Playing career

Berard was drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He would not play a game for the Senators, after informing the club he would not report. The Senators traded him along with Martin Straka to the New York Islanders for Wade Redden and Damian Rhodes. He was a successful player on the Islanders and was rewarded for his efforts in 1997 by winning the Calder Trophy as the top rookie player in the NHL. He also played for the United States in the 1998 Winter Olympics. After four years on Long Island, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Berard played the last two seasons in Columbus. Besides his Calder Trophy season with the Islanders, Berard’s best season was 2003-04 in which he was 13-34-47 in only 58 games with the Chicago Blackhawks. In 619 career NHL games with the Islanders, Toronto, Rangers, Boston, Chicago, and Columbus, Berard has 76 goals and 247 assists for a total of 323 points. He is tied for 128th on the NHL all-time scoring list for defensemen.

On March 11, 2000, while Berard was playing for the Leafs in a game against the Senators in Ottawa, the stick of the Senators' Marian Hossa clipped Berard in the right eye on a follow through, severely injuring it. The eye was severely slashed on the sclera which resulted in a retinal tear and a detached retina. In the hospital room after the incident, after being told he might lose his eye, Berard reportedly told his friends that he would play hockey again. Despite being optimistic about his future in hockey, he ended up receiving a $6.5 million settlement from his insurance company, what many considered to be a career-ending settlement.

During the next season, Berard underwent seven eye operations, improving his vision in the eye to 20/600. He started working out again in April 2001 and started skating again months thereafter. Berard was later fitted with a contact lens that allowed him to meet the league's minimum vision requirement of 20/400.

When it became apparent that he might play again, the Leafs stated they were interested in his services, but Berard opted to play for a team that was currently rebuilding and was a bit closer to his home of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Upon signing a tryout contract with the New York Rangers, Berard returned his insurance settlement and risked a comeback to the NHL. He played well enough that his tryout contract turned into a $2 million contract for the 2002-03 season, plus two one-year options. However he was released by the Rangers after a disappointing season where he only scored 2 goals and 23 points despite playing in all 82 games for the Rangers.

Berard then enjoyed successful one-year stints with both the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks before signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets before the 2005-06 season. As a result of his perseverance, Berard was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for his dedication to hockey in 2004.

In early 2006, it was revealed that he had tested positive for an anabolic steroid known as 19-norandrosterone, in a drug test he had taken in November 2005. He was the first NHL player to ever test positive for steroids. The NHL did not hand down any form of suspension to Berard, as they did not administer the test, but he was banned from international play for two years effective January 3, 2006.(dead link) Berard said after the incident, "I made a mistake that resulted in a suspension and, while unintentional, I take full responsibility. I became aware of this problem after the fact, and for that I am disappointed in myself."

Berard accepted an invitation to attend training camp for the 2007-08 season with the New York Islanders. He performed well enough to earn a one-year contract with the Islanders at the conclusion of training camp. In his first game back with the first NHL team he ever played for, Berard scored the game-winning goal against another of his former teams, the rival New York Rangers in a 2-1 Islander victory.

Prior to the start of the 2008-09 NHL season, Berard was invited to training camp with the Philadelphia Flyers. He was not offered a contract despite tallying 2 assists in Philadelphia's final game in Wachovia Spectrum. Berard signed on November 16, 2008 with Vityaz Chekhov of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He scored 17 points in 25 games played.

Berard retired after the 2008-09 season. He lives in Lincoln, Rhode Island. He appeared in 2011 on the Battle of the Blades CBC television program.

Awards

• NHL All-Rookie Team, 1997
• Calder Memorial Trophy, 1997
• Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, 2004

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1994-95	Detroit Junior Red Wings	OHL		58	20	55	75	97		21	4	20	24	38
1995-96	Detroit Whalers	OHL		56	31	58	89	116		17	7	18	25	41
1996-97	New York Islanders	NHL		82	8	40	48	86		—	—	—	—	—
1997-98	New York Islanders	NHL		75	14	32	46	59		—	—	—	—	—
1998-99	New York Islanders	NHL		34	4	11	15	26		—	—	—	—	—
1998-99	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		38	5	14	19	22		17	1	8	9	8
1999-00	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		64	3	27	30	42		—	—	—	—	—
2001-02	New York Rangers	NHL		82	2	21	23	60		—	—	—	—	—
2002-03	Boston Bruins	NHL		80	10	28	38	64		3	1	0	1	2
2003-04	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		58	13	34	47	53		—	—	—	—	—
2005-06	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		44	12	20	32	32		—	—	—	—	—
2006-07	Columbus Blue Jackets	NHL		11	0	3	3	8		—	—	—	—	—
2007-08	New York Islanders	NHL		54	5	17	22	48		—	—	—	—	—
2008-09	Vityaz Chekhov	KHL		25	3	14	17	103		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				619	76	247	323	500		20	2	8	10	10
KHL totals				25	3	14	17	103		—	—	—	—	—

[ Source: Wikipedia ]