Éric Bélanger

Éric Bélanger (born December 16, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.
==Playing career==
He was drafted in the fourth round, ninety-sixth overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Before making his NHL debut, Bélanger played with the Beauport Harfangs and Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Fredericton Canadiens, Springfield Falcons and Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the International Hockey League. Bélanger made his NHL debut on October 6, 2000. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Bélanger played for HC Bolzano in Italy. 
On September 29, 2006, Bélanger and Tim Gleason were traded to the Hurricanes for Oleg Tverdovsky and Jack Johnson. On February 9, 2007, Bélanger was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for center Josef Vašíček. The following day, he was sent to the Atlanta Thrashers for defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski. During his time in Atlanta, he helped the Thrashers to their first playoff berth where on April 12th, 2007 he scored the first ever Atlanta Thrashers playoff goal off a feed from Niclas Havelid on the powerplay.
On July 3, 2007, Bélanger signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild on a 3-year deal. 
On March 3, 2010, the NHL trade deadline, Bélanger was traded to the Washington Capitals for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In game 5 of the Capitals' 2010 playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, Bélanger took a high stick to the mouth from Canadiens defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron, that resulted in Belanger losing 9 teeth. Moments after the hit, the game telecast showed Belanger on the bench removing a loose tooth from his mouth, using just his fingers and a piece of gauze.
He signed a three-year contract worth $5.25 million with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2011.
==Personal life==
Eric and wife Alexandra have 2 daughters; Oceanne and Lola Pearl.
==Career statistics==
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1994–95 	Beauport Harfangs 	QMJHL 		71 	12 	28 	40 	24 		18 	5 	9 	14 	25
1995–96 	Beauport Harfangs 	QMJHL 		59 	35 	48 	83 	18 		20 	13 	14 	27 	6
1996–97 	Beauport Harfangs 	QMJHL 		31 	13 	37 	50 	30 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1996–97 	Rimouski Océanic 	QMJHL 		31 	26 	41 	67 	36 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1997–98 	Fredericton Canadiens	AHL 		56 	17 	34 	51 	28 		4 	2 	1 	3 	2
1998–99 	Long Beach Ice Dogs 	IHL 		1 	0 	0 	0 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1998–99 	Springfield Falcons 	AHL 		33 	8 	18 	26 	10 		3 	0 	1 	1 	2
1999–00 	Lowell Lock Monsters 	AHL 		65 	15 	25 	40 	20 		7 	3 	3 	6 	2
2000–01 	Lowell Lock Monsters 	AHL 		13 	8 	10 	18 	4 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2000–01 	Los Angeles Kings 	NHL 		62 	9 	12 	21 	16 		13 	1 	4 	5 	2
2001–02 	Los Angeles Kings 	NHL 		53 	8 	16 	24 	21 		7 	0 	0 	0 	4
2002–03 	Los Angeles Kings 	NHL 		62 	16 	19 	35 	26 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Los Angeles Kings 	NHL 		81 	13 	20 	33 	44 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2004–05 	Bolzano-Bozen Foxes 	Serie A 		12 	13 	10 	23 	20 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2005–06 	Los Angeles Kings 	NHL 		65 	17 	20 	37 	62 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Carolina Hurricanes 	NHL 		56 	8 	12 	20 	14 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	Atlanta Thrashers 	NHL 		24 	9 	6 	15 	12 		4 	1 	0 	1 	12
2007–08 	Minnesota Wild 	NHL 		75 	13 	24 	37 	30 		6 	0 	0 	0 	4
2008–09 	Minnesota Wild 	NHL 		79 	13 	23 	36 	26 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	Minnesota Wild 	NHL 		60 	13 	22 	35 	28 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	Washington Capitals 	NHL 		17 	2 	4 	6 	4 		7 	0 	1 	1 	4
2010–11 	Phoenix Coyotes 	NHL 		82 	13 	27 	40 	36 		4 	0 	0 	0 	2
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		716 	134 	205 	339 	319 		41 	2 	5 	7 	28
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1977
Category:Atlanta Thrashers players
Category:Beauport Harfangs alumni
Category:Bolzano HC players
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Carolina Hurricanes players
Category:Edmonton Oilers players
Category:Fredericton Canadiens players
Category:Lowell Lock Monsters players
Category:Long Beach Ice Dogs players
Category:Los Angeles Kings draft picks
Category:Los Angeles Kings players
Category:Minnesota Wild players
Category:Phoenix Coyotes players
Category:Rimouski Océanic alumni
Category:Springfield Falcons players
Category:Washington Capitals players