Mike Rathje
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Mike Rathje (born May 11, 1974 in Mannville, Alberta, Canada is an ice hockey defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers. He was signed as a free agent. He signed a 5-year, US$20 million contract in June of 2005. He also has a no-trade clause.
Image:Rathje mike flyers mug.jpg
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Playing career
He was selected by the San Jose Sharks in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft (1st round, 3rd overall) and had played his entire NHL career with the Sharks until the Flyers signed him as a free agent prior to the 2005-06 NHL Season.
During his time in San Jose, Rathje was often the subject of scorn, as according to fans, he never used his 6 foot 5, 230 pound frame to hit opposing players. Instead, Rathje used his size to effectively smother his opponents and his long reach to poke the puck away, earning him the reputation of being one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. In the 2001-2002 NHL season, Mike Rathje held-out for more than half the season, possibly because he was sick of the torment he recieved from fans. One of the reasons he signed with Philadelphia was because former Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi was a player scout there. Rathje liked Lombardi because Lombardi had defended Rathje and praised his abilities.
Awards
Records
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1990-91 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 64 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 28 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1991-92 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 67 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 109 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1992-93 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 57 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 103 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 1992-93 | Kansas City Blades | IHL | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 1993-94 | Kansas City Blades | IHL | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1993-94 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 47 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 59 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1994-95 | Kansas City Blades | IHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1994-95 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 42 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1995-96 | Kansas City Blades | IHL | 36 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 34 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1995-96 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 27 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1996-97 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 31 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 21 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1997-98 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 81 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 59 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1998-99 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 82 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 36 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1999-00 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 66 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2000-01 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 81 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 48 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2001-02 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 52 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 48 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2002-03 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 82 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 48 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2003-04 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 80 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 46 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 13 | ||
| 2004-05 | Did Not Play | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2005-06 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 63 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 44 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| NHL Totals | 734 | 30 | 145 | 175 | 483 | 71 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 45 | ||||