Éric Bélanger (born December 16, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played the majority of his professional career as a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL), representing the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers. He was originally drafted in the fourth round, 96th overall, in the 1996 NHL entry draft by Los Angeles.
In 2021, Bélanger was named the first head coach the Trois-Rivières Lions, an expansion team in the ECHL affiliated with the Montreal Canadiens. He has also served as an assistant coach for the UQTR Patriotes men's ice hockey team.
Playing career
Minor hockey
As a youth, Bélanger played in the 1991 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Orford, Quebec.
Junior hockey
Beauport Harfangs (1994–1997)
Bélanger was selected 35th overall in the third round of the 1994 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft by the Beauport Harfangs. In his first season with Beauport, Bélanger played in 71 games and scored 12 goals and 40 points. In the 1995 QMJHL playoffs, Bélanger scored five goals and 14 points as the Harfangs were eliminated in the semifinals by the Hull Olympiques.
In 1995–96, Bélanger scored 83 points and 35 goals in 59 games. The Harfangs made the playoffs again in 1996, where Bélanger scored 13 goals and 27 points in 20 games as the Harfangs fell in five games in the QMJHL finals to the Granby Predateurs. He played his final season of junior hockey in 1996–97, playing 31 games for Beauport before being moved to the Rimouski Oceanic. He played 31 games for Rimouski, where he scored 26 goals and 67 points for a total of 117 points on the season. In the playoffs, he scored two goals and five points in four games.
Professional
Los Angeles Kings (1997–2006)
Bélanger played his first professional season in 1997–98, scoring 17 goals and 51 points in the American Hockey League with the Fredericton Canadiens.
Ahead of the 1998–99 season, the Kings changed AHL affiliations from Fredericton to the Springfield Falcons. In 1998–99, Bélanger scored eight goals and 26 points in 33 games, with his season shortened due to back injuries.
Bélanger made his NHL debut with the Kings on October 6, 2000, scoring his first career NHL goal in the second period of a 4–1 win over the Washington Capitals. After ten games in the NHL, the Kings sent him back down to Lowell. Back in Lowell, Bélanger scored 18 points in 13 games before being called back up to the Kings. This game would later be dubbed the "Frenzy on Figueroa."
The 2001–02 season began with tragedy for the Kings, as team scouts Garnet "Ace" Bailey and Mark Bavis were both killed in the September 11 attacks. 2001–02 was Bélanger's first full season in the NHL, he played 53 games for the Kings and notched eight goals and 24 points. He led the Kings with a 57.7% face-off percentage, good for seventh-best in the NHL in 2001–02. Bélanger did not register a point in the seven games played in the series.
Bélanger played in 65 games for the Kings in 2005–06, finishing the season with 17 goals and 37 points.
Carolina Hurricanes (2006–2007)
On September 29, 2006, the Kings traded Bélanger, along with Tim Gleason, to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for prospect Jack Johnson and defenceman Oleg Tverdovsky.
Bélanger joined the reigning Stanley Cup champions for the first four months of the 2006–07 season, later describing his 56 games with Carolina as "a mess." On February 10, 2007, the very next day, Bélanger was traded again, this time to the Atlanta Thrashers for defenceman Vitaly Vishnevski. He played the remainder of the season with Atlanta, scoring nine goals and 15 points. In the Thrashers' first round playoff series against the New York Rangers, he scored one goal as the Thrashers were swept by New York.
Minnesota Wild (2007–2010)
thumb|200px|Bélanger with the [[Minnesota Wild in 2009.|left]]On July 3, 2007, Bélanger signed a three-year free agent contract with the Minnesota Wild.
In the 2008–09 season, Bélanger scored 13 goals and 36 points for the Wild. He scored his 100th career NHL in a 4–0 win over the St. Louis Blues on December 3. Bélanger said after the game, "I knew I was in trouble, but what are you going to do? It’s the playoffs."
Phoenix Coyotes (2010–2011)
On September 14, 2010, Bélanger signed a one-year free agent contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, reportedly worth $750,000. He played in all 82 games for the Coyotes in the 2010–11 season, tallying 13 goals and 40 points.
Edmonton Oilers (2011–2013)
Bélanger signed a three-year, $5.25 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2011. In his first season in Edmonton, however, he set offensive career-lows, scoring just four goals and 12 assists, the lowest totals in both categories in his NHL career to that point.
Avtomobilist Yekatrinburg (2013)
On July 15, 2013, Bélanger left the NHL and signed a one-year contract abroad in Russia with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He played in just seven games with Avtomobilist in the 2013–14 season, before opting to return to North America and retire from professional hockey on September 25, 2013. Bélanger coached the Lions to a 34–29–5–1 record in their first season, along with the team's first ever playoff berth. On November 22, 2022, Bélanger resigned from his role as head coach of the Lions, citing "personal reasons."
Drummondville Voltigeurs (2022–2023)
The next day, on November 23, 2022, Bélanger was hired as head coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL. On June 2, 2023, Bélanger was let go as head coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs after coaching the team to a 29–34–4–1 season.
UQTR Patriotes (2023–2024)
Bélanger was brought on as an assistant coach of the UQTR Patriotes men's ice hockey team for the 2023–24 USports hockey season. Bélanger was part of the coaching staff when the Patriotes won the 2024 Queen's Cup as champions of the OUA. He did not return for the 2024–25 season.
Personal life
Bélanger and his wife, Alexandra, have two daughters: Oceanne and Lola Pearl.