Darren William Veitch (born April 24, 1960) is a Canadian 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 ...

player whose career was beset by injuries. He played 511 career NHL games for the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

, Detroit Red Wings and

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

, and was once named

The Hockey News ''The Hockey News'' (''THN'') is a Canadian-based ice hockey magazine. ''The Hockey News'' was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Will Cote and has since become the most recognized hockey publication in North America. The magazine has a readers ...

's "Comeback Player of the Year" after badly injuring his arm falling through a glass coffee table after slipping at home on one of his children's toys. He was often unfairly compared to Paul Coffey, a fellow

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 ...

selected immediately after him in the

1980 NHL Entry Draft The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was the 18th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft.The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.241, Published in Canada by Doubled ...

. He played his last NHL game in 1991 and bounced around the minor leagues before finally retiring in 1999, and now enjoys recreational roller hockey at the Castle Sports Club in Phoenix, AZ. Born in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

, Veitch won an

Ed Chynoweth Cup The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honou ...

with the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

in 1980 to cap off a stellar junior career. Darren also had a distinguished amateur golf career in addition to his hockey exploits. He was the 1983 Saskatchewan Amateur champion after a three-round score of 218 at the Elmwood Golf and Country Club in Swift Current. He was also a two-time runner-up in the tournament finishing second in both 1981 and 1984.

Career statistics

Awards

* WHL First All-Star Team – 1980

References

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
1960 births Living people Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Detroit Red Wings players Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan National Hockey League first-round draft picks Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players Regina Pats players Sportspeople from Saskatoon Toronto Maple Leafs players Washington Capitals draft picks Washington Capitals players {{Canada-icehockey-defenceman-1960s-stub