Eric Weinrich
A durable and intelligent defenseman who logged over a thousand NHL games, becoming a steady presence for eight different franchises.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American ice hockey player·Birthday: December 19·Generation X
Biography
Eric Weinrich's NHL career was a testament to consistency and hockey IQ, a seventeen-season journey defined by reliability rather than flashy headlines. Drafted by the New Jersey Devils, the Maine native established himself as a mobile, smart defenseman who could move the puck and kill penalties. His journey saw him wear the sweater of eight original NHL teams, a marker of his valued skills as a trade deadline asset or a stabilizing veteran presence. He peaked with a 40-point season for Chicago and represented the United States in international play, including the 1998 Olympics. Weinrich played the game with a quiet effectiveness, amassing nearly 1,200 games not through overwhelming physicality, but through positional savvy and a professional approach that kept him in demand for nearly two decades.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Eric was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 1,157 regular-season games in the NHL, scoring 388 points as a defenseman.
- Represented the United States at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
- Recorded a career-high 40 points (8 goals, 32 assists) during the 1993-94 season with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Did You Know?
He was a standout college player at the University of Maine, where his number 6 jersey was retired.
After retiring, he worked as a player development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks organization.
He is a cousin of former NHL forward Tim Weinrich.
“A good defenseman makes the simple play and lets the forwards get the headlines.”
