Fernando Pisani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fernando Pisani |
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Pisani with the Edmonton Oilers in April 2009
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| Born | December 27, 1976 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Edmonton Oilers Chicago Blackhawks SCL Tigers HC Asiago Södertälje SK |
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| NHL Draft | 195th overall, 1996 Edmonton Oilers |
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| Playing career | 2000–2011 | ||
Fernando Antonio Pisani (born December 27, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a right winger. He spent seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with his hometown team, the Edmonton Oilers. He also played one season for the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Playing Career
Fernando Pisani started his hockey journey in junior leagues. He played for the St. Albert Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). In one season, he scored an amazing 103 points in 58 games.
Because of his great play, the Edmonton Oilers picked him in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He was chosen in the eighth round, as the 195th overall pick. After being drafted, Pisani played four years of college hockey. He attended Providence College before turning professional.
Starting in the Pros
In the 2000–01 season, the Oilers sent Pisani to their minor league team. This team was the Hamilton Bulldogs in the American Hockey League (AHL). He played two full seasons with the Bulldogs.
In his third AHL season (2002–03), Pisani was called up to the NHL. He joined the Edmonton Oilers. On February 5, 2003, he scored his very first NHL goal. This goal helped the Oilers win 2-1 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He finished that season playing 35 games for the Oilers. He scored 13 points. Pisani is often called a "late bloomer." This means he didn't start playing in the NHL until he was 27 years old.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Pisani played overseas. He went to Europe to play hockey. He played in Switzerland for SCL Tigers and in Italy for HC Asiago.
2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hero
When the NHL started playing again in the 2005–06 season, Pisani had a great year. He scored a career-high 18 goals and 19 assists, totaling 37 points. The Oilers made it into the playoffs as the eighth and final team in their conference.
Even though they were the lowest-ranked team, the Oilers went on an amazing "cinderella run." This means they surprised everyone by doing much better than expected. They made it all the way to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. There, they played against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Pisani became a playoff hero during this time. He played much better than usual. Against the top-ranked Detroit Red Wings, he scored two goals in the final game. These goals helped the Oilers win 4-2 and move on. In the next round against the San Jose Sharks, Pisani scored two more goals. One of these was the game winner.
In the finals against Carolina, the Oilers were facing elimination. In Game 5, the game went into overtime. The Oilers were also playing with one less player because of a penalty. This is called a shorthanded situation. Pisani intercepted a pass and scored his second goal of the game. He scored on a breakaway to keep the Oilers from being eliminated. This was a historic moment. It was the first time in Stanley Cup Finals history that an overtime game was decided by a shorthanded goal. Pisani then scored the Oilers' only goal in Game 7, but they lost the game and the series.
Pisani finished the playoffs with 14 goals. This was the most goals by any player in the playoffs that year. He also scored 5 game-winning goals. This was almost as many goals as he scored in the entire regular season! After his amazing playoff performance, the Oilers signed him to a new contract. It was a four-year, $10 million deal.
Dealing with Illness
After his big playoff season, Pisani scored 28 points in the 2006–07 season. However, the Oilers did not make the playoffs that year.
Before the 2007–08 season began, Pisani was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. This is a long-term condition that affects the large intestine. It caused him to miss the first 26 games of the season. He returned to play for the Oilers on December 2, 2007. That year, he was nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy. This award is given to a player who shows great perseverance and dedication to hockey. The award that year went to Jason Blake, who played with a serious illness but still played in every game.
Final NHL Years
The 2008–09 season was shorter for Pisani due to an injury. He played in only 38 games. He scored seven goals and had eight assists.
After his contract with the Oilers ended, Pisani became an unrestricted free agent. This means he could sign with any team he wanted. He signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2010–11 season. The Blackhawks had just won the Stanley Cup. He played in 60 games for them and scored 16 points.
On January 1, 2012, a Swedish team called Södertälje SK announced that Pisani would join them. However, just nine days later, Pisani decided not to play. He said he didn't feel he was playing well enough to help the team.
Personal Life
Fernando Pisani went to St. Cecilia Junior High School and Archbishop O'Leary Catholic High School. He went to school with another hockey player, Sheldon Souray. Fernando and his wife, Heidi, have two sons and one daughter.
Records
- First player to score a shorthanded overtime goal in Stanley Cup Finals history - June 14, 2006
Career Statistics
Bold indicates led league
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993–94 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 50 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | ||
| 1994–95 | Bonnyville Pontiacs | AJHL | 16 | 4 | 34 | 38 | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 40 | 26 | 21 | 47 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 58 | 40 | 63 | 103 | 134 | 18 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 28 | ||
| 1996–97 | Providence College | HE | 35 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Providence College | HE | 36 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Providence College | HE | 38 | 14 | 37 | 51 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Providence College | HE | 38 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 52 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 79 | 26 | 34 | 60 | 60 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2002–03 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 41 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 35 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 76 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | SCL Tigers | NLA | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Asiago Hockey A.S. | ITA | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 42 | 24 | 14 | 4 | 18 | 10 | ||
| 2006–07 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 77 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 56 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 38 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 40 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 60 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Södertälje SK | SWE.2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 172 | 55 | 62 | 117 | 112 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 482 | 87 | 82 | 169 | 200 | 33 | 15 | 4 | 19 | 12 | ||||
See also
- List of people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis
