Alexandre Daigle

NHL career

Leading up to the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Daigle was considered a "can't miss" prospect and NHL superstar-in-waiting. The Senators were even accused of deliberately losing games late in the 1992–93 season, their first in the NHL, in order to guarantee the first overall selection and the right to draft him. This prompted an investigation by the NHL, who soon implemented a draft lottery to prevent such things from happening again. The Senators subsequently finished dead last in the 1992–93 league standings, thus securing the rights to the first overall pick.

As the draft approached, the Quebec Nordiques, who were hosting the event, were reportedly so eager to draft the next French-Canadian superstar that they were rumored to have offered star players such as Owen Nolan, Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, and draft picks, but Ottawa management disregarded all offers. Daigle was selected first overall by the Senators, ahead of future superstar Hall-of-Famers Chris Pronger and Paul Kariya, who were picked second and fourth, respectively. He subsequently received the largest starting salary in league history (five-years, $12.25 million), leading to the introduction of a rookie salary cap a few years later. Regarding his draft position, Daigle uttered the now infamous comment, "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two". Chris Pronger, selected after Daigle with pick two by the Hartford Whalers, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

Daigle initially seemed destined to live up to the pre-draft hype, scoring 20 goals and 51 points in a rookie season in which he had little offensive support. However, he was never able to reproduce the dominance he displayed in junior, and the superstardom the Senators and the league had hoped for failed to materialize. He scored 20 or more goals twice – in his rookie year and in 1996–97, never registering more than 26 goals in a season. He was frequently criticized for lack of effort and motivation, with his lucrative long-term contract perhaps partially to blame. He seemed interested in the limelight, appearing in a full-page ad dressed in a nurse's uniform.

Daigle was outplayed by Russian center Alexei Yashin in every season that they were teammates in Ottawa. Both entered the league in the 1993–94 season and were promoted as future stars of the franchise, on the cover of the Senators' year book and media guide. Management, however, supported Daigle over Yashin, touting him over Yashin for the Calder Trophy (though Yashin ended up receiving a nomination instead of Daigle). After management continued to support Daigle despite his subpar performance, an angered Yashin held out in the 1995–96 season unless his contract was renegotiated to pay him at a level similar to Daigle's. Head coach Rick Bowness and assistant coach Alain Vigneault were fired on November 21, 1995, after demoting Daigle to the fourth line.

Daigle was removed from a Senators' team flight on September 25, 1996. While chatting with a flight attendant during USAir Flight 1948 with the team, he leaned over to Trevor Timmins (then the Senators' Director Of Team Services) and said "Watch out for your bomb there" while motioning towards Timmons' laptop computer. Upon hearing Daigle's comment, the flight attendant notified the captain, who immediately contacted USAir ground control, and police were subsequently notified. What Daigle didn't know was that then-U.S. President Bill Clinton was also on the Pittsburgh International Airport tarmac at the time, resulting in a heightened level of security. Daigle was not prosecuted for the incident, but was fined $300 and was not allowed to board the attaching flight to Tampa with the rest of the team.

During the 1997–98 season, after four and a half seasons, 74 goals and 172 points in 301 games played, Ottawa finally soured on Daigle and traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for prospect Václav Prospal and another first-round bust, Pat Falloon. With the Flyers, Daigle scored 31 points in 68 games. In January 1999, the Flyers traded Daigle to the Edmonton Oilers, who later that same day traded him to Tampa Bay for Alexander Selivanov. Daigle played only 32 games for the Lightning, collecting six goals and six assists for 12 points. The New York Rangers then acquired Daigle as a reclamation project, sending cash to the Lightning, but they, too, realized the one-time junior superstar was not living up to expectations and waived him at the end of the season. In 58 games with the Rangers, Daigle recorded just 8 goals and 18 assists for 26 points.

Daigle found himself out of hockey by the age of 25. No one was willing to take a chance on the under-achiever, and in fact, by his own admission said he had no desire to play the game anymore. In an interview on national television broadcaster Radio-Canada, Daigle said he never wanted to play hockey, but stuck to the game because of his talent. Instead, he became interested in the entertainment business and the opportunity to be a celebrity. He played hockey in a small league in Los Angeles with Cuba Gooding Jr. on Jerry Bruckheimer's team, the Bad Boys, and created an event promotion company, Impostor Entertainment, with former Montreal Expos pitcher Derek Aucoin. Their first project was a concert featuring Sheryl Crow during the Canadian Grand Prix Formula One auto race in Montreal.

Following a two-year absence from hockey and in need of a steady paycheck, Daigle decided to attempt an NHL comeback. In mid-2002, he contacted numerous teams looking for an invitation to training camp, ultimately signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Daigle would lead the Penguins in pre-season scoring, earning himself a spot on the Pittsburgh roster to start the season. Despite his impressive training camp, Daigle was unable to continue his success into the regular season, ultimately spending the better part of the season with the team's AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. After being released by the Penguins, Daigle signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild in the offseason.

After arriving in Minnesota, Daigle impressed the Wild coaching staff enough to earn a roster spot for opening night. Over the course of the 2003–04 season, Daigle managed to match his career high point total, finishing the campaign with 51 points (20 goals and 31 assists) to lead the team in scoring. During this season, he was also the Wild's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given annually to an NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. On March 6, 2006, Minnesota waived Daigle and reassigned him to the team's AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros. Daigle did not play a game for the Aeros, and was subsequently loaned to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL on March 13, 2006, in exchange for forward Brendan Bernakevitch.

Post NHL-career

Aware that his NHL career was over, Daigle set his sights on Europe. On May 5, 2006, he signed a two-year contract with HC Davos, a top team in the Swiss National League A, and inked a two-year extension with them in December. During his three complete seasons playing in Davos, the team won the league championship on two occasions. In a little over three seasons with HC Davos, Daigle played 137 games, tallying 46 goals and 94 assists for 140 points (averaging a little over one point per game).

On October 26, 2009, Daigle was loaned to the SCL Tigers in exchange for Oliver Setzinger. Daigle played 25 games with the SCL Tigers in the 2009–10 season, with 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points. Daigle ranked seventh on the team in points while playing in fewer than half as many games as the team's other top scorers.

On March 23, 2010, Daigle and HC Davos agreed to have his contract reduced from five years to three years, making him a free agent after the 2009–10 season.

Post-playing career

Since the completion of his European hockey career, Daigle works in the movie industry, running studios for MTL Grandé.

Personal life

Daigle lives in Montreal with his wife and their three children.

Awards

Transactions