Mark Streit
A Swiss hockey pioneer who captained his national team for a decade and excelled in the NHL as a rare two-position 'swingman.'
Born 1977 (age 49)·Swiss ice hockey player·Birthday: December 11·Generation X
Biography
Mark Streit's career is a story of Swiss excellence on North American ice. As a skilled defenseman with exceptional offensive vision, he carved out a 14-year NHL career after being drafted at the relatively late age of 27. His intelligence and adaptability made him one of the league's last true 'swingmen,' capable of playing effectively on defense or at forward—a rarity in the modern game. This versatility was his hallmark. He became the first Swiss-born captain of the New York Islanders, a leadership role he mirrored for the Swiss national team for over ten years. Streit was a cornerstone for Swiss hockey, guiding the program to new levels of respect on the international stage with his steady play and professionalism, culminating in his induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame.
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.
Mark was born in 1977, 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 Mark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1977
#1 Movie
Star Wars
Best Picture
Annie Hall
#1 TV Show
Happy Days
Mark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1977Born
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1982Started school
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1990Became a teenager
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Could drive
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1995Could vote
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Turned 21
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2007Turned 30
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 40
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 49 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the captain of the Swiss national ice hockey team for over a decade, from 2010 to 2021.
- Became the first Swiss-born player to be named captain of an NHL team, leading the New York Islanders.
- Was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame in 2020.
- Played over 800 NHL games as one of the last players regularly used in both defensive and forward positions.
Did You Know?
He was drafted into the NHL in 2004 at the age of 27, after several seasons playing professionally in Switzerland.
He won a Swiss national championship with the ZSC Lions in 2000.
He represented Switzerland in four Olympic Winter Games (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018).
“A Swiss defenseman had to be twice as smart to earn his ice time.”
