Dan Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
Daniel Cloutier (born April 22, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. In his 10-year National Hockey League (NHL) career, Cloutier played with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings, spending the majority of his career in Vancouver. He employed a combination of both butterfly and stand-up goaltending and was known for wearing the uncommon birdcage style helmet.
Cloutier played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for four seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and Guelph Storm, making two Memorial Cup appearances in 1993 and 1996. Following his second OHL season, he was selected 26th overall by the Rangers in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He began his professional career spending time in the minor leagues with the Rangers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates, before joining the NHL team full-time in 1998–99. After three seasons playing within the Rangers organization, he was traded to the Lightning, where he spent one-and-a-half years.
In February 2001, he was acquired by the Canucks. Cloutier enjoyed his most successful years as an NHL goaltender with Vancouver, recording three consecutive 30-win seasons between 2001–02 and 2003–04. In the 2006 off-season, he was dealt to Los Angeles, where he struggled with injuries and a decline in play. His contract was bought out by the team following the 2007–08 season. As part of an attempted comeback in 2009, he first signed a deal to try out with the Detroit Red Wings at the team's training camp, then played briefly with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, before retiring due to chronic injury problems. Internationally, Cloutier was part of two Canadian teams. He won a gold medal at the 1995 World Junior Championship and was a fourth-string goaltender at the 2001 IIHF World Championship.
After his time with the Kings, Cloutier served as an assistant coach to his older brother, Sylvain, with the Corpus Christi IceRays of the Central Hockey League for one season. Following his retirement, he became a goaltending coach for the Barrie Colts of the OHL.