Mark Parrish

Mark Parrish
Parrish with the Norfolk Admirals in 2010.
Born	(1977-02-02) February 2, 1977 (age 40) Bloomington, MN, USA
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Florida Panthers New York Islanders Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Dallas Stars Tampa Bay Lightning Buffalo Sabres
National team	United States
NHL Draft	79th overall, 1996 Colorado Avalanche
Playing career	1997–2012

Mark Daniel Parrish (born February 2, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger. Parrish has played 11 seasons and over 700 games in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Buffalo Sabres.

Parrish, a native of Bloomington, Minnesota, attended Bloomington Jefferson High School and won two high school State Championships with the Jaguars in 1993 and 1994. Upon graduating from high school, Parrish joined the St. Cloud State Huskies of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). After recording 30 points in 39 games as a freshman, Parrish was drafted in the third round, 79th overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Parrish returned to the St. Cloud for one more season, then decided to forgo his final two years of collegiate hockey to join the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL). A WHL West First All-Star in his only year of major junior, he scored at a goal-per-game pace with the Thunderbirds as team captain and accumulated 92 points in 54 games.

Before he could appear in an NHL game, the Colorado Avalanche traded Parrish to the Florida Panthers along with a 3rd round selection in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for veteran Tom Fitzgerald. He made his debut with the Panthers in 1998–99 and established himself as an effective power forward in the NHL, scoring 24 goals and 37 points as a rookie.