Darren Banks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Darren Banks |
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| Born | March 18, 1966 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1989–2005 | ||
Darren Alexander Banks (born March 18, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a left wing and was known for his tough style of play. Darren played in 20 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins from 1992 to 1994. He also spent a lot of time playing in the minor leagues and briefly in Europe. His hockey career lasted from 1989 to 2005.
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Darren Banks' Hockey Journey
Darren Banks started his college hockey career in 1986. He played for the Brock Badgers for three seasons. His best year in college was his last, when he scored 33 points in 26 games. He also spent 88 minutes in the penalty box. While at Brock University, he studied sociology.
Starting as a Pro Player
After college, Banks became a professional player. He signed with the Knoxville Cherokees in the ECHL for the 1989–90 season. This was his most successful season, with 47 points in 52 games. He also spent 258 minutes in the penalty box. The NHL's Calgary Flames noticed his talent. They signed him and sent him to their minor league team, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. He played six games there. Banks also played two games for the Fort Wayne Komets that season.
Playing in the Minor Leagues
Banks returned to the Golden Eagles for the 1990–91 season. He played 56 games, scoring 16 points and getting 286 penalty minutes. The next season, he continued with Salt Lake City. He played 55 games, scoring ten points and getting 303 penalty minutes.
Time with the Boston Bruins
In 1992, Banks signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent. He mostly played for Boston's farm team, the Providence Bruins. However, he made his NHL debut on October 8, 1992. This game was against the Hartford Whalers. In his first game, he was involved in a physical play that led to a penalty.
During that season, Banks played 15 more games with Boston. He also played 46 games for Providence. He stayed with the Bruins for the next season, playing four games for Boston and 41 for Providence. Banks scored both of his NHL goals in the same game. This happened on October 15, 1992, when Boston beat the San Jose Sharks 8–2.
Moving to Different Teams
The 1994–95 season saw Banks play for many different teams. He played for the Adirondack Red Wings and Portland Pirates in the AHL. He also played for the Las Vegas Thunder in the IHL. He finished the season with the Detroit Falcons. Both Adirondack and the Falcons were connected to the Detroit Red Wings.
The next season, Banks mainly played for the Falcons. He played 38 games, scoring 28 points and getting 290 penalty minutes. He also played six games for the Utica Blizzard. Later, he returned to the Las Vegas Thunder.
In the 1996–97 season, Banks played only for the Detroit Vipers in the IHL. He scored 23 points in 64 games and had a career-high 306 penalty minutes. The Vipers had a great season, winning the regular season and then the Turner Cup championship.
Later Career and Overseas Play
Banks started the 1997–98 season with the Québec Rafales. He then moved to the San Antonio Dragons. After a short time there, he returned to the Detroit Vipers. The Vipers had another strong playoff run, reaching the final. He played for the Vipers again in the 1998-99 season.
In 1999, Banks went overseas to play for the London Knights in the UK. He played 23 games there. After a game in January 2000, he was involved in a physical incident with another player and a game official. This led to a suspension and a fine. Before the punishment was announced, Banks left the UK. He then signed with the Port Huron Border Cats in the UHL.
The next year, Banks signed with the Knoxville Speed. After 20 games, he was traded back to Port Huron. He also played eight games with the Phoenix Mustangs. Banks did not play hockey between 2001 and 2003. In the 2003-04 season, he played seven games for the Jacksonville Barracudas. The next year, he played two games with the Kansas City Outlaws. After that, Banks retired from professional hockey.
Roller Hockey Career
Besides ice hockey, Darren Banks also played professional roller hockey. This usually happened during the ice hockey off-season. In the summer of 1995, Banks played for the Anaheim Bullfrogs. Even though he was new to rollerblades, he scored 21 points in 17 games. He also had 86 penalty minutes. Banks played for the Bullfrogs again in 1996 before being traded to the Long Island Jawz.
Awards and Achievements
- IHL Turner Cup Champion (1997)
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1986–87 | Brock University | CIAU | 24 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Brock University | CIAU | 26 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Brock University | CIAU | 26 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Knoxville Cherokees | ECHL | 52 | 25 | 22 | 47 | 258 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1990–91 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 56 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 286 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1991–92 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | IHL | 55 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 303 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 43 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 199 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 41 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 189 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Detroit Falcons | CoHL | 22 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 51 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 59 | ||
| 1995–96 | Detroit Falcons | CoHL | 38 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 290 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Utica Blizzard | CoHL | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Las Vegas Thunder | IHL | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | ||
| 1996–97 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 64 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 306 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 40 | ||
| 1997–98 | Québec Rafales | IHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | San Antonio Dragons | IHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 59 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 175 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 97 | ||
| 1998–99 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 58 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 296 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | ||
| 1999–00 | London Knights | BISL | 23 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Port Huron Border Cats | UHL | 17 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Knoxville Speed | UHL | 20 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Port Huron Border Cats | UHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Phoenix Mustangs | WCHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Jacksonville Barracudas | WHA2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Kansas City Outlaws | UHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| IHL totals | 318 | 46 | 55 | 101 | 1421 | 58 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 242 | ||||
| NHL totals | 20 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Roller Hockey
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995 | Anaheim Bullfrogs | RHI | 17 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | Anaheim Bullfrogs | RHI | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | Long Island Jawz | RHI | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| RHI totals | 30 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 153 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Life After Hockey
As of November 2019, Darren Banks works as an Executive casino host in Las Vegas. He works at The D Casino and will also work at Circa when it opens. Before this, he worked for CP Rail.
Because he played for teams linked to the Detroit Red Wings, he is a Red Wings Alumni member. He has also worked with the Detroit Hockey Association. He helped with the Hockey in the Hood tournament, which was started by Willie O'Ree. This program helps introduce hockey to children from diverse backgrounds in inner-city areas.
In 2013, Banks was one of many former NHL players who joined a lawsuit. This lawsuit was about head injuries and concussions from playing hockey. Due to his time playing, Banks has experienced memory problems.
