About Pat Verbeek
Patrick Martin Verbeek (born May 24, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1982 to 2002, Verbeek played 20 seasons in the NHL for the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings as a right winger. A dependable presence for over 1,400 games, Verbeek is the only player to have recorded three 40-goal seasons with over 200 penalty minutes each. He recorded thirteen 20-goal seasons in his career, which saw him become one of only three players with 500 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes. He won his first and only Stanley Cup as a player in 1999. His nickname, the "Little Ball of Hate", was given to him in 1995 by Glenn Healy after fellow New York Rangers teammate Ray Ferraro was tagged as the "Big Ball of Hate". In 2000, he became the 28th player to score 500 career goals. He is one of four 500-goal players who are eligible but not a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. After his playing career ended, he became a broadcaster for the Red Wings before becoming a scout for the team in 2006. He was hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning as director of professional scouting in 2010 and rose to assistant general manager in 2012; he was hired by the Red Wings to serve the same position in 2019. In 2022, he was hired as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks. He helped the Devils to their first playoff berth in the 1987–88 season, when he scored what was a club record 46 goals until it was broken in the 2005–06 season by Brian Gionta's 48 goals. In 1991, he made the All-Star team for the first time and in the following season, Verbeek was named the Whalers captain. Verbeek is the only NHL player to record 40+ goals and 200+ penalty minutes in the same season three times. Verbeek played for five teams over a 20-year playing career, earning a Stanley Cup ring with the Dallas Stars in 1999.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.