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Nate Thompson
A man with black hair and a beard holds a hockey stick. He is wearing an Anaheim Ducks jersey.
Thompson with the Anaheim Ducks in 2016
Born (1984-10-05) October 5, 1984 (age 40)
Anchorage, Alaska
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
New York Islanders
Tampa Bay Lightning
Anaheim Ducks
Ottawa Senators
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia Flyers
Winnipeg Jets
National team  United States
NHL draft 183rd overall, 2003
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2005–2022

Nathan Thompson (born October 5, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey center. Between 2006 and 2022, he played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Winnipeg Jets.

Early life

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Thompson was born on October 5, 1984, in Anchorage, Alaska,[1] to father Robert Thompson and mother Cathy Thompson-Liddelow.[2] The cold weather in Alaska froze many of the ponds in and around Anchorage for several months out of the year, and he spent his childhood ice skating on these makeshift outdoor rinks.[3]

  • Alaska All Stars
  • Dimond High School

Playing career

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Amateur

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  • Seattle Thunderbirds 2001-02
  • Seattle Thunderbirds 2002-03
  • Seattle Thunderbirds 2003-04
  • Seattle Thunderbirds 2004-05

Professional

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Boston Bruins (2005–2008)

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After the Thunderbirds' elimination from the WHL playoffs, Thompson joined the Providence Bruins, Boston's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of the 2005 Calder Cup playoffs.[4] He recorded an assist and six penalty minutes in 11 games for Providence before they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Philadelphia Phantoms.[5][6] Thompson signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Bruins on July 29, 2005.[7]

  • 2005-06
  • 2006-07
  • 2007-08

New York Islanders (2008–2010)

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Thompson with the Islanders in 2008
  • 2008-09
  • 2009-10

Tampa Bay Lightning (2010–2014)

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Thompson with the Lightning in 2011
  • 2009-10
  • 2010-11
  • 2011-12
Thompson with the Lightning in 2011

When the 2012–13 NHL lockout disrupted the start of the normal 2012–13 season, Thompson signed a contract with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL, a team whose games he had frequently attended as a child.[8] When the NHL lockout ended that January, Thompson left the Aces to return to Tampa Bay.[9] He missed some time in December with an undisclosed injury,[10] but put up seven goals and 21 points in 24 ECHL games.[9] On March 23, 2013, Thompson, who had been centering a checking line and had six goals and 10 points through the first 30 games of the lockout-shortened season, signed a four-year, $6.4 million contract extension with the Lightning.[11]

  • 2012-13
  • 2013-14

Anaheim Ducks (2014–2017)

[edit]
  • 2014-15
  • 2015-16
  • 2016-17

Ottawa Senators (2017–2018)

[edit]
  • 2017-18

Los Angeles Kings (2018–2019)

[edit]
  • 2017-18
  • 2018-19

Montreal Canadiens (2019–2020)

[edit]
  • 2018-19
  • 2019-20

First stint with Philadelphia Flyers (2020)

[edit]
Thompson with the Flyers in 2020

On February 24, 2020, the trading deadline for the 2019–20 NHL season, the Canadiens sent Thompson to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.[12] Coach Alain Vigneault had been interested in acquiring more experience on the Flyers' fourth line, and Thompson displaced rookie Connor Bunnaman in the center role.[13] On March 11, however, Thompson suffered a sprained left knee after a collision with Ondrej Kase of the Boston Bruins, and Bunnaman was called back up while he recovered.[14] The following day, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to indefinitely suspend the remainder of the 2019–20 season,[15] allowing Thompson time to recover from the injury without missing games.[16] At the time the regular season ended, Thompson had only appeared in seven games for Philadelphia, centering Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and Michael Raffl and recording one assist.[16][17] When the NHL returned to play for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Thompson was one of 31 Flyers to join the team in the Toronto quarantine bubble.[18] Vigneault was criticized by sportswriters for Thompson's expanded postseason role: he was one of the only players to appear in all 16 of the Flyers' playoff games, and was often tasked with "eating minutes", preventing the opposing teams' top forwards from scoring rather than generating goals of his own. He had one postseason goal before the Flyers fell to the New York Islanders in the second round of playoffs.[19]

Winnipeg Jets (2020–2021)

