Ryan Whitney

Ryan Whitney
Whitney in September of 2010
Born	(1983-02-19) February 19, 1983 (age 34) Scituate, MA, USA
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	Pittsburgh Penguins Anaheim Ducks Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers HC Sochi Modo Hockey
National team	United States
NHL Draft	5th overall, 2002 Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career	2004–2015

Ryan D. Whitney (born February 19, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. After playing with his high school team from Thayer Academy and the USA National Development Program, Whitney joined the college ranks with Boston University in 2001. Upon completing his freshman year, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins fifth overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Following parts of three seasons with the Penguins' minor league affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Whitney played his NHL rookie season in 2005–06. Whitney remained in Pittsburgh for three-and-a-half seasons, helping the club to the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. He was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 after a brief stint with the Anaheim Ducks.

Whitney has competed internationally for the United States. He won a silver medal with the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

On September 20, 2015, Whitney announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Whitney enrolled at Thayer Academy, a college-prep school in Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1998, and logged significant playing time with their hockey team. Head Coach Jack Foley often paired Whitney, a freshman, with senior Brooks Orpik, his future rival in college (being on separate ends of the Boston College-Boston University Rivalry), and later his teammate on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Whitney's size and skill drew the attention of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. After initially resisting the programs invitations, he left Thayer for the program, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his senior year of high school.