Playing career

He was drafted in the 9th round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, 183rd overall by the Buffalo Sabres. Despite his small stature, Audette became known for his gritty, feisty style of play and quickly endeared himself to Buffalo hockey fans with a 31-goal rookie season. However, his rough and tumble style of play led to lengthy trips to the injury reserve, including several knee injuries that ended his 1992-93 and 1995-96 seasons.

In 1998 Audette was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Two years later, as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers, he reached his career high in goals (34) and assists (45) and made it to the NHL All-Star game.

Audette was traded back to the Buffalo Sabres in March 2001, and signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Dallas Stars later that summer. In the middle of the 2001-02 season, Audette was traded again, this time to the Montreal Canadiens. In a game against the New York Rangers on December 1, 2001, Audette had the tendons of his forearm severed by an opponent's skate and required life-saving surgery to repair the extensive damage, but still managed to recover in time for the playoffs.

After struggling to make a mark with the Florida Panthers for half of the 2003-04 season, Audette stopped playing professionally.

Prior to playing in the NHL, Audette won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the top rookie in the American Hockey League (AHL), while playing for the Rochester Americans. Audette is now an amateur scout for the Canadiens.

Personal life

Donald Audette's son Daniel (born in 1996) was the first pick of the 2012 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft and was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1986-87	Laval Titan	QMJHL		66	17	22	39	36		14	2	6	8	10
1987-88	Laval Titan	QMJHL		63	48	61	109	56		14	7	12	19	20
1988-89	Laval Titan	QMJHL		70	76	85	161	123		17	17	12	29	43
1989-90	Rochester Americans	AHL		70	42	46	88	78		15	9	8	17	29
1989-90	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		—	—	—	—	—		2	0	0	0	0
1990-91	Rochester Americans	AHL		5	4	0	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
1990-91	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		8	4	3	7	4		—	—	—	—	—
1991-92	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		63	31	17	48	75		—	—	—	—	—
1992-93	Rochester Americans	AHL		6	8	4	12	10		—	—	—	—	—
1992-93	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		44	12	7	19	51		8	2	2	4	6
1993-94	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		77	29	30	59	41		7	0	1	1	6
1994-95	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		46	24	13	37	27		5	1	1	2	4
1995-96	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		23	12	13	25	18		—	—	—	—	—
1996-97	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		73	28	22	50	48		11	4	5	9	6
1997-98	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		75	24	20	44	59		15	5	8	13	10
1998-99	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		49	18	18	36	51		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	Los Angeles Kings	NHL		49	12	20	32	45		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		14	7	4	11	12		—	—	—	—	—
2000-01	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL		64	32	39	71	64		—	—	—	—	—
2000-01	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		12	2	6	8	12		13	3	6	9	4
2001-02	Dallas Stars	NHL		20	4	8	12	12		—	—	—	—	—
2001-02	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		13	1	5	6	8		12	6	4	10	10
2002-03	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		54	11	12	23	19		—	—	—	—	—
2002-03	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		11	5	5	10	8		—	—	—	—	—
2003-04	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		23	3	5	8	16		—	—	—	—	—
2003-04	Florida Panthers	NHL		28	6	7	13	22		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				735	260	249	509	584		73	21	27	48	46

Awards and honours

Award	Year
QMJHL
First All-Star Team	1989
Playoff MVP	1989
AHL
Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award	1990
First All-Star Team	1990
NHL
NHL All-Star Game	2001

[ Source: Wikipedia ]