Playing career

Collegiate

Knuble was drafted in the fourth round, 76th overall, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played the next four years at the University of Michigan and was given Second Team CCHA All-Star honors in 1994 and 1995 and NCAA West All-American Team honors in 1995. Following his collegiate career, he made his professional debut in the 1995 Calder Cup playoffs with the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Professional

Knuble spent the entire 1995-96 season and most of the 1996-97 season with Adironack in the AHL before making his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings on March 26, 1997. His debut came against the Colorado Avalanche in the famous "Fight Night at the Joe" match. He played a total of nine regular season games in 1996-97 and none in the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs. Detroit won the Stanley Cup that season, but Knuble's name was not engraved on the Cup since he had not played enough games. However, Detroit repeated as Cup Champions in 1997-98, his first full season in the NHL, and though he only played three playoff games, he met the necessary requirements to have his name engraved on the Cup. Knuble was included on both Stanley Cup winning team pictures in 1997 and 1998

Prior to the 1998-99 season, Detroit traded Knuble to the New York Rangers for a 2000 second-round draft choice (Tomáš Kopecký). Knuble played in all 82 games with the Rangers that season, recording 15 goals and 20 assists. With a month to go in the 1999-2000 season, the Rangers traded him to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Rob DiMaio. After posting 20 points in 82 games in 2000-01 and 14 points in 54 games in 2001-02, Knuble found himself playing left wing on a line with Joe Thornton and Glen Murray beginning in 2002-03. He scored 30 goals and 29 assists in 75 games, good for third on the Bruins.

Knuble enjoyed another solid season in 2003-04, 21 goals and 25 assists in 82 games with the Bruins. During which, he set the NHL record for the fastest two goals to start a game by one player on February 14 against the Florida Panthers. He scored a goal ten seconds into the first period and followed it up with another just 27 seconds into the game. After the season, Knuble signed a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in the off-season. He then played for Linköpings HC of the Swedish Elitserien during the 2004-05 NHL lockout, scoring 26 goals and assisting on 13 others in 49 games.

When the lockout came to an end, Knuble was slotted to play right wing on a line with Simon Gagné and Peter Forsberg, a line which was later nicknamed the "Deuces Wild Line." He responded with his best season as a professional in 2005-06, recording career highs in goals (34), assists (31) and points (65). On pace to duplicate his numbers despite his team's poor season in 2006-07, Knuble's season was nearly cut short after a collision with Rangers forward and former Red Wings teammate Brendan Shanahan. After missing a month of action, he returned to the ice and finished with 24 goals and 30 assists in 64 games and brought his plus-minus rating to +2, Knuble being one of two Flyers (Gagné being the other) to finish with a plus rating for the season.

Knuble recorded his first career hat trick on February 2, 2008, scoring all the goals in a 3-0 Flyers win over the Anaheim Ducks. He netted his first career playoff overtime goal on April 17, 2008, scoring the winner during the second overtime of the Flyers' 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. He has traveled to schools in New Jersey and Philadelphia teaching kids about hockey in his free time.

On July 1, 2009, Knuble signed a two-year deal worth $2.8 million a season with the Washington Capitals.

On November 13, 2009, in a game against the Minnesota Wild, Knuble broke a finger in the first period and did not finish the game. He returned on December 11 after missing four weeks of action. Knuble scored Washington's first goal in the second period of the 2011 NHL Winter Classic against Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Marc-André Fleury.

On April 11, 2011, Knuble was re-signed to a one-year, $2 million contract extension with the Capitals. During the 2011-12 season, on December 20, 2011, Knuble played in his 1,000th NHL game. At that time, Knuble had scored 221 NHL goals since turning age 30.

On January 24, 2013, Knuble signed a one year deal to return to the Philadelphia Flyers

Coaching

Knuble is currently an assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's minor league affiliate.

Personal life

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Knuble was raised with younger brother Steve in Kentwood, Michigan, by his Latvian-born parents, Aivars and Māra (Miesnieks) Knuble. Because he was born in Canada, Mike has dual Canadian/American citizenship. His father Aivars died of a heart attack at the age of 45 in 1987 when Mike was 15 years old.

Knuble is married to wife Megan. Together they have three children: Cam, Anna, and Cole.

Mike's brother Steve, who attended Michigan State University, lives in Huntsville, Alabama, but has run a hockey clinic in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since 1996.

The Knuble family spends their off-seasons in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was raised as a child.

Awards and honours

Award	Year
All-CCHA Second Team	1993-94
All-CCHA Second Team	1994-95
AHCA West Second-Team All-American	1994-95

• 1997-98: Stanley Cup Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
• 2006-07: Yanick Dupre Memorial

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1991-92	University of Michigan	CCHA		43	7	8	15	48		—	—	—	—	—
1992-93	University of Michigan	CCHA		39	26	16	42	57		—	—	—	—	—
1993-94	University of Michigan	CCHA		41	32	26	58	71		—	—	—	—	—
1994-95	University of Michigan	CCHA		34	38	22	60	62		—	—	—	—	—
1994-95	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		—	—	—	—	—		3	0	0	0	0
1995-96	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		80	22	23	45	59		3	1	0	1	0
1996-97	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		68	28	35	63	54		—	—	—	—	—
1996-97	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		9	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1997-98	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		53	7	6	13	16		3	0	1	1	0
1998-99	New York Rangers	NHL		82	15	20	35	26		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	New York Rangers	NHL		59	9	5	14	18		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	Boston Bruins	NHL		14	3	3	6	8		—	—	—	—	—
2000-01	Boston Bruins	NHL		82	7	13	20	37		—	—	—	—	—
2001-02	Boston Bruins	NHL		54	8	6	14	88		2	0	0	0	0
2002-03	Boston Bruins	NHL		75	30	29	59	45		5	0	2	2	2
2003-04	Boston Bruins	NHL		82	21	25	46	32		7	2	0	2	0
2004-05	Linköpings HC	SEL		49	26	13	39	40		6	0	1	1	2
2005-06	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	34	31	65	80		6	1	3	4	8
2006-07	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		64	24	30	54	56		—	—	—	—	—
2007-08	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	29	26	55	72		12	3	4	7	6
2008-09	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	27	20	47	62		6	2	1	3	2
2009-10	Washington Capitals	NHL		69	29	24	53	59		7	2	4	6	6
2010-11	Washington Capitals	NHL		79	24	16	40	36		6	2	0	2	8
2011-12	Washington Capitals	NHL		72	6	12	18	32		11	2	1	3	6
2012-13	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		1	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2012-13	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		28	4	4	8	20		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1068	278	270	548	641		65	14	16	30	38

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995	United States	WC		6	1	2	3	2
1999	United States	WC		6	0	0	0	10
2001	United States	WC		9	2	0	2	2
2005	United States	WC		7	4	2	6	8
2006	United States	OG		6	1	1	2	4
Senior int'l totals				34	8	5	13	26

[ Source: Wikipedia ]