Unlike the majority of players featured in this series, Bates Battaglia was attempting to keep his career afloat when he joined the Toronto Marlies in 2005-06.

As a free agent the year before, Battaglia was fast out of options during the 2004-05 NHL lockout and chose to sign in the ECHL with Mississauga Wolves, for whom he would play the entire season alongside his younger brother, Anthony.

Battaglia was drafted by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim132nd overall, of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft but would be traded to Hartford Whalers in March of 1997 before turning professional later that year.

The Chicago native began his rookie season in the AHL with the fabulously named Beast of New Haven and prospered at that level with 36 points in 48 games including fifteen goals
He would also make his NHL debut for the Carolina Hurricanes that same season during their inaugural campaign, with the franchise having been relocated from Hartford.

Battaglia would remain with Carolina until late in the 2002-03 season and became a permanent fixture on the team and well-loved by fans.
He is perhaps best remembered as part of the “BBC line” (consisting of Rod Brind’Amour, Battaglia and Erik Cole) during Carolina’s run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final.

Battaglia put up a career-high in goals (21), assists (25) and points (46) during the regular season, but it was his playoff performance that year that proved memorable.

Battaglia was a key factor in the Hurricanes’ first Stanley Cup Final appearance, leading the way through the first two series against the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens.

Battaglia led the team in points through those first two series victories against New Jersey and Montreal Canadiens, including scoring the Game Two overtime winner in round one against the Devils.
Carolina would fall 4-1 to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final but Battaglia finished second in playoff points (14) on the team that year, only two behind Ron Francis.

Traded to Colorado and then Washington, Battaglia was a free agent in 2004 before spending a year in the ECHL as previously mentioned.

It wasn’t until October 2, 2005, that Battaglia found himself a place to play for the 05-06 campaign.
A one-year AHL contract was signed with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
It was a success for both player and the team with the left-winger potting twenty goals and accumulating 67 points for second in team scoring and 33rd in the league overall.

That led to the Toronto Maple Leafs signing a player two years removed from the NHL for a second go-around in the show.

The 2006-07 season was a relative success back in the NHL with 31 points in 82 games, earning him a two-year contract.

However, his Maple Leafs and NHL career would last just a further thirteen games.
Held without a point in those 13 outings, Battaglia would be reassigned to the Marlies on a conditioning stint and never returned to the NHL, spending the next season and a half in the American League.

The US forward continued to keep playing as he suited up for Syracuse Crunch and Jokerit in 2009-10.
In the following campaign, he bounced from the Rochester Americans (AHL) to Lausitzer Füchse (Germany) and Tulsa Oilers (CHL-yet again playing with his brother Anthony).

On November 2011, Battaglia signed with Karlskrona HK of the Swedish Division 1.
Battaglia scored 23 points in 25 games (third among import players in league scoring) to help Karlskrona gain promotion to the HockeyAllsvenskan, thus hanging up his skates on a high note.

Bates Battaglia final North American statistics are as follows:

AHL Regular Season: 291 Games 71-134-205 Play-offs: 31 Games 9-6-15
NHL Regular Season: 580 Games 80-118-198 Play-offs: 42 Games 5-16-21

Since retiring in 2012, Battaglia has kept busy.

Once more teaming up with his brother but on this occasion, off the ice, Bates Battaglia showed his competitiveness by succeeding in the 22nd season of the Amazing Race game show.
The brothers won five of the twelve total legs of the race and took home the grand final prize of $1,000,000.

He continues to own a bar in down-town Rayleigh since 2005, Lucky B’s, labelled the classiest dive bar in Raleigh on its website and apparently still owns a home in Carolina.


Battaglia remains a large part of the community, continuing to work closely with the Carolina organisation.
That includes participating in Alumni Games, charity events and according to his LinkedIn, taking the role of corporate sales consultant for the team since 2014.