Scatchard a Bruin - another heart & soul player gone

[BlackLabelJetsFan]

http://www.bostonbruins.com/feature.asp

BOSTON--The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms with right wing Glen Murray on a four-year contract, right wing Shawn McEachern on a two-year contract and center Dave Scatchard on a four-year deal, it was announced today by Bruins General Manager Mike O'Connell. All players were unrestricted free agents, and in keeping with club policy, terms of the contracts were not released.

Scatchard, 29, played three seasons of junior hockey with Portland of the Western Hockey League with 48-69=117 totals and 340 penalty minutes in 177 career junior games. Drafted by Vancouver as their third pick, 42nd overall, in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, he turned pro in 1996 following the conclusion of his final junior season when he joined Syracuse/AHL for their final regular season game and 15-game playoff run. He played the full 1996-97 season in Syracuse before moving to the NHL to stay at the start of the 1997-98 campaign. He played two plus seasons in Vancouver, scoring 13 goals in each of those seasons, before going to the New York Islanders with Bill Muckalt and Kevin Weekes in exchange for Felix Potvin and two draft picks on December 19, 1999.

The 6'3", 220 lb. native of Hinton, Alberta has played the last four-plus seasons with the Islanders, scoring 20+ goals in two of those years, including a career-high of 27 in 2002-03. He missed just four games over a three-season span from 2000-01 through 2002-03, but a dislocated shoulder limited him to 61 games in 2003-04 and he had 9-16=25 totals with 78 PIM in those contests. He did not play in 2004-05. He has career NHL totals of 107 goals and 115 assists for 222 points with 833 penalty minutes in 526 career games.

Scatchard elected to become a Group 5 unrestricted free agent, credited with ten pro seasons and scheduled to make less than the NHL average salary in 2004-05.