Tim Gleason

Timothy Patrick Gleason (born January 29, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and current assistant coach to the Carolina Hurricanes. Drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round, 23rd overall, at the 2001 NHL entry draft, Gleason played in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals.

Playing career Amateur As a youth, Gleason played in the 1996 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Detroit Little Caesars minor ice hockey team.

After a standout junior ice hockey career with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Windsor Spitfires, Gleason was drafted in the first round, 23rd overall, of the 2001 NHL entry draft by the Ottawa Senators. Unable to come to terms on a contract with the Senators, Gleason was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Bryan Smolinski on March 11, 2003.

Professional After spending three years in the Kings organization, Gleason, along with Éric Bélanger, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on September 29, 2006, in exchange for defensemen Oleg Tverdovsky and Jack Johnson. Gleason stayed with the Hurricanes until January 1, 2014, when he was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade for John-Michael Liles and Dennis Robertson. On June 30, however, Gleason was placed on unconditional waivers by the Maple Leafs for the purpose of a contract buyout.

On July 3, Gleason returned to the Carolina Hurricanes as a free agent, signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract. In the 2014–15 season, Gleason resumed his physical role on the Hurricanes' blueline, appearing in 55 games and registering seven points before he was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Jack Hillen and a fourth-round draft pick in 2015 on February 28, 2015.

International Gleason played for the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, winning a silver medal.

Playing style Gleason is known for his toughness and gritty play, including the diving effort he made for the Hurricanes to prevent the puck from leaving the offensive zone in Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semi-finals against the New Jersey Devils, which ultimately led to a game-tying goal. He also took a puck to the face whilst playing against the Washington Capitals in 2009, but returned to the ice after multiple stitches to eventually score the tying goal on a breakaway.

Personal life Gleason's cousin Ben is also a professional ice hockey player. He is under contract with the Minnesota Wild. In 2017, Gleason and former teammate Cam Ward established a winery in Napa Valley, California.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1998–99 Leamington Flyers WOHL 52 5 26 31 76 — — — — — 1999–2000 Windsor Spitfires OHL 55 5 13 18 101 12 2 4 6 14 2000–01 Windsor Spitfires OHL 47 8 28 36 124 9 1 2 3 23 2001–02 Windsor Spitfires OHL 67 17 42 59 109 16 7 13 20 40 2002–03 Windsor Spitfires OHL 45 7 31 38 75 7 5 2 7 17 2003–04 Los Angeles Kings NHL 47 0 7 7 21 — — — — — 2003–04 Manchester Monarchs AHL 22 0 8 8 19 6 0 1 1 4 2004–05 Manchester Monarchs AHL 67 10 14 24 112 5 0 0 0 4 2005–06 Los Angeles Kings NHL 78 2 19 21 77 — — — — — 2006–07 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 57 2 4 6 57 — — — — — 2007–08 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 80 3 16 19 84 — — — — — 2008–09 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 70 0 12 12 68 18 1 4 5 32 2009–10 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 61 5 14 19 78 — — — — — 2010–11 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 82 2 14 16 85 — — — — — 2011–12 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 82 1 17 18 71 — — — — — 2012–13 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 42 0 9 9 40 — — — — — 2013–14 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 17 0 1 1 10 — — — — — 2013–14 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 39 1 4 5 55 — — — — — 2014–15 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 55 1 6 7 44 — — — — — 2014–15 Washington Capitals NHL 17 0 2 2 11 14 0 1 1 5 NHL totals 727 17 125 142 701 32 1 5 6 37

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2000 United States U17 4th 6 1 1 2 2 2001 United States WJC 5th 7 0 1 1 2 2003 United States WJC 4th 1 0 0 0 0 2008 United States WC 6th 6 0 1 1 6 2010 United States OG 6 0 0 0 0 Junior totals 14 1 2 3 4 Senior totals 12 0 1 1 6