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Thompson signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets on October 10, 2020.[20] He skated on the fourth line, centering Trevor Lewis and Mathieu Perreault. Sports broadcaster Kelly Moore referred to the line as the "Dirty 30s", as Perreault, the youngest of the three, was 33 years old.[21] The Dirty 30s became one of the most productive lines on the Jets: by April 4, they had not allowed any even strength goals against them, and they had a collective +18 rating.[22] Thompson played his 800th NHL game on April 17, in a 3-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. He was the third Alaskan skater to play in 800 NHL games, joining Scott Gomez and Brandon Dubinsky.[23] Despite these on-ice successes, the 2020–21 season proved emotionally difficult for Thompson: with the Canada–United States border closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was isolated from his family in the United States, especially his son, who lived in Minnesota.[24] Thompson did not take the ice for the game in which the Jets clinched their berth in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, and the fourth line was used only sparingly during Winnipeg's first-round playoff series against the Oilers. Thompson did, however, provide assists on both the game-tying and game-winning goals in Game 1.[25] The Jets swept Edmonton and advanced to the second round,[26] where they were swept in turn by Montreal.[27] In 44 games with the Jets, Thompson scored two goals and three assists. He became a free agent at the end of the season.[28]

Second stint with Philadelphia (2021–2022)

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On July 28, 2021, Thompson rejoined the Flyers on a one-year, $800,000 free agent contract.[29] He returned to his role as Philadelphia's veteran fourth-line center,[30] with Zack MacEwen on his right wing and Patrick Brown alternating with Nicolas Aubé-Kubel on his left.[31] Thompson was one of several Flyers centers to suffer a major injury in the first two months of the 2021–22 season, dislocating his shoulder during Philadelphia's November 26 game against the Carolina Hurricanes.[32] He missed most of the season recovering from the injury and associated surgery, rejoining the team on April 2 for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[33]

Ontario Reign (2022–2023)

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Retirement

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On July 19, 2023, Thompson announced his retirement from professional ice hockey at the age of 38.[34] He broke the news on the Empty Netters Podcast and confirmed the decision via Twitter.[35] In 15 seasons across nine NHL teams, Thompson finished his career with 65 goals, 164 points, and 401 penalty minutes in 844 regular-season games, as well as eight goals and 21 points in 86 playoff appearances.[36]

International play

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  • 2012 WC
  • 2013 WC

Personal life

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Thompson married his first wife, former Boston College Eagles women's ice hockey player Cristin Stuart, in July 2013. His brother-in-law was Mark Stuart, then a defenseman for the Winnipeg Jets.[37] They divorced in February 2015, three months before the birth of their first child Teague,[38] who lives full-time with Cristin in Minnesota.[39] After his divorce, Thompson was romantically linked to reality television stars Bethenny Frankel of The Real Housewives of New York City and Christina Haack of Flip or Flop.[40] He married his second wife, Sydney Kaplan, in July 2018. Raised in a Christian family, Thompson converted to Judaism, which Kaplan practiced, one week before his wedding.[41]

For most of his professional ice hockey career, Thompson struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse. He began drinking alcohol around the age of 11, and by his mid-20s, he was regularly taking a number of receational drugs, including cocaine, MDMA, and psilocybin mushrooms.[42] He stopped using drugs and alcohol while rehabilitating his Achilles tendon in 2016, and has been sober since.[43] When he joined the Jets, Thompson elected to wear jersey No. 11 as a tribute to Rick Rypien, who died by suicide in 2011, as a tribute to both players' struggles with addiction and depression.[44]

