An Ice Hockey Wiki article.

Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Phoenix Coyotes Vancouver Canucks Florida Panthers
Nationality	Canadian
Born	June 26 1976 (1976-06-26) (age 33), Windsor, Ontario, CAN
NHL Draft	1st overall, 1994 Florida Panthers
Pro Career	1995 – present

Edward Jovanovski (born June 26, 1976) is a Canadian professional defenceman currently playing for the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Florida Panthers, by whom he was originally drafted in 1994, and Vancouver Canucks.

Early life

Jovanovski was born in Windsor, Ontario, to Macedonian immigrants. Coming from an athletic family, his father, Kostadin Jovanovski was a professional soccer player in Yugoslavia. Jovanovski played minor hockey in his hometown before beginning his major junior career in 1993–94.

Playing career

Major junior

Jovanovski played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with his hometown team, the Windsor Spitfires. In his rookie season with the Spitfires, Jovanovski led all team defencemen in scoring, with 50 points in 62 games, and was named to the OHL All-Rookie Team, as well as the OHL Second All-Star Team. That off-season, Jovanovski was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted, Jovanovski played one more season for Windsor and was named to the OHL First All-Star Team before joining the Florida Panthers in 1995–96.

Florida Panthers

In his rookie season in the NHL, Jovanovski embarked on a Cinderella run with the Florida Panthers to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals. Facing the Colorado Avalanche, they were swept in four games. Jovanovski established himself as an NHL star in the making, being nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie (won by Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators), and named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

On January 17, 1999, after three and a half seasons with the Panthers, Jovanovski was traded in a blockbuster, seven-player deal to the Vancouver Canucks. He was sent with Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, Kevin Weekes and a first round draft choice in 2000 (Nathan Smith) in exchange for superstar Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a third round draft choice in 2000 (Robert Fried).

Vancouver Canucks

Joining the Vancouver Canucks in the midst of a rebuilding period for the franchise, Jovanovski quickly established himself as a top defencemen in Vancouver's lineup. After one full season with the Canucks, Jovanovski underwent a breakout campaign in 2000–01, leading all team defencemen with 47 points in 79 games, earning him the first of three consecutive Babe Pratt Trophies (the fan-voted Canucks' best defenceman). Jovanovski's contributions in 2000–01 helped the Canucks return to the playoffs after a six-year absence.

As a Canuck, Jovanovski enjoyed consistent offensive production, indicated by three consecutive 40-point campaigns (spanning from 2000–01 to 2002–03); his ability to join the rush as a defencemen complemented the Canucks' up-tempo style of play. Offensively and defensively, he was a key member of the Canucks' regular season success that culminated in a Northwest Division title in 2003–04.

Due to the NHL lockout, Jovanovski spent the 2004–05 season inactive. When the NHL resumed play in 2005–06, Jovanovski was on pace for a career year, but was cut short due to groin injuries that put him out the lineup twice before the season was over. He finished with 33 points in 44 games.

Phoenix Coyotes

Failing to come to terms with the Canucks after his contract expired following the 2005–06 season, Jovanovski became an unrestricted free agent and joined the Phoenix Coyotes in July 2006, signing a five-year, $32.5 million contract. His first season with the Coyotes, however, was plagued once more with injury, limiting him to 29 points in 54 games. Like the Canucks when they first acquired Jovanovski, the Coyotes also signed Jovanovski during a rebuilding period.

In 2007–08, Jovanovski set a career high in points with 51.

International play

During his junior career, Jovanovski competed for Team Canada at the 1995 World Junior Championships, where he helped Canada capture gold. He made two medal-less appearances at the World Championships in 1998 and 2000 before being chosen to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Playing the United States in the gold medal game, Jovanovski earned an assist on the game winning goal, backhanding a saucer pass from the point to Joe Sakic on a two-man advantage to clinch the gold medal in a 5–2 victory.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Jovanovski played for Team Canada in the 2004 World Cup, earning a gold medal, and 2005 World Championships, earning silver. In the World Cup, however, Jovanovski only played one game, injuring himself in the first game against the United States. Making his fourth World Championships appearance in 2008, Jovanovski earned a second straight silver medal, losing to Russia in overtime of the gold medal game.

Awards and achievements

OHL

• OHL All-Rookie Team - 1994
• OHL Second All-Star Team - 1994
• OHL First All-Star Team - 1995

NHL

• NHL All-Rookie Team - 1996
• Calder Memorial Trophy Runner-up - 1996
• NHL All-Star Game - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008

Vancouver Canucks

• Babe Pratt Trophy (Canucks' best defenceman) - 2001, 2002, 2003

Transactions

• June 28, 1994 - Drafted by the Florida Panthers first overall.
• January 17, 1999 - Traded to the Vancouver Canucks with Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, Kevin Weekes and a 2000 NHL Entry Draft first round draft choice (Nathan Smith) for Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a 2000 NHL Entry Draft third round draft choice (Robert Fried).
• July 1, 2006 - Signed a 5-year, $32.5 million contract as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Career statistics

International statistics

External links

• Ed Jovanovski's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database