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Best hockey player from each state

By Dave Stevenson

Jan 26, 2014; New York City, NY, USA; NHL former player Jeremy Roenick skates with youngsters on a miniature rink before the Stadium Series hockey game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2014; New York City, NY, USA; NHL former player Jeremy Roenick skates with youngsters on a miniature rink before the Stadium Series hockey game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images /

Delaware – Mark Eaton

Delaware is one of the smallest states. Naturally, it hasn’t produced too many hockey players. However, its most successful player of all-time is Mark Eaton, who had a pretty solid NHL career. Born in Wilmington, he was forced to move to Waterloo, Iowa to pursue his hockey career. Eaton had a unique path to the NHL. He didn’t get drafted, so he went to a variety of teams before starring for Notre Dame for a season. The Philadelphia Flyers liked what they saw, so they signed him.

In 1999, Eaton made his NHL debut and scored his first goal against the Boston Bruins in 2000. Never known for his scoring, he had just 24 career goals in 650 games. In fact, he only had 85 career points. Over his career, Eaton averaged over 18 minutes of ice time per game, his most coming with the Nashville Predators during the 2003-04 season. He helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup during the 2008-09 season, scoring each of his four career playoff goals during that run.

Unfortunately, though he played professionally for over 13 seasons, his NHL career is more known for his injuries than anything else. Only four times in his career did he play in over 65 games and only twice did he appear in over 70.

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