Ken Klee
| Ken Klee | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
April 24, 1971 Indianapolis, IN, USA | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Washington Capitals Toronto Maple Leafs New Jersey Devils Colorado Avalanche Atlanta Thrashers Anaheim Ducks Phoenix Coyotes | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL Draft |
177th overall, 1990 Washington Capitals | ||
| Playing career | 1992–2009 | ||
Kenneth William Robert Klee (born April 24, 1971) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played most notably with the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL). Klee was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. The son of an project engineer whose job required frequent moves, he spent portions of his childhood in Indianapolis, Denver, Colorado, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Playing career
Klee was drafted 177th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. Klee would not play for the Capitals until the 1994–95 season, but it did not take him long to become a regular on the squad. Klee played with the Capitals until the end of the 2002–03 season. Klee had played in Washington for 9 seasons, and played in 604 games (regular season and playoffs) when he then became a free agent and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 27, 2003.
In Klee's first season in Toronto, he registered career highs in assists (25) and points (29) despite missing 16 games. On March 8, 2006, a day before the NHL's trading deadline, Klee was traded by the struggling Maple Leafs to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for winger Alexander Suglobov. On July 24, 2006, Klee signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent for the 2006–07 season.[1] Klee finished the season leading the Avalanche with a plus/minus of 18. On July 2, 2007, Klee signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.[2]
On September 26, 2008 into the final year of his contract with the Thrashers, Klee was dealt along with Brad Larsen and Chad Painchaud to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Mathieu Schneider.[3] After starting the 2008–09 season with the Ducks, Klee was claimed off re-entry waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes on October 28, 2008.[4] After playing out the season with the Coyotes and as a free agent, Klee unofficially announced his retirement.[5]
Though not known as a goal scorer, 13 of his 55 career goals were game winning goals, the highest percentage in NHL history.
International play
Klee represent United States at the 1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and senior level at the 1992 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 1997 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships and also at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Coaching career
He is currently coaching the United States women's national ice hockey team at the 2014 4 Nations Cup.[6]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1989–90 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 39 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 37 | 7 | 28 | 35 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 77 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 93 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | ||
| 1993–94 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 65 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 87 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1994–95 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 49 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 66 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 115 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 51 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1998–99 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 78 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 79 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 2000–01 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 54 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2001–02 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 68 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 70 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 89 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 36 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | Did not play, see 2004–05 NHL lockout | |||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 56 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 81 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 72 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 68 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 934 | 55 | 140 | 195 | 880 | 51 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 50 | ||||
Transactions
- Selected by Washington Capitals in 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He was Washington's 9th round choice, 177th overall.
- Signed as a free agent by Toronto on September 27, 2003.
- Traded to New Jersey Devils by Toronto for Aleksander Suglobov on March 8, 2006.
- Signed as a free agent by Colorado Avalanche on July 24, 2006.
- Signed as a free agent by Atlanta Thrashers on July 2, 2007.
- Traded to Anaheim Ducks along with Brad Larsen and Chad Painchaud for Mathieu Schneider on September 26, 2008.
- Claimed off re-entry waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes on October 28, 2008.
References
- ↑ "Avalanche sign defenseman Klee". ESPN. 2006-07-24. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ↑ "Free Agent Klee signs contract with Thrashers". ESPN. 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ↑ Cox, Damien (2008-09-26). "Schneider traded to Atlanta". Toronto: TheStar.com. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ↑ "Coyotes claim Klee off re-entry waivers". nhl.com. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ↑ "(in french) Numminen and Klee announce retirement". RDS. 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/canada-advances-to-final-in-four-nations-cup-1.2828695
External links
- Ken Klee's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Ken Klee's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
