Ethan Moreau

Ethan Moreau (born Ethan Byron Moreau on September 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.

He was selected in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft (14th overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Ethan also played with the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL.

Minor Playing Career
Ethan played his minor hockey with the Huntsville Blues of the OMHA before playing Jr.B. hockey for the Orillia Terriers in the 1990—91 season.

Junior Playing Career
Pre-OHL, Ethan played OHA-B junior hockey in Orillia, Ontario, for the Orillia Terriers where he won the coveted Steve Philips Memorial Award for Most Improved Player (1990—91 season).

When he was selected by the Blackhawks, he had just completed his third year in the OHL, playing for Niagara Falls.

In addition to good physical presence and skating, Ethan had shown a remarkable scoring touch in his draft year.

The Blackhawks allowed Ethan to play another year in junior (for Sudbury), before bringing him to their IHL team in Indianapolis. He also saw spot duty in the NHL, playing 8 games.

NHL Career
The 1996-97 NHL season was Ethan's first full year in the NHL, and he went on to play parts of four seasons with Chicago.

On March 20, 1999, he was dealt in a blockbuster trade to the Edmonton Oilers along with Chad Kilger, Daniel Cleary and Christian Laflamme in exchange for Boris Mironov, Dean McAmmond and Jonas Elofsson.

Although Ethan has not shown the scoring touch he had in junior hockey, he has been an excellent checking forward for the Oilers, providing leadership and grit from their third line.

In 2003–04, he scored a career-high 20 goals and was one of the team's best players in a failed late run for the playoffs.

The following NHL season was cancelled due to the lockout, so Ethan played with EC VSV Villach of the Austrian Hockey League.

Ethan was part of the Edmonton Oilers team that made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals, however, the Oilers lost in game 7 of the finals to the Carolina Hurricanes. He had 2 goals and 1 assist in the 2006 playoffs.

On October 6, 2006, Ethan was signed by the Oilers to a 4-year contract extension, staving off the unrestricted free agency and keeping the winger with the team through the 2010–2011 NHL season.

On October 2, 2007, Ethan was named captain of the Oilers, replacing the recently departed Jason Smith, however, a day later on October 3, 2007, he fractured his tibia bone, (blocking a shot by Adrian Aucoin) during an exhibition game, which would result in missing 38 games.

Ethan returned during the mid-season, only to be injured again with a broken left leg on February 25th.

He had struggled with injuries during the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons and managed to play only 32 games, between these two seasons.

Ethan was also the last remaining asset that the Oilers retained, as a result of the Wayne Gretzky trade — taking all subsequent trades into account.

He was also one of the longest serving Oiler players in recent history, having been a member of the team from March 20, 1999 until June 30, 2010.

On January 18, 2009, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 6-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

On February 28, 2009 (during a game against the Minnesota Wild in Edmonton), Ethan suffered an eye injury after Antti Miettinen of the Wild caught him with a high stick which sent him sprawling to the ice.

Doctors at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton concluded that he suffered a scratched cornea and bleeding behind the eye.

On June 18, 2009, he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for best exemplifying leadership qualities on and off the ice and by also making significant humanitarian contributions to the Oilers Community Foundation.

On June 30, 2010, Ethan was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Had he gone unclaimed, the Oilers were intending to buy out the final year of his contract.

On August 20, 2011, Ethan signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings for $600,000.

Retirement
On June 20, 2012 (following the Kings' Stanley Cup Championship), Ethan joined the Montreal Canadiens' scouting staff as a professional scout for the Western Conference.