Wade Redden Wade Redden ( born June 12 , 1977 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the St Louis Blues . He joined the New York Rangers in 2008 after 11 seasons with the Ottawa Senators . He has played for Canada internationally seven times , winning two gold medals in the World Junior Championships and one in the World Cup of Hockey . Early life . Redden grew up in Hillmond , Saskatchewan . As a youngster , Wade played hockey and softball . Wade completed Kindergarten to grade nine at the Hillmond School . He then went to attend the Lloydminster Comprehensive School for grade ten , and then he completed grade 11 , and lastly 12 in Brandon , Manitoba . He is the youngest of three children and has an older sister Niki and an older brother Bart . Playing career . Junior . Wade Redden played minor hockey with the teams at Hillmond High School , and the Mid West Red Wings , which were from the rural area . After that Wade played one year with the Lloydminster Blazers , before joining the Brandon Wheat Kings . After that Wade was named rookie of the year . The Wheat Kings made it to two Memorial Cup while Redden was a member of the team . Wade was a member of the 1995 and 1996 Canadian teams at the World Junior Hockey Championships , both teams winning gold medals . He was the New York Islanders ' first pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft , second overall , but he never joined the Islanders . He was then traded to Ottawa by the Islanders along with Damian Rhodes for Don Beaupre , Martin Straka and Bryan Berard on January 23 , 1996 . The trade had become necessary on the Senators part to move Berard , who refused to join the Senators , a team in turmoil at the time . Ottawa Senators . Redden joined the Senators for the 1996 – 97 season , making the team out of his first training camp . He scored his first NHL goal on his first shot , against Jocelyn Thibault of the Montreal Canadiens on October 5 , 1996 . Redden would be named " NHL Rookie of the Month " for April 1997 , and was an important part of the team ' s drive to qualify for the playoffs that season . The team would go on to make the playoffs that season , the first time in the modern Senators ' history . By the 1999 – 2000 season , Redden was an important part of the team . On October 2 , 1999 , Redden was named alternate captain of the Senators , a position he held for nine seasons afterwards . Near the end of the season he suffered an ankle injury , forcing him to miss the playoffs , a contributing factor in the Senators losing in the first round to the Toronto Maple Leafs . The following year Redden continued his improvement , averaging over 25 minutes of ice time per game , scoring 37 assists , a three - point game and several two - point games . After the Senators were eliminated from the NHL playoffs , he was named to the Canadian national team for the first time , for the 2001 IIHF World Championship . He followed that up the next year with a trip to the 2002 NHL All - Star Game to represent the Senators . He would have nine multi - point games in 2002 – 03 and would set a personal best of 17 goals in the 2003 – 04 season which helped earn him a spot in the 2004 NHL All - Star Game . He was named to the gold - medal winning Canadian team for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey . He would also play for Canada in the 2005 IIHF World Championship . In the 2005 – 06 NHL season , he missed games because of a knee injury and to be with his mother , Pat as she battled cancer . Redden finished the season with a career - high 50 points , and a league - leading + / - of 35 , in 65 games . He had twelve multi - point games including a four - point game against the New York Rangers on December 26 , 2005 . Redden was selected for the Canadian Olympic team along with teammate Dany Heatley . After the 2005 – 06 season , the Senators were faced with having their two top defencemen ( Redden and Zdeno Chara ) becoming unrestricted free agents , and having to choose to sign only one to keep the team salaries within the league - mandated salary cap . The Senators chose Redden and the Senators and Redden agreed on a two - year contract worth $ 13 million with a no - trade clause , and Chara signed with the Boston Bruins . His salary made him the highest paid player on the team and the media and fans expected another top - notch season . The 2006 – 07 NHL season was a difficult one for Redden , playing with a new defensive partner , Andrej Meszaros , who had played with Chara . However , by the time of the playoffs , Redden and Meszaros had jelled and were a strong pairing for the Senators . Redden participated in all of Ottawa ' s run to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals , recording 10 points in 20 playoff games . The Senators lost to the Anaheim Ducks in 5 games . The 2007 – 08 NHL season was eventful for Redden . Newly - promoted general manager Bryan Murray attempted to trade Redden to the Edmonton Oilers during the 2007 NHL Entry Draft . Redden turned down the trade proposal . Trade rumours would swirl around Redden for most of the season . Redden remained a starter with the team and he played in his 800th career NHL game , all with the Senators , on January 10 , 2008 , against the Buffalo Sabres . As the team started to slump , Murray started to look for solutions to turn the team around . In February 2008 , it was revealed that Redden used the no trade clause in his contract to kill a deal that would have sent him to the San Jose Sharks for Matt Carle and a draft pick . As the leaked deal became public , Redden publicly declared his desire to win the Stanley Cup with Ottawa , at the time still the Eastern Conference leader . Within weeks of the aborted trade , the Sharks surpassed Ottawa in the league - wide standings , and the Senators performance continued to decline , the coach was fired and the team struggled into the playoffs . Redden ' s numbers improved slightly over the previous season , but this was overshadowed by the size of his contract and the team ' s overall performance . The 2007 - 08 season was also the last season of the contract and speculation about his re - signing was regularly discussed in the media . Redden made clear that he would take a ' hometown discount ' , taking less money to stay in Ottawa . After the season , the media openly speculated that Redden would be leaving the Senators . New York Rangers . July 1 , 2008 he signed a six - year , $ 39 million contract with the New York Rangers . Redden ' s performance continued to decline in New York where he faced considerable criticism . One writer for the New York Post even called the contract " the worst in the history of the NHL , if not in the history of hard - cap pro sports . " On September 25 , 2010 , the Rangers placed Redden on waivers , the result of the defenseman ' s declining play . The move also allowed the Rangers to fit under salary cap . Redden cleared waivers and was assigned to the Rangers ' minor league farm team , the Hartford Wolf Pack , becoming the highest - paid player in the history of the American Hockey League in the process . Redden , who admittedly contemplated retirement , decided to report and play for Hartford . Of Redden ' s ill - fated signing with the Rangers , one newspaper later commented that " through no fault of his own , ( Redden ) has become the poster - boy for free - agent foolishness " . Personal life . Since moving to Ottawa to play NHL hockey , he became involved in the Ottawa community . Redden sponsored a suite at the Scotiabank Place named " Wade ' s World " reserved for critically and terminally - ill children , that he paid for while a member of the Senators from 1997 until 2008 . He was also involved with the charity " 65 Roses Club " committed to raise money for cystic fibrosis research . Wade also appeared in Road Hockey Rumble in his hometown . During the off - season Redden and his wife , Danica Topolnisky , have a home near Kelowna , British Columbia . After two years of involvement , the couple became engaged in September 2007 . The couple married in August 2008 . International play . Played for Canada in :