Defenseman Andrew Ference was drafted 208th overall in 1997, a year before he and his Portland Winter Hawk teammates won the Memorial Cup. His late draft selection made it all the more impressive when he stepped right into the Penguins line up in 1999. Ference made it all the way to the final cuts for the Penguins during his first training camp in 1998 then went back to junior and worked harder knowing he was on the brink of making it as a big leaguer.
Ference impressed the Penugins brass during his second camp with his strong skating and excellent passing skills and he cracked the roster that fall. Ference, who only stands 5'10, was paired with hulking 6'6 defenseman Peter Popovic and the two complimented each other well. Popovic's solid stay at home style and Ference's willingness to jump into the play and use his skills worked well together. In the end, Ference played 30 games for the Penguins and 44 more for their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Ference began the 2000-01 season back in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and made the most of his opportunity and quickly became the top defenseman on the team. Shortly after being selected to play in the AHL All-Star Game, Ference was recalled by the Penguins, this time for good.
Ference finished out the year with Pittsburgh and soon became a valued member of the their defensive core, but his best hockey was left for the playoffs. That spring the Penguins almost advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, before being ousted by the New Jersey Devils. In 18 playoff games Ference scored three goals and added seven assists, good for fifth on the team in scoring, and first among defenseman.
Many expected Ference to build on his breakout performance in the playoffs by becoming a solid scorer for the Penguins and helping to quarterback their power play, however things unfolded differently. In 75 games with the Penguins, Ference was only able to better his playoff performance by one point, with 11 on the year.
Looking to rebound in 2002-03, Ference was hampered by injuries early on and managed to play only 22 games with the Penguins before he was traded to the Calgary Flames following the NHL All-Star break. Upon his arrival with the Flames, Ference became a key component on a young and exciting blueline and helped the the team advance to their first Cup final since 1989 in 2004.
Ference would finish off his season with the Devils AHL affiliate in Albany before being signed as a free agent by the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2006.
In 2005-06, Ference would suit up for 54 games with the Flames however struggle to produce the offensive numbers expected of him early on. As a result, the Flames dealt the defenceman with Chuck Kobasew to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau in February of 2007.
In Boston, Ference provided steady defensive play from the point. Though injuries limited his game action with the Bruins he signed a 3-year contract with the club on March 23, 2010.
During the 2011 playoffs, Ference helped the Bruins to the club's first Stanley Cup championship since 1972. After surviving a first round scare from the Montreal Canadiens, the Bruins steamrolled over the Philadelphia Flyers and endured a seven game battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning en route to the Stanley Cup Final where they would take on the powerful Vancouver Canucks.
The Bruins would defeat the Canucks in a classic seven game series, with Ference contributing solid play on the back end.
On July 5, 2013, the Edmonton Oilers would sign Ference to a four year contract as an unrestricted free agent. Upon his signing, they would make him the 14th captain in Oilers history.
After two unsuccessful years as captain, Ference relinquished the captaincy where he, along with Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, would all be alternate captains.
