Erik Christensen (Born on December 17, 1983 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a current NHL hockey player for the Atlanta Thrashers.
Christensen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (69th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2002-03 season, Christensen received the Bob Clarke Trophy for being the leading scorer of the Western Hockey League. He tallied 108 points (54 goals) in 67 games with the Kamloops Blazers.
The 2004-05 NHL lockout left the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL stacked with talent, but Christensen impressed Penguins management by scoring 27 points (14 goals) in his first pro season. In the 2005-06 season, he jumped out of the gate quickly, tallying 19 points (9 goals) in only 9 games. The Pittsburgh Penguins called him up on October 31, 2005.
Christensen scored his first NHL goal on November 3, 2005 against the New York Islanders (against goaltender Rick DiPietro) at 15:43 into the 2nd period. He was another promising rookie for the Penguins in 2005-06 (along with Sidney Crosby, Colby Armstrong, Ryan Whitney and others). Christensen had 13 points (6 goals) in 33 games with the Penguins during his rookie campaign. Christensen has also been seen as highly valuable in NHL shootouts where his quick stickhandling moves enable him to be successful.
On February 26, 2008 the Atlanta Thrashers acquired Christensen along with Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito, and a 1st Round Draft Pick in a trade deadline deal that sent Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Penguins.
Erik Robert Christensen, Jr. (born October 31, 1931 in Elizabeth, New Jersey) was an American football end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of Richmond.
Christensen played high school football at Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, before transferring to Fork Union Military Academy.
