Trent McCleary facts for kids

Trent Kenneth McCleary was born on September 8, 1972. He is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Trent played for three teams in the National Hockey League (NHL): the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Montreal Canadiens.

His hockey career ended in 2000 because of a serious injury. He was hit in the throat by a very fast shot called a slapshot. This injury needed emergency surgery right away to save his life. Trent played in 192 NHL games. He scored 8 goals and had 23 points in his career.

Trent's Hockey Journey

Starting in Junior Hockey

Trent McCleary grew up in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He started playing junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1988. He played for his hometown team, the Swift Current Broncos.

Trent played four seasons with the Broncos. In the 1988–89 season, his team won the WHL championship. They also won the Memorial Cup, which is a big junior hockey trophy. Trent was a defensive player. In his last year, he scored 50 points, helping the Broncos win another championship.

Moving to Professional Leagues

The Ottawa Senators signed Trent as a free agent in 1993. This means no team picked him in the draft. He spent most of the 1993–94 season with the Thunder Bay Senators.

In 1994–95, he moved up to the Prince Edward Island Senators in the American Hockey League (AHL). During this time, he got hit in the face by a stick. This caused damage to his right eye. After he recovered, Trent started wearing a visor on his helmet. He wore it for the rest of his career to protect his eyes.

Trent made his NHL debut with the Ottawa Senators in 1995–96. He scored 14 points in 75 games. After that season, the Senators traded him to the Boston Bruins. Trent played 59 games with the Bruins. He then played in the International Hockey League (IHL). He played for the Las Vegas Thunder and Detroit Vipers.

In 1998, Trent signed with the Montreal Canadiens. He played 46 NHL games for them in 1998–99. Early the next season, he hurt his right eye again. He was hit by a skate, which caused a tear duct injury. He recovered and split his time between the Canadiens and the Quebec Citadelles in the AHL.

Brave Moment: The Throat Injury

On January 29, 2000, Trent was playing for the Canadiens against the Philadelphia Flyers. A Flyers player took a powerful slapshot. Trent bravely dropped to the ice to block the shot. The puck hit him directly in the throat.

This caused a very serious injury. It broke his voice box (larynx) and made one of his lungs collapse. Trent could not breathe. He rushed to the team bench and then collapsed. The medical staff quickly worked to open his airway. Trent later said their actions saved his life.

He was rushed to the hospital. Surgeons performed an emergency tracheotomy. This is a surgery to create an opening in the windpipe to help someone breathe. Trent was still wearing his full hockey gear during the surgery. There was no time to even take off his skates.

Recovery and Retirement

Right after his surgery, Trent could not speak. He wrote a note to his teammates to let them know he was okay. His surgeon said Trent came "as close... as you could come" to dying. Two weeks later, Trent met with reporters. He answered questions by writing on a notepad. He hoped to return to playing hockey. After six weeks and several surgeries, he could talk again.

Trent tried to make a comeback for the 2000–01 season. The Canadiens signed him to a contract. He played in one exhibition game. But he found he could not play a full shift without running out of breath. His doctor examined him. The doctor found that Trent's air passage was 15% narrower than before his injury. It was too dangerous for him to keep playing.

So, on September 20, 2000, Trent McCleary announced his retirement. He called it the "toughest day" of his seven-year career. The Canadiens kept him in their organization. They named him a scout for the WHL.

Trent's Family Life

Trent's parents, Ken and Leah, still live in Swift Current. He has an older brother named Scott and a younger sister named Shannon. Trent and his wife Tammy have three children.