Chris Higgins

Induction Year: 2023

Location: Smithtown

Category: NHL & Pro Sports

Smithtown native Chris Higgins played 711 NHL games from 2003 through 2016. He scored 165 goals and had 133 assists. While playing college hockey at Yale, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He finished a two-year career with the Yale Bulldogs, earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before turning professional for the 2003–04 season. He recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 2009. After brief stints with the Rangers, Calgary Flames, and Florida Panthers, he joined the Vancouver Canucks and now works in the front office in player development for Vancouver.