Chris Higgins with the the canucks
Christopher Higgins (born June 2, 1983) is an American player with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career[]
Originally from Whitestone, New York, Higgins was an All-American at Yale University. Before attending Yale University Chris went to Avon Old Farms, a preparatory school in Avon, Connecticut. Higgins grew up as a Montreal Canadiens fan, his favorite players being Patrick Roy and Kirk Muller.
Montreal Canadiens[]
Higgins scored his first career goal on October 6, 2005, against New York Rangers goalie Kevin Weekes in front of friends and family attending the game at Madison Square Garden.
He was a runner-up for best offensive player during the first week of March, which was won by Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Staal.
On April 6, 2006, at 14:31 of the third period in a 5–3 win over the Boston Bruins, Higgins became the latest Habs rookie to score 20 or more goals in a season, following Saku Koivu (1995–96) and Michael Ryder (2003–04).
In the 2006–07 season he suffered an ankle injury (left high ankle sprain) that left him sidelined for six weeks.
Prior to the start of the 2007–08 season, Higgins was named alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens. He was later replaced in that role, by Mike Komisarek during the 2008–09 season.
On November 11, 2008, Higgins got his first hat trick in a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Career statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | ||
| 1999–00 | Avon Old Farms | USHS | 27 | 19 | 20 | 39 | - | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Avon Old Farms | USHS | 24 | 22 | 13 | 35 | - | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Yale | NCAA | 27 | 14 | 17 | 31 | - | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Yale | NCAA | 28 | 20 | 21 | 41 | - | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 67 | 21 | 27 | 48 | -16 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -7 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 76 | 28 | 23 | 51 | +9 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | +2 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 23 | 15 | 38 | -1 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 61 | 22 | 16 | 38 | -11 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 0 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 57 | 12 | 11 | 23 | -1 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 282 | 95 | 67 | 162 | -13 | 96 | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | -3 | 4 | ||||