Brendan Witt

Brendan Witt
Born	(1975-02-20) February 20, 1975 Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	223 lb (101 kg; 15 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	Washington Capitals Nashville Predators New York Islanders
NHL draft	11th overall, 1993 Washington Capitals
Playing career	1995–2010

Brendan Witt (born February 20, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for the Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Witt's NHL career began with the Washington Capitals, the team that drafted him in the 1993 Entry Draft. In the 2000–01 NHL season, he led the league with 322 hits. Witt served as co-captain of the Washington Capitals during the 2001–02 NHL season, along with Steve Konowalchuk. Witt lost his share of the captaincy, when in a player vote (before the 2002–03 NHL season), the Capitals chose Konowalchuk as sole captain. After Konowalchuk's trade to the Avalanche (October 2003), the captaincy remained vacant until Jeff Halpern was appointed in September 2005.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout Witt signed for the English BNL side, the Bracknell Bees. He only played three games for Bracknell before returning home due to a fire at his house. During his three games he scored one goal and got four assists for a total of five points.

Witt and Andy Sutton in 2008

In August 2005, Witt made a trade request to the Capitals management, to be traded to a team with a better chance of competing for the Stanley Cup. Re-signed by the Capitals despite his trade request, he remained on the Capitals defense to start the 2005–06 season. His request for a trade was finally granted by the Capitals on March 9, 2006, when he was shipped to the Nashville Predators for former Capital Kris Beech and a first-round draft pick.

On July 3, 2006, Witt signed a three-year contract as a free agent with the New York Islanders and was named an alternate captain. On July 8, 2008, with a year of his original Islander contract still remaining, Witt signed a 2-year, $6 million extension to remain with the New York Islanders. During the 2008–09 season, on February 27, 2009, the NHL suspended Witt 5 games for an elbow to the head of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Niklas Hagman resulting in a concussion.

In January 2010, Witt was sent to the Islanders affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, of the American Hockey League after clearing waivers. Completing the season with 2 goals in 27 games for Bridgeport, Witt was then bought out from the remaining year of his contract with the Islanders on August 1, 2010.

Personal

Witt and his wife Salima have two daughters, Aliana and Safiya. On January 30, 2007, Witt was the subject of a Sports Illustrated article in which he showed off his tattoos.

On December 8, 2009, while in Philadelphia for a game later that day against the Flyers, Witt was hit by an SUV while crossing Arch Street in Center City Philadelphia. The SUV made an illegal turn and hit Witt, who tried to jump on the hood of the vehicle before being thrown to the ground as he was hit. Witt picked himself up off the road, cursed, and assured the stunned onlookers that he was ok. Witt chose not to call police or get medical care, and was at the Islanders' morning skate just a few hours later.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1990–91	Saskatoon Blazers AAA	SMHL		31	5	13	18	42		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		—	—	—	—	—		1	0	0	0	0
1991–92	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		67	3	9	12	212		15	1	1	2	84
1992–93	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		70	2	26	28	239		5	1	2	3	30
1993–94	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		56	8	31	39	235		9	3	8	11	23
1995–96	Washington Capitals	NHL		48	2	3	5	85		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Portland Pirates	AHL		30	2	4	6	56		5	1	0	1	30
1996–97	Washington Capitals	NHL		44	3	2	5	88		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Washington Capitals	NHL		64	1	7	8	112		16	1	0	1	14
1998–99	Washington Capitals	NHL		54	2	5	7	87		—	—	—	—	—
1999–2000	Washington Capitals	NHL		77	1	7	8	114		3	0	0	0	0
2000–01	Washington Capitals	NHL		72	3	3	6	101		6	2	0	2	12
2001–02	Washington Capitals	NHL		68	3	7	10	78		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Washington Capitals	NHL		69	2	9	11	106		6	1	0	1	0
2003–04	Washington Capitals	NHL		72	2	10	12	123		—	—	—	—	—
2004–05	Bracknell Bees	BNL		3	1	4	5	0		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Washington Capitals	NHL		58	1	10	11	141		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Nashville Predators	NHL		17	0	3	3	68		5	0	0	0	12
2006–07	New York Islanders	NHL		81	1	13	14	131		5	0	1	1	6
2007–08	New York Islanders	NHL		59	2	5	7	51		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	New York Islanders	NHL		65	0	9	9	94		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	New York Islanders	NHL		42	2	3	5	45		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		27	2	4	6	49		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				890	25	96	121	1424		41	4	1	5	44

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1994	Canada	WJC		7	0	0	0	6

Awards

• WHL West First All-Star Team – 1993 & 1994

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database