David - Alexandre Beauregard David - Alexandre Beauregard ( born January 28 , 1976 in Montreal , Quebec ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player , currently playing for the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League . Beauregard has had a remarkable 14 - year professional career in the minor league s . Early years . From a very young age Beauregard had been a scorer . When he was seven years old , he scored 230 goals in 43 games . As a junior playing in the QMJHL Beauregard scored 224 points in 190 games ; however in his draft year he was only 5 feet 10 inches and weighed 165 pounds - too small to be selected early in the NHL draft . Despite his size , the San Jose Sharks had shown an interest Beauregard and , on June 28 , 1994 , the Sharks selected him in the 11th round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft , 271st overall . After being drafted , Beauregard returned to the St . Hyacinthe Lasers of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to continue his development . Beauregard believed that his NHL dream was on track , but tragedy struck on October 16 , 1994 , while playing in a game against the Granby Bisons , Beauregard lost all sight in his left eye after the high stick of Xavier Delisle managed to find the gap in the visor he was wearing . Remarkably , despite this , he still scored on the breakaway . Because the NHL prohibits anyone who is blind in one eye from signing a contract , Beauregard ' s NHL dream was over and he was advised to retire from hockey . Refusing to give up the sport he loved , Beauregard made his return to major junior hockey several months later . He has since said " “ I was one of the worst players on the ice . I ’ d lost my depth perception and it took me two months to get some sense of where the puck was . ” " Despite his poor self - perception , after returning to the Lasers he appeared in another 22 games during the 1994 - 95 season , scoring points in 12 of them to help the Lasers into the post - season . In the playoffs he scored another four points in five games , and that year he was awarded the organisation ' s " Humanitarian of the Year " award . Beauregard continued his junior hockey career in the 1995 - 96 season with the Moncton Alpines before switching mid - season to the Hull Olympiques . Again he would display his productivity , with the injury to his eye proving little obstruction to his natural goal scoring ability . Between the two teams , he would total 73 points in just over 50 games . He made the post season with the Olympiques where he scored 7 goals and 9 assists in 18 playoff games . He started his last season of junior eligibility with the Olympiques , but again switched mid - season , this time to join the Shawinigan Cataractes . During this 1996 - 97 season he was able to secure a five - game tryout with the Kentucky Thoroughblades of the AHL . Given only limited ice time , the 21 - year - old made the most of it by scoring three points . However with no shots on goal , it was not enough to convince the AHL team to give a professional contract to a player with just one eye . At the end of the 1996 - 97 season , his junior career was over and the Sharks had by now dropped him from their protected list - but Beauregard continued to pursue a professional career in hockey . Professional career . For the 1997 - 98 season he signed a contract with the Wichita Thunder of the Central Hockey League . Several times during this season he was called up to the Kansas City Blades of the higher - level International Hockey League where he played in 15 games , but for most of the season he remained with the Thunder where he sored 42 goals and 29 assist for 71 points and the CHL Rookie of the Year award . Beauregard ’ s stint with the Blades marked the end of his playing time in the higher minor leagues , but he has never given up on professional hockey . Bouncing around the minor leagues for the next several years , Beauregard skated in the UHL with the Muskegon Fury and Flint Generals during the 1998 - 99 season ; and in the ECHL with the Greensboro Generals and the Charlotte Checkers during the 1999 - 2000 season . In the 2000 - 01 season he returned to the UHL , where he played two seasons with the Port Huron Border Cats , before joining the Fort Wayne Komets for the 2002 - 03 and 2003 - 04 seasons . It was during 2003 - 04 season that Beauregard even made a brief return to his native Quebec where he played 18 games in the short lived QSMHL with the Saint - Jean Mission . For the 2004 - 05 season , Beauregard continued his tour of the UHL , icing for the Port Huron Beacons until the end of the season ( when after failing to make the play offs they would move to become the Roanoke Valley Vipers ) . Beauregard made another brief return to Quebec with the Sorel - Tracy Mission , suiting up just once during the 2004 - 05 season before following the Beacons ' franchise to Roanoake for the 2005 - 06 season . Beauregard , now a veteran with ten years of professional experience , was the only member of the Vipers to have been selected in the NHL draft . Beauregard ’ s successful season with the Vipers , with 76 points in 56 games , led to a late season move to the Danbury Trashers organisation where Beauregard starred in the post - season with 23 points in 18 games . Beauregard left the Trashers in the summer of 2006 following the fraud scandal which enveloped the organisation . He then spent the next two seasons back in the Central Hockey League with his old team the Tulsa Oilers . During the 2006 - 07 and 2007 - 08 seasons he was a regular scorer with the Oilers , although not as prolific as his 50 goals seasons in the UHL . For the 2008 - 09 season Beauregard moved into European hockey with the Manchester Phoenix . Beauregard was paired on a line with player - coach Tony Hand , regarded as the greatest British ice hockey player of all time . A career season would follow for Beauregard , and he would amass 107 points in 68 games , a remarkable achievement . Beauregard was regarded by many Phoenix fans as the greatest player ever to wear the shirt and this was recognised by countless post - season awards , including the EIHL ' s Player of the Season , as well as being selected to the All - Star First Team . Beauregard ' s play would be a major factor into propelling the Phoenix into both domestic cup finals as well as the post - season . Despite the on - ice success in Manchester , financial problems dogged the Phoenix and in the summer of 2009 the organisation announced that for the 2009 - 10 season it would ice in the EPL and operate on a much smaller budget . Consequently Beauregard , as well as much of the senior squad , was released . For the 2009 - 10 season Beauregard ( along with Manchester Phoenix teammate Kenton Smith ) travelled to Itally to joined the HC Valpellice Bulldogs to play Serie A hockey , but before the season was done he was once again back in the CHL with the Tulsa Oilers . For the 2010 - 11 season , Beauregard has returned to the UK , signing to ice for the Challenge Cup champions of the EIHL - the Nottingham Panthers . The future . Beauregard has played 14 seasons ( and counting ) of professional hockey because he was realistic about his hockey career . He knew early on that playing in the NHL was out of the question , but that did not stop him . In a 2005 interview he remarked " “ I still play because I still love to play . I get up in the morning and I can ’ t wait to go to practice . The pay is pretty good , and it ’ s a fine game . I ’ ll play as long as I can . ”