Thompson is known for his missing front tooth.[45][46] He lost the tooth during the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, when it was knocked out by a high stick. Because it broke at the root, it could not be reinserted and had to be removed entirely.[47]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "Nate Thompson Stats and News". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Helminiak, Jeff (April 17, 2021). "Thompson becomes 3rd Alaskan to play in 800 games". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  3. ^ Cocoles, Chris (April 12, 2017). "Netting Goals, Fish Shaped Nate Thompson's Alaskan Identity". Alaskan Sporting Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Thompson headed to Providence". OurSports Central. Seattle Thunderbirds. April 22, 2005. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Colageo, Mick (July 29, 2005). "Boynton will have to negotiate with B's". The Standard-Times. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  6. ^ "Phantoms win Eastern Conference crown". American Hockey League. May 29, 2005. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Marrapese-Burrell, Nancy (July 29, 2005). "Bruins take first shot". Boston Globe. p. E7. Retrieved July 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Lightning's Nate Thompson to play in native Alaska during lockout". Tampa Bay Times. October 5, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Woody, Doyle (January 6, 2013). "Aces' NHLers prepare to return to The Show". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Woody, Doyle (December 6, 2012). "Injuries are piling up for Alaska Aces". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  11. ^ LeBrun, Pierre (March 23, 2013). "Lightning extend Nate Thompson". ESPN. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  12. ^ "Flyers acquire forward Nate Thompson from Montreal Canadiens". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. February 24, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Barkowitz, Ed (March 11, 2020). "Nate Thompson the latest Flyers player to suffer an injury". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  14. ^ "Flyers' Nate Thompson out at least two weeks with sprained knee". ESPN. March 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  15. ^ Pell, Samantha (March 12, 2020). "NHL suspends season indefinitely as coronavirus outbreak continues". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Fish, Wayne (June 25, 2020). "Nate Thompson continues Flyers tradition of effective 4th-line centers". Burlington County Times. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  17. ^ O'Connor, Charlie (July 29, 2021). "Flyers free agency: Martin Jones and Nate Thompson could close the book on a busy offseason. Did they do enough?". The Athletic. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  18. ^ "Flyers announce 31-man roster for Stanley Cup playoffs". National Hockey League. 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  19. ^ O'Connor, Charlie (September 8, 2020). "Evaluating Flyers coach Alain Vigneault and staff on 10 key playoff decisions". The Athletic. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  20. ^ "Jets sign Nate Thompson to a one-year contract". National Hockey League. Winnipeg Jets. October 10, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  21. ^ Wyman, Ted (January 10, 2021). "Jets have high hopes for fourth line in shortened NHL season". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  22. ^ McIntyre, Mike (April 4, 2021). "Fourth line flying". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  23. ^ Helminiak, Jeff (April 17, 2021). "Thompson becomes 3rd Alaskan to play in 800 games". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  24. ^ Friesen, Paul (May 14, 2021). "Jets Snapshots: Emotional Thompson misses son, says isolation's been the hardest part of COVID season". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  25. ^ Wyman, Ted (May 28, 2021). "High of playoff success particularly uplifting for clean and sober Jets centre Nate Thompson". Winnipeg Sun. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  26. ^ Bauming, Darrin (May 25, 2021). "Jets sweep Oilers with 3OT win in Game 4". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  27. ^ Farrell, Sean (June 8, 2021). "Canadiens win Game 4 in OT, sweep Jets". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  28. ^ "Flyers sign Thompson to one-year, $800K deal". Sportsnet. July 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  29. ^ "Flyers sign free agent goaltender Martin Jones, center Nate Thompson". National Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers. July 28, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  30. ^ Hall, Jordan (November 27, 2021). "Flyers lose another center to injury, 'going to sort out the pieces'". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  31. ^ Han, Giana (November 23, 2021). "Flyers can't solve Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy in 4–0 loss". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  32. ^ Han, Giana (November 27, 2021). "Flyers' injuries 'snowballing' after Nate Thompson becomes the fourth center to go down". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  33. ^ Hall, Jordan (April 1, 2022). "Laughton cleared after recovery from concussion, 'itching' to play". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  34. ^ "Thompson retires from NHL after 15 seasons". National Hockey League. July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  35. ^ Stephens, Mike (July 20, 2023). "Nate Thompson announces retirement after 15 NHL seasons". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  36. ^ "Nate Thompson retires after 15 seasons on 9 teams". ESPN. Reuters. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  37. ^ Tappen, Kathryn (November 23, 2013). "Tapped In: Thompson talks finding success in Tampa". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  38. ^ Humphrey, Erin (April 7, 2017). "The Shocking Truth About Christina El Moussa's New Boyfriend". OK!. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  39. ^ Cudzinowski, Matt (June 16, 2019). "Thompson: 'I cherish every day that I get to be his dad'". National Hockey League. Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  40. ^ Beard, Lanford (August 3, 2017). "Bethenny Frankel Plays the Field as Former Friend Patti Stanger Says RHONY Star Doesn't 'Deserve Love'". People. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  41. ^ Cooper, Josh (September 19, 2018). "Nate Thompson on his decision to convert to Judaism: 'I like what I'm a part of'". The Athletic. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  42. ^ Cowan, Stu (January 14, 2020). "Canadiens' Nate Thompson hopes story of his struggles can help others". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  43. ^ Dillman, Lisa (October 11, 2018). "After hitting 'rock bottom,' Kings' Nate Thompson found support system in NHL to help him get sober". The Athletic. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  44. ^ Thomas, Jamie (October 19, 2020). "Jets announce number changees, Thompson to wear 11 in honor of Rypien". National Hockey League. Winnipeg Jets. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  45. ^ Cowan, Stu (February 14, 2019). "Veteran centre Nate Thompson thrilled about joining Canaidens". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  46. ^ Miller, Jeff (April 22, 2016). "Miller: Ducks' Nate Thompson is 'feet of the franchies'". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  47. ^ Degregory, Lane (May 24, 2011). "When the tooth hurts". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
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