Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick (born November 13, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He moved to Kitimat, British Columbia, where he started minor hockey, when he was ten years old. He won the Memorial Cup twice as a member of the Medicine Hat Tigers before going on to a professional career with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

Fitzpatrick was drafted 27th overall in the 1987 NHL entry draft by the Los Angeles Kings but only spent a season with the Kings organization before he was traded along with Wayne McBean to the New York Islanders on February 22, 1989 for Kelly Hrudey.

During his time with the Islanders, he contracted Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome, a potentially fatal neurological disease, which cost him nearly all of the 1990-91 season. He recovered and returned to the ice in February 1992. His efforts in returning to the league after the illness earned him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 1992. On June 20, 1993, with the expansion draft for the Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim approaching, the Islanders traded him to the Quebec Nordiques for Ron Hextall and a swap of first-round picks. Four days later, the Panthers claimed him in the expansion draft.

Fitzpatrick spent five seasons with the Panthers serving as backup goaltender to fellow expansion draft pick John Vanbiesbrouck. On January 16, 1998, Fitzpatrick was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning with Jody Hull for Dino Ciccarelli and Jeff Norton where he only managed 7 wins in 34 games for the struggling Lightning who finished the season with the worst record. Fitzpatrick was traded once more months later to the Chicago Blackhawks for Michal Sykora and spent the season in a backup capacity to Jocelyn Thibault.

He moved to Carolina Hurricanes for the 1999–2000 NHL season but spent the majority of the year in the International Hockey League for the Cincinnati Cyclones and just played three games for the Hurricanes. Fitzpatrick spent one more season in the IHL for the Detroit Vipers before retiring in 2001.

Personal life Fitzpatrick was previously married, from which he has a daughter. The marriage ended after Fitzpatrick was charged with assault and aggravated domestic battery on July 13, 1994 in Islamorada, Florida following an argument with his wife while she was seven months pregnant.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1983–84 Revelstoke Rangers BCHL 21 — — — 1019 90 0 5.30 — — — — — — — — — 1984–85 Calgary Canucks AJHL 29 18 8 0 1631 102 2 3.75 — — — — — — — — — 1984–85 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 3 1 2 0 180 9 0 3.00 — 1 0 0 20 2 0 6.00 — 1985–86 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 41 26 6 1 2074 99 1 2.86 — 19 11 5 986 58 0 3.53 — 1986–87 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 50 31 11 4 2844 159 4 3.35 — 20 12 8 1224 71 1 3.48 — 1986–87 Medicine Hat Tigers M-Cup — — — — — — — — — 5 4 1 300 10 1 2.00 — 1987–88 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 63 36 15 6 3600 194 2 3.23 — 16 12 4 959 52 1 3.25 — 1987–88 Medicine Hat Tigers M-Cup — — — — — — — — — 5 4 1 280 17 0 3.64 — 1988–89 Los Angeles Kings NHL 17 6 7 3 957 64 0 4.01 .887 — — — — — — — — 1988–89 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 18 10 5 1 980 54 1 3.31 — — — — — — — — — 1988–89 New York Islanders NHL 11 3 5 2 627 41 0 3.92 .869 — — — — — — — — 1989–90 New York Islanders NHL 47 19 19 5 2653 150 3 3.39 .898 4 0 2 152 13 0 5.13 .817 1990–91 New York Islanders NHL 2 1 1 0 120 6 0 3.00 .900 — — — — — — — — 1990–91 Capital District Islanders AHL 12 3 7 2 734 47 0 3.84 — — — — — — — — — 1991–92 New York Islanders NHL 30 11 13 5 1743 93 0 3.20 .902 — — — — — — — — 1991–92 Capital District Islanders AHL 14 6 5 1 782 39 0 2.99 — — — — — — — — — 1992–93 New York Islanders NHL 39 17 15 5 2253 130 0 3.46 .878 3 0 1 77 4 0 3.12 .826 1992–93 Capital District Islanders AHL 5 1 3 1 284 18 0 3.80 — — — — — — — — — 1993–94 Florida Panthers NHL 28 12 8 6 1603 73 1 2.73 .914 — — — — — — — — 1994–95 Florida Panthers NHL 15 6 7 2 819 36 2 2.64 .900 — — — — — — — — 1995–96 Florida Panthers NHL 34 15 11 3 1786 88 0 2.96 .891 2 0 0 60 6 0 6.00 .800 1996–97 Florida Panthers NHL 30 8 9 9 1680 66 0 2.36 .914 — — — — — — — — 1997–98 Florida Panthers NHL 12 2 7 2 640 32 1 3.00 .879 — — — — — — — — 1997–98 Fort Wayne Komets IHL 2 1 1 0 119 8 0 4.03 .857 — — — — — — — — 1997–98 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 34 7 24 1 1938 102 1 3.16 .895 — — — — — — — — 1998–99 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 27 6 8 6 1403 64 0 2.74 .906 — — — — — — — — 1999–2000 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 3 0 2 0 107 8 0 4.49 .882 — — — — — — — — 1999–2000 Cincinnati Cyclones IHL 24 11 11 1 1379 59 4 2.57 .916 — — — — — — — — 2000–01 Detroit Vipers IHL 9 4 4 0 485 21 0 2.60 .919 — — — — — — — — NHL totals 329 113 136 49 18,329 953 8 3.12 .896 9 0 3 289 23 0 4.78 .815 AHL totals 49 20 20 5 2780 158 1 3.41 — — — — — — — — — IHL totals 35 16 16 1 1983 88 4 2.66 .913 — — — — — — — —

Awards WHL East Second All-Star Team – 1986 & 1988