohen joined

NESN New England Sports Network, popularly known as NESN , is an American regional sports network, regional sports cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite television network owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which ow ...

as a College Ice Hockey Analyst while also completing his degree in

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

from

. Cohen signaled a return to ice hockey, and after bouncing around European clubs for a season, Cohen opted to end his professional playing career to pursue a career as a television analyst currently working for

NBC Sports Philadelphia NBC Sports Philadelphia is an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by locally based cable television provider Comcast (and owns a controlling 75% interest), and the Philadelph ...

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...

, and

American Sports Network American Sports Network (ASN) was a sports brand owned by the U.S. television station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group through its Sinclair Networks subsidiary. Formed in July 2014, the multicast network component of ASN produced broadcasts of sp ...

Personal life

Cohen, who is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, was born and raised in

Villanova, Pennsylvania Villanova is a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It straddles Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County and Radnor Township in Delaware County. It is located at the center of the Philadelphia Main Line, a series of Philadelphia suburbs lo ...

. He attended

Radnor High School Radnor High School is a public high school in Radnor, Pennsylvania. Of all high schools in Pennsylvania, Radnor is ranked 3rd by U.S. News & World Report, and 1st by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Overview Radnor High School is the onl ...

. Cohen is also first cousin to Olympic skier and

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

player

Jeremy Bloom Jeremy Bloom is an American former skier and American football player. As a skier, he is a one-time world champion, two-time Olympian, and 10-time World Cup gold medalist. He was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 2013. Bloom was a fr ...

and author

Molly Bloom Molly Bloom is a fictional character in the 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' by James Joyce. The wife of main character Leopold Bloom, she roughly corresponds to Penelope in the ''Odyssey''. The major difference between Molly and Penelope is that while P ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Colby 1989 births American men's ice hockey defensemen Ässät players HC '05 Banská Bystrica players Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players Colorado Avalanche draft picks Colorado Avalanche players Ice hockey people from Pennsylvania Jewish American sportspeople Jewish ice hockey players Lake Erie Monsters players Lincoln Stars players Living people National Hockey League broadcasters College hockey announcers in the United States Nottingham Panthers players Ontario Junior Hockey League players People from Radnor Township, Pennsylvania Providence Bruins players Reading Royals players San Antonio Rampage players South Carolina Stingrays players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Sportspeople from Delaware County, Pennsylvania 21st-century American Jews Ice hockey players from Pennsylvania AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans People from Villanova, Pennsylvania American expatriate ice hockey players in Slovakia American expatriate ice hockey players in Finland American expatriate ice hockey players in England