Scott Daniels (born September 19, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.
A Mistawasis First Nation aboriginal,[1] Daniels was nicknamed "Chief" by his teammates due to his full-blooded Cree Indian background.[2] At the age of 17, Daniels started his hockey career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) playing left wing for the Kamloops Blazers in 1986, and continued to play in the WHL for the New Westminster Bruins and then the Regina Pats until 1990.
Daniels was selected with the 136th pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Hartford Whalers.[1] After spending three years in the AHL, Daniels made his NHL debut for the Hartford Whalers on October 8, 1992, against the Boston Bruins.[3] Known as a power forward who could put the puck in the net and protect his teammates, Daniels made an immediate impression by accumulating nineteen minutes in penalties during his debut.[1] Daniels played in 66 NHL games for the Hartford Whalers over the span of four years before signing with the Philadelphia Flyers for the 1996–97 season.[4] In Philadelphia, Daniels played 56 NHL games as a third of the "Dan Line" - consisting of Dan Kordic, Daniel Lacroix and Daniels - in an effort to protect star forwards John LeClair and Eric Lindros.[5] He was later claimed by the New Jersey Devils in the 1997 NHL Waiver Draft, where he played for two years before retiring from the NHL.[4]
Daniels played in 149 NHL games, totaling 8 goals, 12 assists, and 667 penalty minutes before retiring in 1999.[6]
Daniels currently resides in Massachusetts with his family.[1] His daughter, Sydney, played hockey at Harvard and was drafted fifth overall in the 2016 National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) draft.[7]