DMV NHL All Stars

Jeff Halpern isn’t a rarity. “Local kid grows up to play for hometown club” headlines pop up every day…in Toronto, New York, Edmonton. But Washington, DC is not them. Who joins Halpern as DC’s all stars?

Young athletes from the DC area (The DMV, colloquially, and I’m sorry I had to write that) grow up to professionally play basketball (106), baseball (100), and football (55). Hockey players come in dead last behind soccer (10), tennis (8), golf (7), pro wrestling (6), motorsports (4). These are the numbers today, not counting draft picks and collegiate prospects, and years away from seeing any Ovechkin Effect.

The number from DC is 3. Three NHLers from the District of Columbia, ever, which isn’t terribly surprising given the population and hockey resources within the District. Three also does not compromise much of list so the entirety of the DMV was scouted. And Delaware, because no one should be left out. These collection of one district and three states have given the NHL a total of eleven players.

This list is based solely of recorded city of birth, which gives way to some inconsistencies. Jeff Halpern was born in either Washington, DC or Potomac, MD. Thankfully both locations qualify here. Also, depending on who you consult, there are either 3 NHLers or two professional hockey players from DC. The only constant? Jeff Halpern. For this exercise we’ll look at the NHLers.

Here is your DC/MD/VA/DE NHL All Star Team!

That is…that is a thing to see. Five of these names ring a bell. And not a single right wing. (Insert political joke here.)

Scott Lachance, respected former New York Islander. Owner of the #7. Mark Eaton, another former Islander, was a Pittsburgh Penguin during there 2-year stint in the Stanley Cup Final, claiming the trophy in 2009. Generally pedestrian few years on Long Island. Kevyn Adams won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Eric Weinrich was one of the most reliable defensemen of his generation, playing over 1100 NHL games and representing the United States multiple times in international competition.

The most successful of the least known was Bill Nyrop. He was a member of three Stanley Cup winning Montreal teams, a solid contributor to the 1977 and 1978 squads. He practiced law in Chicago after retiring.

The others, not so much.

Jeff Brubaker had an uneventful career spanning eleven years and seven teams. Jeremy Duchesne and Jamie Fritsch were both one-hit wonders with the Flyers. Chris Bala dressed for Ottawa six times. Jim Walsh was a Sabre for four games.

There you have it, the DMV-D All Stars…Jeff Halpern and Kevyn Adams.