Michael Rupp

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Michael Rupp
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Rupp with the Rangers, January 2012.
Born (1980-01-13) January 13, 1980 (age 44)
Cleveland, OH, USA
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 243 lb (110 kg; 17 st 5 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for New Jersey Devils
Phoenix Coyotes
Columbus Blue Jackets
Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Rangers
Minnesota Wild
NHL Draft 9th overall, 1998
New York Islanders
76th overall, 2000
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 2000–2014

Michael Ryan Rupp (born January 13, 1980) is a retired American professional ice hockey centre. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild.

Rupp scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal — and first Stanley Cup playoff goal of his career — in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, which gave the Devils franchise its third Cup championship.

Playing career

Rupp played high school hockey at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. He was originally drafted in the first round, ninth overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. After remaining unsigned while still playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Erie Otters, however, Rupp opted to return to the NHL Entry Draft and was subsequently selected 76th overall in 2000 by the New Jersey Devils.

Rupp played his first professional season in 2000–01 with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL), the top minor league affiliate of the Devils. He later made his NHL debut in the 2002–03 season with the Devils, where he helped the team win the Stanley Cup after scoring the Cup-clinching goal. Rupp is the only player in Stanley Cup history to have his first playoff goal be the Stanley Cup winning goal.[1]

The following season, in 2003–04, Rupp was traded by the Devils, along with a second-round draft pick, to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Jan Hrdina on March 5, 2004.[2] After the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Rupp was traded with Jason Chimera and Cale Hulse to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Geoff Sanderson and Tim Jackman on October 8, 2005.[3] Columbus declined to submit Rupp, a restricted free agent, a qualifying offer in June 2006.

On July 9, 2006, Rupp signed a one-year, $450,000 contract to return to the New Jersey Devils.[4] After a successful season establishing himself as a gritty hardworking player, Rupp re-signed with the Devils on June 28, 2007, to a two-year contract.

File:MikeRupp.JPG
Rupp wearing the Penguins third jersey in 2009

On July 1, 2009, Rupp signed a two-year, $1.65 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. While scoring his first career hat-trick on November 30, 2009, against the New York Rangers, Rupp scored his six, seventh and eighth goals for a new career-high just 28 games into the 2009–10 season.[5]

On July 1, 2011, Rupp signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract with the New York Rangers.[6] He scored two goals in the 2012 Winter Classic against the Philadelphia Flyers to help the Rangers prevail 3–2. After Rupp scored his first goal, he saluted the crowd in a similar, yet mocking, fashion to how then-Flyer Jaromír Jágr celebrates a goal; the mocking gesture immediately led to a retaliatory confrontation initiated by Philadelphia forward Scott Hartnell.

During the lockout-shortened, 48-game 2012–13 season, on February 4, 2013, Rupp was traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forwards Darroll Powe and Nick Palmieri.[7]

On April 11, 2014, Rupp was suspended by the NHL for four games without pay for a "late illegal check to the head to the head" of St Louis Blues forward T. J. Oshie.[8]

Personal life

Rupp's childhood ice hockey teams included the Parma Heights Wings Municipal Hockey Club, where he started playing at age nine. He attended and played for St. Edward High School, a catholic college preparatory school in Lakewood, Ohio. In just two years playing for the varsity squad at St. Edward, the team won two state championships in 1994 and 1995. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Devils, Rupp travelled to SouthPark Mall in Strongsville, Ohio, to display the Cup and sign autographs for fans in his home state.

Rupp is a self professed Born Again Christian who became devoted to his faith after meeting his future wife Christi while playing in the OHL for the Erie Otters.[9] The couple have four children — Madeline (born November 11, 2002), Mason (born November 30, 2004),[10] Max (born July 10, 2009)[11] and Marleah (born August 30, 2012).

Rupp was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in 1998.

Career statistics

File:Michael Rupp vs Jared Boll 2010-12-04.JPG
Rupp with the Penguins in 2010 fighting Columbus forward Jared Boll.
File:RUPP 2011.jpg
Rupp with the Rangers in 2011 fighting Ducks forward George Parros.
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1997–98 Windsor Spitfires OHL 38 9 8 17 60 — — — — —
1997–98 Erie Otters OHL 26 7 3 10 57 7 3 1 4 6
1998–99 Erie Otters OHL 63 22 25 47 102 5 0 2 2 25
1999–00 Erie Otters OHL 58 32 21 53 134 13 5 5 10 22
2000–01 Albany River Rats AHL 71 10 10 20 63 — — — — —
2001–02 Albany River Rats AHL 78 13 17 30 90 — — — — —
2002–03 Albany River Rats AHL 47 8 11 19 74 — — — — —
2002–03 New Jersey Devils NHL 26 5 3 8 21 4 1 3 4 0
2003–04 New Jersey Devils NHL 51 6 5 11 41 — — — — —
2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 6 0 1 1 6 — — — — —
2004–05 Danbury Trashers UHL 14 5 5 10 30 11 3 4 7 38
2005–06 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2005–06 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 39 4 2 6 58 — — — — —
2005–06 Syracuse Crunch AHL 3 1 2 3 12 — — — — —
2006–07 New Jersey Devils NHL 76 6 3 9 92 9 0 1 1 7
2007–08 New Jersey Devils NHL 64 3 6 9 58 5 0 1 1 2
2008–09 New Jersey Devils NHL 72 3 6 9 136 7 0 0 0 14
2009–10 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 81 13 6 19 120 11 0 0 0 8
2010–11 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 81 9 8 17 124 7 1 1 2 4
2011–12 New York Rangers NHL 60 4 1 5 97 20 0 0 0 36
2012–13 New York Rangers NHL 8 0 0 0 12 — — — — —
2012–13 Minnesota Wild NHL 32 1 3 4 67 4 0 0 0 12
2013–14 Minnesota Wild NHL 13 0 1 1 23 — — — — —
2013–14 Iowa Wild AHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 610 54 45 99 855 67 2 6 8 83

Awards and honours

Award Year
NHL
Stanley Cup (New Jersey Devils) 2003

References

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  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by New York Islanders first round draft pick
1998		 Succeeded by
Tim Connolly
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