Dallas Drake doesn't skate out onto the ice to set the hockey world on fire. Barring injury, he shows up to play every game, plays his heart out, and when the game's over he goes home. And if he worked hard enough, he might have been rewarded with a goal or two. He's not in the National Hockey League to break scoring records or fancy-dance his way to the net. He's a worker bee, and a good one. He plays physical. He's tough. He works to get the puck out of his own end. He works to steal the puck from the opponents. He works to win the battles in the corner. He works to get the puck to his teammates. He just works and works hard, and doesn't stop...and sometimes it works. And, occasionally, he'll get the puck in the net - a garbage goal, usually (but, hey, it counts all the same).
Stats
Dallas Drake currently plays right wing for the Detroit Red Wings. He played right wing for the St. Louis Blues from when he was signed by them on July 1, 2000 until Detroit signed him in the 2007 offseason (more on that later). He wore #10 for the Blues but will not wear that jersey for the Red Wings since they've retired that one (He may use #28, the number he had when he first played for them). He has also played for the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes. He was born on February 4, 1969 in Trail, British Columbia. Dallas is six feet tall and shoots left. He was Detroit's sixth choice, 116th overall in the 1989 Entry Draft. Through the 2006-2007 season he has played 944 regular season NHL games and scored 174 goals, 297 assists (for a point total of 471) and has racked up 844 penalty minutes. He has played 68 playoff games and has totaled up 29 points (13G, 16A) as well as 67 penalty minutes. In college he played four seasons with Northern Michigan of the WCHA where he totaled 214 points (91G, 123A). He led them to a title in 1991.
History/Highlights
In Dallas Drake's first full season in the NHL (92-93) he racked up 93 penalty minutes and notched 18 goals and 26 assists and posted a plus-3 defensively. His first game was on October 6 vs. the Winnipeg Jets. Ironically, that would be his next team.
He was traded to the Jets on March 8 the next season and played for the club for the better part of five seasons, moving with them when they transformed into the Phoenix Coyotes. Much of those years he played with such greats as Keith Tkachuk and Teppo Numminen. He scored his 100th NHL goal and played in his 500th NHL game in the 1999-2000 season. Then, that summer, he was acquired by the fledgling Minnesota Wild in the expansion draft, then very quickly was dealt to the St. Louis Blues.
In 2001 he was reunited with Keith Tkachuk at the trade deadline. Together, with teammates such as Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Pavol Demitra, and Scott Mellanby, he helped get the Blues to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 1986. Then they were trounced in five games by the Colorado Avalanche.
In the following Blues years Dallas Drake continued to be a hockey workhorse and chipped in goals here and there. In 2002-2003 he scored a career high 20 goals. In the 03-04 season he didn't quite get to 20 goals, but he still provided grittiness and leadership on the ice. This is why he was awarded the captaincy during training camp before the 2005-2006 season (former Blues captains Al MacInnis - retired - and Chris Pronger - traded - were no longer with the team).
Due to injuries his 2005-2006 season was cut twenty games short. He was his usual tough, bumping and grinding self but his scoring wasn't very captainly (2 goals, but 24 assists). And he had the arduous task of captaining a sinking ship that year as he saw his Blues tank to the league's basement and miss the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. He resigned with the Blues, though, that summer, even though most fans thought he'd be traded either right before or right after the team was sold. The new owner, Dave Checketts, probably realized that he could still be the leader he always had been and could regain his scoring touch with a better team around him.
In 2005-2006 he only scored six goals and six assists which was better in goals than the previous season but much worse in assists. With those stats and the signing of Paul Kariya in the 2007 offseason he was placed on waivers for purposes of creating a roster space and buying out his contract. He was signed by the Detroit Red Wings - who had pursued him for several offseasons - on July 9, 2007 as an unrestricted free agent to a one-year, $550k contract. Being back with Detroit meant that Dallas was back where it all started.
It ended up being a good move for him, as he ended up playing for a hot Red Wings team in 08-07, a team that won not only the President's Trophy but the Stanely Cup as well, the first one of his career. Meanwhile the Blues failed to even make the playoffs again.
Other Background Information
Most every hockey player has some kind of nickname. In that vein, Dallas Drake is affectionaly referred to as "Dally." He is involved in a charity called "Dally's Dogs" which educates people on how they can help abused and neglected animals. He is married to a woman named Amy and has three kids: Jackson (son), and daughters named Delaney and Darby Ann.
Source: www.stlblues.com