Mark Bell

Mark Bell (born August 5, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently signed by the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL. 
==Playing career==
Bell started playing hockey at four years old, and grew up admiring Wayne Gretzky and Doug Gilmour. He played four seasons in the minor Ontario Hockey League with the Ottawa 67's, and was part of the Memorial Cup championship in 1998–99.
===Chicago Blackhawks===
He was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft as the eighth overall pick, and scored his first goal against Patrick Roy. Bell's time with Chicago was moderately successful
Bell was a bronze medalist with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 2000.
===San Jose Sharks===
In the summer of 2006, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in a three-way deal involving Chicago and the Ottawa Senators Bell signed a US$6.5 million contract July 2006, which paid US$2 million for the first two years of the contract and US$2.5 million for the final year. He was initially placed on a line with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, however Bell never lived up to expectations and could not duplicate the numbers that he put up in Chicago, and so was demoted to the fourth line, often being a healthy scratch.
===Toronto Maple Leafs===
He was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs via trade at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft on June 22, 2007. After becoming part of the Leafs, Bell was then suspended the first 15 games for his DUI conviction (see below). On October 6, 2008, Bell was placed on waivers,
 which cleared the way for him being assigned to Toronto's AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
===Recent===
On February 25, 2009, Bell was placed on re-entry waivers and claimed by the New York Rangers. He was then assigned to the Rangers' AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
He was invited to Philadelphia Flyers training camp on September 2 and signed on October 6, 2009 with Nationalliga A club Kloten Flyers from Switzerland. In November 2010, the Kloten Flyers announced that Bell would not receive a new contract.
Bell played for Team Canada at the 2009 and 2010 Spengler Cups. On July 20, 2011, Bell signed a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL.
==Legal trouble==
During the 2006 Labour Day weekend, in Milpitas, California, Bell's rented Toyota Camry was traveling an estimated 100 km per hour when it rear-ended a pickup truck at a stop sign driven by Jose Luis Villafana, the latter's vehicle being hit 15 metres up a steep hill and wrapped it around a telephone pole. The victim was uninsured and unlicensed and suffered multiple head, back and leg injuries in the crash. Bell was arrested shortly after walking away from the accident. He blew .201 in a breathalyzer test about a half-hour after the accident, and a blood test revealed a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, considerably higher than the legal limit of 0.08.
Bell was charged with hit and run and driving under the influence. Both are felony offences. His arraignment was set for January 3, 2007. Bell pleaded no contest to drunk driving causing injury and hit-and-run on August 14, 2007. Prior to sentencing, Bell had to pay restitution, including medical bills and the cost of the vehicle to Villafana, who has also filed a civil suit seeking "unlimited damages" which was later settled out of court. He was to serve six months in jail after completing the 2007–08 hockey season but later told to work in a California jail which he did from June 2, 2008 to August 15, 2008.
In addition to his conviction, Bell was placed in Stage 2 of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse Program and was suspended for 15 games without pay by the NHL on September 12, 2007. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman justified the suspension, saying "Playing in the National Hockey League is a privilege, and with that privilege comes a corresponding responsibility for exemplary conduct off the ice as well as on it". The NHLPA disagreed, saying "there is no legitimate purpose served by adding a substantial league disciplinary suspension to the severe sanctions that have already been imposed". Leafs manager John Ferguson, Jr., who drew criticism for the trade, had anticipated that Bell would face some sort of suspension, however based upon past precedent they did not expect it to be so lengthy. This had been suggested as a sign that the NHL was imposing stricter discipline for off-ice antics of players, after Michael Vick was expelled from the NFL as a result of his conviction for running a dog-fighting ring.
Bell has stated that as a result of the accident, realizing that his career was slipping away because of his irresponsibility, he has changed his lifestyle and has been sober since then, saying "Now, every day I wake up I realize I'm living a dream. It's taken a while for me to understand that. Now that I have, I'm going to grab it. My fun now is at the rink".
==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
1996–97 	Ottawa 67's 	OHL 		65 	8 	12 	20 	40 		24 	4 	7 	11 	13
1997–98 	Ottawa 67's 	OHL 		55 	34 	26 	60 	87 		13 	6 	5 	11 	14
1998–99 	Ottawa 67's 	OHL 		44 	29 	26 	55 	69 		9 	6 	5 	11 	8
1999–00 	Ottawa 67's 	OHL 		48 	34 	38 	72 	95 		2 	0 	1 	1 	0
2000–01 	Norfolk Admirals 	AHL 		61 	15 	27 	42 	126 		9 	4 	3 	7 	10
2000–01 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		13 	0 	1 	1 	4 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2001–02 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		80 	12 	16 	28 	124 		5 	0 	0 	0 	8
2002–03 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		82 	14 	15 	29 	113 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2003–04 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		82 	21 	24 	45 	106 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2005–06 	Chicago Blackhawks 	NHL 		82 	25 	23 	48 	107 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2006–07 	San Jose Sharks 	NHL 		71 	11 	10 	21 	83 		4 	0 	0 	0 	2
2007–08 	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL 		35 	4 	6 	10 	60 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2008–09 	Toronto Marlies 	AHL 		56 	12 	15 	27 	34 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2008–09 	Hartford Wolf Pack 	AHL 		18 	6 	8 	14 	31 		5 	1 	0 	1 	4
2009–10 	Kloten Flyers 	NLA 		39 	13 	14 	27 	69 		10 	1 	4 	5 	29
2010–11 	Kloten Flyers 	NLA 		41 	16 	9 	25 	58 		18 	6 	3 	9 	60
OHL total	OHL total 	OHL total		212 	105 	102 	207 	291 		48 	16 	18 	34 	35
AHL total	AHL total 	AHL total		145 	33 	50 	83 	191 		14 	5 	3 	8 	14
NHL total	NHL total 	NHL total		445 	87 	95 	182 	597 		9 	0 	0 	0 	10
NLA total	NLA total 	NLA total		80 	29 	23 	52 	127 		28 	7 	7 	14 	89
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1980
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Chicago Blackhawks draft picks
Category:Chicago Blackhawks players
Category:Hartford Wolf Pack players
Category:Kloten Flyers players
Category:Memorial Cup winners
Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks
Category:Norfolk Admirals players
Category:Ottawa 67's alumni
Category:San Jose Sharks players
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players
Category:Toronto Marlies players
Category:Trondheim Black Panthers players