Dean W. McAmmond (born June 15, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. McAmmond played in the National Hockey League from 1992 to 2010 for nine teams.
Pre-NHL career
McAmmond played four seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Prince Albert Raiders and the Swift Current Broncos. During the 1992–93 WHL playoffs, he scored a league high 16 goals in 17 playoff games to help lead the Swift Current Broncos to the league championship. He would net 431 total points while with the Raiders. In 1993, McAmmond captured a gold medal as a member of Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championships in Sweden.
After playing the better part of two seasons in Chicago, the Blackhawks traded McAmmond again on March 13, 2001 to the Philadelphia Flyers for a third-round selection in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. After finishing the season in Philadelphia, the Flyers traded McAmmond during the offseason to the Calgary Flames for a fourth-round selection in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. McAmmond then signed a multi-year contract with the Flames in August, 2001.
Upon returning to Alberta, McAmmond enjoyed a career year with the Flames during the 2001–02 season, setting personal highs for goals (21) and points (51) in 73 games. On October 1, 2002, prior to the beginning of the 2002–03 NHL season, Calgary traded McAmmond with Jeff Shantz and Derek Morris to the Colorado Avalanche for Stéphane Yelle and Chris Drury. In the midst of an injury-filled season with the Avalanche, Calgary re-acquired McAmmond from Colorado on March 11, 2003 for a fifth-round selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. McAmmond, however, couldn't play a game for the Flames for the rest of the season since the deal violated a rule at the time prohibiting teams from trading a player prior to the waiver draft and reacquiring them later in the year.[1] McAmmond suffered another setback during the 2003–04 season with Calgary, sustaining a back injury and missing the remaining 13 games of the regular season and every game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs during Calgary's run to game seven of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
In Ottawa, McAmmond emerged as a dependable role player on a skilled Senator team. In the 2007 Senators Super Skills competition, McAmmond led the Senators as the fastest skater, and later, on March 30, 2007, he played his 800th career NHL game in a winning effort against the Montreal Canadiens. McAmmond recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick on April 15, 2007, in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Penguins,[2] scoring a goal, adding an assist, and winning a fight with Pittsburgh's Maxime Talbot. The Senators rolled into the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose the series in five games to the Anaheim Ducks. In game three, after scoring what turned out to be the game-winning goal (and the only win in the series) for Ottawa, McAmmond was the victim of a controversial elbow to the head from defenceman Chris Pronger. He left the ice with assistance and did not return for games four or five, suffering from a concussion.
Just a few months after re-signing a multi-year contract with Ottawa, McAmmond suffered another concussion during a preseason game on September 25, 2007 from a hit to the head by Philadelphia's Steve Downie. McAmmond, knocked unconscious by the hit, was carried off the ice by stretcher. Downie, who received a match penalty for the hit, was suspended for 20 games by the NHL for the incident.[3] After missing 10 games from the hit, McAmmond returned to the Senator line-up in November and finished the 2007-2008 season without any further injuries.
In the midst of the 2008-2009 NHL Season that saw McAmmond miss several games due to pneumonia, Ottawa sent him to the New York Islanders along with a first-round selection (acquired from San Jose) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli on February 20, 2009.[4] McAmmond, who grew up as an Islanders fan in Alberta, enjoyed a short stint on Long Island before becoming an unrestricted free agent at season's end.
After going uncontacted by an NHL team over the 2009 summer, the New Jersey Devils came calling and on October 20, McAmmond signed an AHL contract to play with the Lowell Devils, returning for a second stint with the New Jersey Devils minor league affiliate. On November 6, after suffering numerous injuries to the team, the Devils and McAmmond agreed to a two-way contract which brought him up to the Devils roster. Devils coach Jacques Lemaire used McAmmond as a defensive specialist, killing penalties, while also seeing time on the power play.[5]
McAmmond's last involvement in the NHL came with the attempt to make a return to the New York Islanders roster for the 2010–11 season. After accepting an invitation to training camp he was subsequently released at its conclusion. McAmmond finished only four appearances shy of 1,000 career NHL games.[6]
