Daniel Boyle Canadian professional ice hockey player Date of Birth: 12.07.1976 Country: Canada

Biography of Daniel Boyle

Daniel Boyle, a Canadian professional hockey player, is currently a defenseman and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Boyle was born on July 12, 1976, in Ottawa, Canada. After spending four years with the Miami RedHawks in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Daniel signed a contract with the Florida Panthers as a free agent on March 30, 1998. He spent his first two seasons in the American Hockey League before becoming a full-time player for the Panthers in the 2000-01 season.

In the following season, Boyle was traded to the Lightning in the fifth round of the draft for Martin Tuma. After a season with 20 points in 41 games, he re-signed with Tampa Bay for one year before returning to the Florida Panthers. Boyle quickly became a serious threat to Tampa Bay Lightning's opponents, playing at the level of Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards. In his first full season with the team, he scored 53 points and 13 goals, helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2004. Due to the NHL lockout in the 2004-05 season, Daniel played for the Swedish hockey team Djurgårdens IF. After the lockout, Boyle continued his career in the NHL, scoring 53 points and 15 goals in the 2005-2006 season.

On December 23, 2006, Boyle celebrated his first hat trick in a game against the New York Rangers, with his team winning 4-3. Following his career growth, Boyle experienced a serious setback in performance, and in September 2007, he injured three tendons in his left hand in a strange incident where a skate fell off a hook in the dressing room. After wrist surgery, he attempted to return to the ice on October 29 but had to undergo another additional wrist surgery and miss 36 games. Boyle finally returned to form on January 24, 2008, scoring two goals in his comeback game and later signing a $40 million contract. Despite re-signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 4, 2008, Boyle was traded to the San Jose Sharks, along with Brad Lukowich, for Matt Carle and Ty Wishart. As of December 31, 2009, Boyle scored his 100th goal as a member of the Sharks in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes, which ended in a 3-2 victory.

On the international sports scene, Boyle made his debut for the Canadian national team in 2005 at the World Championship in Austria during the NHL lockout. He recorded three assists in nine games, helping Canada defeat the Czech Republic 3-0 and win silver medals. The following year, Daniel was named as a reserve player for the Canadian national team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin when Scott Niedermayer and Ed Jovanovski were unable to play due to injuries. However, he did not participate in the Olympics. Instead, Steve Yzerman named Boyle as a full member of the Olympic team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. On February 28, Daniel, along with the Canadian national team, won the gold medal by defeating the United States. This was Canada's eighth gold medal in men's ice hockey. During one of the games in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Calgary Flames, a fire broke out at Boyle's home in Florida, resulting in an estimated $300,000 in damages.