Los Angeles Kings (1990–2001) Blake was selected 70th overall in the
1988 NHL entry draft by the
Los Angeles Kings. He had completed his freshman year with
Bowling Green State University of the
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) when he was drafted and went on to play three years total in the college ranks, earning CCHA and
NCAA West first All-Star team honours in 1990. Blake was also the first player to ever receive the
CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman award. Foregoing his final season of college eligibility, Blake joined the Kings for the final four games of the
1989–90 season before scoring 46 points in his NHL rookie campaign in
1990–91 to be named to the
NHL All-Rookie Team. After a 59-point campaign in his third season, Blake helped lead the Kings to the
1993 Stanley Cup Final, where they were defeated in five games by the
Montreal Canadiens. The following season, in
1993–94, Blake improved to a career-high 48 assists and 68 points, but the Kings failed to qualify for the
playoffs. In a season where Blake was kept to just six games due to injury, the Kings traded captain
Wayne Gretzky to the
St. Louis Blues at the
1995–96 trade deadline, leaving the team's captaincy vacant. Blake was named the 11th
captain in team history prior to the
1996–97 season. In
1997–98, Blake received the
James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman after recording a career-high 23 goals to go with 50 points. On February 21, 2001, with Blake declining to sign a new contract and about to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2001 off-season, the Kings traded him (with
Steven Reinprecht) to the
Colorado Avalanche for
Adam Deadmarsh,
Aaron Miller,
Jared Aulin, and a first-round pick (used to select
Dave Steckel).
Colorado Avalanche (2001–2006) After 11 seasons in Los Angeles, Blake joined Colorado late in the
2000–01 season and made an immediate impact, scoring 10 points in the final 13 games of the regular season after being traded. In the
2001 playoffs, he played a second-round series against his former club, the Kings, before he won his first and only
Stanley Cup with the Avalanche, adding 19 points in 23 playoff games. In totaling 59 points in 67 games in the regular season, Blake was selected to the NHL second All-Star team. On July 1, 2001, Blake re-signed with the Avalanche in the off-season to a five-year contract with an optional sixth year. As the Avalanche's top defenceman, Blake recorded his highest total with the Avalanche in recording 56 points in 75 games, third amongst NHL defenceman, in the
2001–02 season, before falling in their defence of the Stanley Cup in the Western Conference finals to the
Detroit Red Wings. For his third successive season, Blake was selected to the NHL second All-Star team. In the following
2002–03 season, Blake recorded his 500th career point against the
Minnesota Wild on October 29, 2002. In finishing fifth in Norris Trophy voting, Blake placed second amongst Avalanche defenceman with 45 points in 79 games. In each of his first three seasons with the Avalanche, he was selected to the NHL All-Star Game, and in the
2003–04 campaign, he was selected as a starter for the
2004 All-Star Game in
Saint Paul, Minnesota. He finished the season with the Avalanche, placing ninth in the NHL amongst defenceman with 46 points. After losing a season to the
2004–05 NHL lockout, Blake returned for his final season under contract with the Avalanche in
2005–06. He continued his scoring presence amongst the Avalanche in recording 51 points in 81 games, the seventh time in his career he surpassed the 50-point plateau. On April 3, 2006, against the
Chicago Blackhawks, he scored his 200th career NHL goal to become just the 17th defenceman all-time to reach the mark.
Return to Los Angeles (2006–2008) After five years with Colorado, the Avalanche did not pick up his option for the
2006–07 season, making him a free agent. On July 1, 2006, he re-signed with his former team, the Los Angeles Kings, for two years at $6 million per year. Coming off a 51-point campaign with Colorado the previous year, Blake's production dipped upon his return to Los Angeles. He recorded 34 points in 2006–07, his lowest total since 1996–97. Nevertheless, prior to the start of the
2007–08 season, Blake was renamed team captain on September 28, 2007, after
Mattias Norström's departure to the
Dallas Stars.
San Jose Sharks (2008–2010) .|200px After again becoming an unrestricted free agent, on July 3, 2008, Blake signed a one-year,
US$5 million contract with the Kings'
Pacific Division rival
San Jose Sharks. Blake reached the 40-point plateau once more with the Sharks, tallying 10 goals and 35 assists in his first season in San Jose. Blake extended his contract with the Sharks, re-signing for another year at $3.5 million to avoid free agency. Blake would be named
captain of the Sharks approximately six weeks after previous captain
Patrick Marleau was stripped of the role by Sharks management. ==Retirement==