Mark Streit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Streit
Streit with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017
Born	(1977-12-11) 11 December 1977 (age 47) Englisberg, Switzerland
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	Fribourg-Gottéron Davos ZSC Lions Montreal Canadiens New York Islanders SC Bern Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins
National team	Switzerland
NHL Draft	262nd overall, 2004 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1995–2017

Mark Thomas Streit (born 11 December 1977) is a former professional ice hockey player from Switzerland. He played as a defenceman, which is a player who helps protect their team's goal. Mark was the captain for both the New York Islanders and the Swiss national team. He was also known for being able to play as both a defenceman and a forward. In 2020, Mark Streit was honored by being added to the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Mark Streit's Hockey Journey

Starting in Switzerland

Streit playing for the ZSC Lions in 2006.

Mark Streit started his hockey career in Switzerland when he was 18 years old. He played for a team called Fribourg-Gottéron in the 1995–96 season. The next year, he moved to Davos. By his third season with Davos, he was scoring more points, showing he was a strong player.

He caught the eye of teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America. Even though he wasn't drafted yet, he played a short time in the minor leagues in the 1999–2000 season. Most of that time was with the Springfield Falcons in the American Hockey League (AHL).

After his time in North America, Streit went back to Switzerland. He played five seasons with the ZSC Lions. He helped the ZSC Lions win a Swiss championship in 2001. They also won the IIHF Continental Cup twice in a row, in 2001 and 2002. After a great season in 2003–04, where he scored 36 points, Streit was finally drafted into the NHL. He was picked by the Montreal Canadiens in 2004, which was special because he was 26 years old, much older than most players who get drafted.

The 2004–05 NHL season was cancelled because of a player lockout. So, Streit stayed with the ZSC Lions for one more season. He had his best year yet, scoring 43 points in 44 games.

Playing for the Montreal Canadiens

In the 2005–06 season, Mark Streit made his big debut in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. He played in 48 games and scored 11 points. He continued to improve the next season, scoring 36 points.

By his third season with the Canadiens, in 2007–08, he became one of the best defencemen in the NHL. He finished third in scoring among all defencemen in the league, with 62 points in 81 games. This was a huge achievement for him.

Time with the New York Islanders

Streit playing for the New York Islanders

After his amazing season, Streit became a free agent in 2008. He signed a five-year contract with the New York Islanders. This made him one of the highest-paid Swiss athletes at the time, second only to tennis star Roger Federer. In his first season with the Islanders, Streit was chosen to play in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2009. He even led the Islanders in scoring that year with 56 points. This was very rare for a defenceman to lead a team in scoring.

In 2010, Mark Streit had a tough injury. He hurt his shoulder during a practice and missed the entire 2010–11 season.

However, he made a strong comeback. On 21 September 2011, Streit made history. He became the first Swiss-born player to be named a team captain in the NHL, leading the New York Islanders. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Streit went back to Switzerland to play for SC Bern.

Joining the Philadelphia Flyers

In 2013, Streit's rights were traded from the Islanders to the Philadelphia Flyers. He then signed a four-year contract with the Flyers. The team's general manager said Streit would be a great addition because he could help with scoring and lead plays from their own end of the ice.

Streit started the 2013–14 season a bit slowly, but he got much better in the second half. He finished the season with 44 points in 82 games. The Flyers made it to the playoffs that year.

After the 2013–14 season, Streit was named an alternate captain for the Flyers. He took on a bigger role, especially when another player was injured. He had a fantastic season in 2014–15, scoring 52 points. This made him one of the top-scoring defencemen in the league. He also won two team awards: the Barry Ashbee Trophy for being the team's best defenceman and the Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award.

Streit (left) and teammate Zac Rinaldo warming up before a game.

His next two seasons with the Flyers were affected by injuries. In 2015–16, he had a pelvic injury and needed surgery, missing many games. He returned to play his 700th NHL game in March 2016. The Flyers made the playoffs again that year.

In his final season with the Flyers, 2016–17, Streit continued to play well. He helped the Flyers achieve a nine-game winning streak. However, he suffered another injury in December.

Winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins

On 1 March 2017, Streit was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who then immediately traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played 19 regular season games for the Penguins, scoring one goal and adding five assists. The Penguins made it to the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Streit didn't play in the first two playoff series. But when other players got injured, he got his chance in the Eastern Conference Final. He played in three games and helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup that year! They defeated the Nashville Predators in the finals. This was a huge moment in his career.

Returning to Montreal and Retiring

After winning the Stanley Cup, Streit signed a one-year deal to return to the Montreal Canadiens in July 2017. However, after only four games, the Canadiens placed him on waivers. He decided not to play for their minor league team and, on 30 October 2017, Mark Streit announced his retirement from professional hockey after 12 seasons in the NHL.

Playing for Switzerland

Streit with the Swiss national team in 2012.

Mark Streit also had a long and successful career playing for the Swiss national team. He first played for Switzerland at the European Junior Championships in 1995. He then played in two World Junior Championships in 1996 and 1997.

He played in his first of ten straight World Championships in 1998. In 2005, he had his best international scoring performance, with seven points in seven games.

Streit played in his first Winter Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City. He scored two points in four games.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Streit was named the team captain for Switzerland. The team did very well, beating strong teams like the Czech Republic and Canada in their early games. Streit even scored the winning goal against the Czechs and helped set up a goal in the upset win against Canada. He was surprised by their success, saying, "I never thought we could do that."

Life Off the Ice

Mark Streit is married to Fabienne, and they have one daughter.

He was featured on the front cover of the Swiss versions of the NHL video games from NHL 08 to NHL 11.

Awards and Honors