Wade Redden
A smooth-skating, two-way defenseman who anchored the Ottawa Senators' blue line for a decade, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.
Born 1977 (age 49)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: June 12·Generation X
Biography
For over a decade in Ottawa, Wade Redden was the picture of steady, two-way excellence on the blue line. Drafted second overall in 1995, he lived up to the billing with a graceful skating stride and a sharp hockey mind that made the game look effortless. Paired often with the more physical Zdeno Chara, Redden was the cerebral outlet, quarterbacking the power play and transitioning play with crisp passes. He was a central figure in the Senators' rise to perennial contention, culminating in a trip to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final. While a later big-money move to New York didn't yield the same team success, his legacy in Canada's capital is secure as one of the most intelligent and consistent defenders of his era, earning two All-Star selections and representing his country with distinction.
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.
Wade 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 Wade Was Born
The biggest hits of 1977
#1 Movie
Star Wars
Best Picture
Annie Hall
#1 TV Show
Happy Days
Wade'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
- Played 838 of his 1,023 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators, serving as a franchise cornerstone defenseman.
- Helped lead the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.
- Was a two-time NHL All-Star (2002, 2004).
- Won a World Cup of Hockey gold medal (2004) and two World Junior Championship golds with Team Canada.
Did You Know?
He was drafted one spot ahead of future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.
After being bought out by the New York Rangers, his contract was famously claimed off waivers by the AHL's Connecticut Whale.
He won the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and humanitarian contribution in 2011.
Returned to the Senators organization after retirement as a player development coach.
“I tried to play the right way, to be reliable in my own end every shift.”
