44- Dennis Seidenberg- German hammer
Dennis Seidenberg was chosen in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was 172nd overall. When he was selected, Seidenberg was with Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (German Icehockey League) in Germany. Dennis signed with the Flyers in 2002. He played his first NHL game on October 10th at Edmonton. ( He also earned his frist NHL point with an assist.) He racked up his first NHL goal on Halloween ’02 vs. Phoenix Seidenberg. His rookie year saw Seidenberg put up thirteen points( four goals, with three points earned on the power play).
Seidenberg spent the next two seasons bouncing between the NHL team and the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Philadelphia Phantoms. On January 15, 2004, Sedienberg broke his left leg. His season was cut to only thirty three games with the Phantoms and five with the Flyers. He got his first NHL playoff experience that year against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Then Bettman’s, er I mean the NHL lockout season found Seids playing the entire 2004–05 season with the Phantoms. Dennis had a very good year for a defensemen, putting up a forty plus point season.(Thirteen points, twenty eight assists). He was also quite productive in the post-season. He played eighteen games for the Phantoms. He put up two more goals and eight assists as he helped his team win the AHL’s Calder Cup that year.
The next few season saw Seidenberg in a state of transition. He suffered three injuries in the ’05-’06 season that took him out for ten games. On January 20, 2006, the Phoenix Coyotes traded Petr Nedved to the Philadelphia Flyers for Dennis Seidenberg. Seids had signed a two year deal at the end of the season with the Coyotes. The next season Dennis suffered two more serious injuries. He ended up losing twenty five games due to them. He also found himself the subject of another mid season trade. On January 8, 2007, the Phoenix Coyotes traded Dennis Seidenberg to the Carolina Hurricanes for Kevyn Adams. Seidenberg put up fifteen points in the ’07-’08 season. He continued to produce while battling a series of groin and lower body injuries that lowered his playing time to only forty-seven games. The next season, he broke the thirty point plateau with the Hurricanes.(five goals, twenty five assists)
He was signed by the Florida Panthers to a one year, unrestricted free agent contract on September 14, 2009. He played sixty two games for the Panthers, putting up twenty-three points. He led the league in blocked shots with 215. On March 3, 2010, He was traded to our Boston Bruins with Matt Bartkowski for Byron Bitz, Craig Weller and Tampa Bay’s 2010 second round draft pick. (that pick ended up being Alexander Petrovic). This had been Dennis’ third mid-season trade. Perhaps the the third time was the charm. It started off rough though. Seidenburg lost the last four games and all the playoffs due to a wrist injury.
Then came the 2010-2011 season. The season that still makes me smile. Seidenberg played an injury free season. His thirty two point season was a personal best. He also racked up another eleven points in the post-season. Seidenberg was also willing to throw down in that playoff series. (Especially when someone takes cheap shots at a player like Bergeron.) Well, we all know what happened next. It took us three seven game series, but we ended up as the Stanley Cup Champions. Dennis Seidenburg is only the third German national to have his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s hardware.
The 2011-2012 season was a hangover season for the Bruins. The state of flux represented Seidenberg’s career pretty well. A rough 3-7 start, a remarkable November, an injury filled line up of players going in out of Providence. Seidenberg put up twenty three points last season (five goals, one of them being this mid-field missile.) The Bruins ended up with the second seed and went the distance against the Washington Capitals. #44 had three points in the playoffs, his only goal coming in game five. Well, we know how that one ended up as well. The Bruins got an early summer.
Now, we have to sit back and wait to see what happens. If there isn’t a lockout…we’re going to see a team that’s hungry to rescue the Cup this season.