Playing career
He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round, 82nd overall, of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.
After playing three seasons with the North Bay Centennials of the Ontario Hockey League, Houlder joined the Capitals during the 1987–88 season. After going back and forth between Washington and their AHL affiliate Baltimore Skipjacks for three seasons, Houlder was traded to the Buffalo Sabres before the 1990–91 season in exchange for Shawn Anderson.
Houlder remained with the Sabres until being selected by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft. Houlder's journeyman status continued for the remainder of his career, as he played just one season for Anaheim before moving on to play with the St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks, the Lightning again, and the Nashville Predators.
Houlder retired after the 2002–03 season as a Predator. In his NHL career, Houlder appeared in 846 games. He tallied 59 goals and added 191 assists.
The 1997–98 NHL season was the 81st regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Washington Capitals in four games.
The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 27 teams with the addition of the Nashville Predators. The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play, and won the Stanley Cup championship over the Buffalo Sabres on a controversial triple-overtime goal by Brett Hull.
Jeffrey Craig Halpern is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Washington Capitals twice, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Phoenix Coyotes. In 14 NHL seasons, he had 152 goals and 221 assists in 976 regular-season games. He also had seven goals and 14 points in 39 Stanley Cup playoff games. He was also captain of the United States national team for the 2008 World Championships.
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