Darby Hendrickson

Darby Hendrickson played two seasons at the University of Minnesota. He was a fourth round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990 NHL Draft. Hendrickson started his pro career with the Maple Leafs AHL (American Hockey League) affiliate, the St. John’s Maple Leafs. He eventually played in over 500 games in the NHL, with the Maple Leafs through the 1998/99 season, then briefly with the Vancouver Canucks, and ending up with three seasons with the Minnesota Wild, and then a short stint with the Colorado Avalanche. He finished his playing career with three seasons in Europe, the first in Riga, Latvia, and then two seasons with EC Salzburg in Austria.

In addition to his 1994 Winter Olympic appearance Hendrickson played five times for the US at the World Championships. He won a bronze medal in 1996, and played in 1997 and 1999-2001. He settled in Minneapolis after retiring as a player, doing some television commentary, and then became an assistant coach with the Wild.