Mathieu Schneider Mathieu Schneider ( born June 12 , 1969 ) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman . Schneider was known as an offensive defenseman and has played with ten teams during his NHL career . He won the Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens . Early years . Schneider , who is Jewish , was born in Manhattan , New York , the first of two sons born to Sam and Aline Schneider . His father is Jewish and his mother converted to Judaism before marrying his father . He lived with his family throughout the state of New Jersey until moving to Woonsocket , Rhode Island , for his high school years . In Woonsocket , Schneider attended high school at Mount Saint Charles Academy . Under the tutelage of coach Normand " Bill " Belisle , Schneider and his team won three of the school ' s 26 straight Rhode Island state hockey championships . He left Mount Saint Charles after his junior year and joined the Cornwall Royals of the Ontario Hockey League . Playing career . Drafted in the third round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft , 44th overall , by the Montreal Canadiens , Schneider was the Canadiens ' fourth pick ( after forwards Andrew Cassels and John LeClair , and fellow defenseman Éric Desjardins ) . He played his first NHL game a few months later when he suited up on 1987 – 88 opening night against the Philadelphia Flyers . However , after four games , he was sent back to his junior team ( Cornwall Royals ) for the rest of the season . He would spend the entirety of 1988 – 89 with Cornwall before splitting the next season between Montreal and their American Hockey League farm team , the Sherbrooke Canadiens . After being promoted to the Canadiens , he scored seven goals and 21 points in 44 games with Montreal . Schneider earned a full - time NHL roster spot in the 1990 – 91 season and , two years later , he won the 1993 Stanley Cup with the Canadiens , defeating Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings in five games . Following his Stanley Cup victory , Schneider broke out with 52 points in 1993 – 94 , topping all team defencemen . During the 1994 – 95 sesaon , Schneider was traded to the New York Islanders finishing the season with 29 points in 43 games between the two clubs . In 1995 – 96 , he recorded 47 points in 65 games with the Islanders and appeared in his first NHL All - Star Game ( 1996 ) , before being traded in March 1996 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for three players and a first round selection in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft ( eventually Roberto Luongo ) . He finished the year with 54 points in 78 games between the two clubs . Prior to the 1996 – 97 season , Schneider was a member of the 1996 World Cup champion Team USA squad . It was his high point for the season as he suffered a serious groin injury and was lost for the majority of the season , playing only 26 games . He returned to the Leafs from his injury the following season and tallied 37 points in 76 games . He was a contract - hold out as a restricted free agent prior to the 1998 – 99 season , reportedly seeking a $ 3 . 3 million salary with the Maple Leafs . Consequently , a few games into the season , the Maple Leafs traded him to the New York Rangers where he then signed a one - year , $ 2 . 75 million contract . Born in Manhattan , Schneider stated his excitement to be playing for his hometown team . In two seasons with the Rangers he accumulated 34 , then 30 points . Schneider was left unprotected in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft and he was chosen by the Columbus Blue Jackets . However , he was never signed by the Blue Jackets and , less than a month later , Schneider signed with the Los Angeles Kings . In his first season with the Kings , Schneider tallied 51 points in 73 games , his highest total since his 52 - point season with the Canadiens in 1993 – 94 . As the Kings played into the second round of the 2001 playoffs , Schneider matched a career - high 9 points in 13 playoff games . After appearing in his second All - Star Game in 2003 , Schneider was dealt at the trade deadline to the Detroit Red Wings for two players and two draft picks . The Kings had shopped Schneider around as he was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season . The prospect of re - signing him was unlikely due to the emergence of offensive - minded defencemen Joe Corvo and Ľubomír Višňovský . Although the Red Wings had traded for Schneider as a rental player to bolster their Stanley Cup run , they were upset in the first round by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim . Schneider finished the season with 16 goals and 50 points between the Kings and Red Wings . Schneider was re - signed by Detroit in the off - season to a two - year deal and he eventually played another three seasons with the Red Wings that included a career - high 21 goals and 59 points in 2005 – 06 . He played his 1 , 000th NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks on October 21 of that same season and scored his 200th NHL goal on March 6 , 2007 , against the Nashville Predators . Following the 2006 – 07 season , Schneider became a unrestricted free agent and he signed a two - year , $ 11 . 25 million deal with the Anaheim Ducks . The Ducks had pursued Schneider in lieu of Norris Trophy - winner and team captain Scott Niedermayer ' s expected retirement ( although Niedermayer returned to the Ducks later in the season ) . By signing with the Ducks , he missed a chance for another Stanley Cup , arriving in Anaheim the same year that Detroit won the 2008 Stanley Cup championship and a year after the Ducks ' 2007 Stanley Cup victory . Schneider did not debut with the Ducks until a couple months into the season , as he sustained a broken ankle in a pre - season game against the Los Angeles Kings . In his only season with the Ducks , he tallied 39 points in 65 games , second among Ducks ' defensemen . As the 2008 – 09 season approached , the Ducks looked to free up cap space in order to re - sign Teemu Selänne . With All - Star defencemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer ahead of him on the depth chart , Schneider was placed on waivers , but cleared . The Ducks instead traded him to the Atlanta Thrashers on September 26 , 2008 , in exchange for three players . However , Schneider did not remain with the Thrashers for the whole season . He was traded back to the Montreal Canadiens in February 2009 for two draft choices . On August 28 , 2009 , the Vancouver Canucks signed Schneider to a one - year , $ 1 . 55 million contract . The deal included a $ 1 million signing bonus ( making his base salary $ 550 , 000 ) , dispersed throughout the season over four equal payments . After having undergone off - season shoulder surgery , Schneider missed the first 10 games of the 2009 – 10 season and made his Canucks debut on October 25 in a 2 – 0 win against the Edmonton Oilers . He has been playing primarily as a depth defenceman and on December 20 , he left the team due to a reported dispute about his playing time . Since his debut for the Canucks , he has been healthy scratched 11 times in 28 games . The Canucks have explained his absence as a " personal matter " , while general manager Mike Gillis has reportedly begun trying to trade Schneider . On December 29 , 2009 , Schneider was waived by the Vancouver Canucks . After clearing waivers , he reported to the Canucks ' AHL affiliate , the Manitoba Moose on January 2 , 2010 . On March 3 , 2010 , Schneider was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Phoenix Coyotes . At the end of 2010 , Schneider officially ended his career as a player . Retirement . Shortly after announcing his retirement , Schneider became involved with the National Hockey League Players ' Association as a special assistant . His first significant project with the NHLPA has been adjustments to the head - shot and boarding rules , alongside Brendan Shanahan . International play . Schneider first played for the United States in the 1988 World Junior Championships , tallying 2 assists as the U . S . finished in sixth place . He made his senior international debut at the 1996 World Cup , where the U . S . won the tournament in a three - game final over Canada . Schneider scored 2 goals in 7 games . Two years later , in 1998 , he was selected to join the U . S . team at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano . He failed to register a point as the U . S . finished a disappointing sixth . A serious groin / abdominal injury kept Schneider from consideration for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , and , although he was chosen to his second World Cup tournament in 2004 , he pulled out of the games due to a lack of insurance ( he was not signed to an NHL team that summer ) . In December 2005 , he was selected to represent the U . S . at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin . Despite a two - point performance from Schneider in the quarter - finals , the U . S . was eliminated by Finland . Personal life . During his tenure with the Los Angeles Kings , they resided in Manhattan Beach , California . Schneider is one of a handful of Jewish players in the NHL .