| Played For: | San Jose Sharks Mighty Ducks of Anaheim New Jersey Devils Washington Capitals Calgary Flames Eisbären Berlin |
| Position: | Left wing |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 1 |
| Weight Lb: | 200 |
| Ntl Team: | Canada |
| Birth Date: | 5 August 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Draft: | 11th overall |
| Draft Year: | 1994 |
| Draft Team: | San Jose Sharks |
| Career Start: | 1994 |
| Career End: | 2011 |
Jeffrey Daryl Friesen (born August 5, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League, spending roughly half his career with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. The rest of his career was spent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and Calgary Flames. He won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003.
Friesen played his junior years with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL) where he was Rookie of the Year in 1993. He was selected 11th overall in the first round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. He played 14 season in the NHL as a winger, originally as a left winger but also as a right winger.
Friesen played nearly seven seasons with the Sharks, becoming their 3rd all-time leading scorer, but was traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim near the end of the 2000–01 season. After playing the following season with the Ducks, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils for the 2002–03 season where he won the Stanley Cup.[1] In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Ottawa Senators that year, Friesen scored the game-winning goal with just under three minutes left in regulation in Game 7. It was his third game-winning goal of the series. Then in Game 7 of the finals, he scored two goals against his former team, the Ducks en route to the Devils' third Stanley Cup championship.
On September 26, 2005, the salary cap-troubled Devils traded Friesen to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional 2006 draft pick. On March 9, 2006, he was moved again to the Ducks for a second-round draft pick, but spent a significant part of the 2005–06 season sidelined with a groin injury.
Friesen was signed by the Calgary Flames on July 5, 2006 to a 1-year $1.6 million contract for the 2006–07 season. After a disappointing season that had Friesen producing six goals and six assists in seventy-two games, the Calgary Flames chose not to re-sign him. He played in the AHL as a left wing for the Lake Erie Monsters before January 29, 2008, when Friesen was released.
Friesen attended the San Jose Sharks' 2008 training camp on a tryout basis.[2] On October 9, 2008, Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced that Friesen had been released from training camp.[3] On August 29, 2009, Friesen signed a one-year contract with the Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).[4]
Friesen is tied with Jamie Baker for the Sharks single-season short-handed goals record with 6, set in the 1997–98 season.[5] On February 21, 2015 he returned to San Jose (Santa Clara) where he was introduced along with several other former Shark players before the outdoor Stadium Series game vs. the L.A. Kings at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
Friesen and his ex-wife Rhonda have a daughter and son together.[6] [7]
| Team | League | GP | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | Regina Pats | WHL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Regina Pats | WHL | 70 | 45 | 38 | 83 | 23 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | Regina Pats | WHL | 66 | 51 | 67 | 118 | 48 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1994–95 | Regina Pats | WHL | 25 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 48 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 79 | 15 | 31 | 46 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 82 | 28 | 34 | 62 | 75 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 79 | 31 | 32 | 63 | 40 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 78 | 22 | 35 | 57 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 1999–2000 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 82 | 26 | 35 | 61 | 47 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | ||
| 2000–01 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 64 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 15 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 81 | 17 | 26 | 43 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 26 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 33 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 72 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Eisbären Berlin | DEL | 53 | 15 | 30 | 45 | 130 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Eisbären Berlin | DEL | 30 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 893 | 218 | 298 | 516 | 488 | 84 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 48 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Canada | WJC | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1995 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1996 | Canada | WC | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1997 | Canada | WC | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | ||
| 1999 | Canada | WC | 4th | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2001 | Canada | WC | 5th | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2004 | Canada | WC | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Junior totals | 12 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 42 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 32 | ||||