Ken R. Sabourin (born April 28, 1966) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played 74 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals between 1989 and 1992. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1986 to 1999 was spent in the minor leagues. He won the Turner Cup, the championship trophy of the International Hockey League with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1988. Since 2002, Sabourin has been a colour analyst on Washington Capitals radio broadcasts.
Sabourin spent the majority of the 1988–89 season with Salt Lake, but made his NHL debut during the season with Calgary when he appeared in six regular season games and one playoff game for the Stanley Cup champion Flames. Enough to earn a Stanley Cup ring, but not enough games played to be included on the Stanley Cup.[7] In 1989–90, Sabourin recorded a career high 24 points with the Golden Eagles, to go along with 336 penalty minutes, and appeared in five games with the Flames. He scored his first NHL goal on October 27, 1990, against the Washington Capitals.[8] He was unable to gain a regular position in the Flames lineup,[7] and was traded to Washington on January 24, 1991, in exchange for Paul Fenton. The Capitals acquired Sabourin primarily to add a physical presence to their defence.[8]
Split between the two teams, Sabourin appeared in a career-high 44 NHL games in 1990–91 and scored two goals and nine points. He appeared in 19 games with Washington in 1991–92, which marked his last NHL appearances. He finished the season with Washington's AHL affiliate, the Baltimore Skipjacks. After thirty games with Baltimore in 1992–93, Washington traded Sabourin, along with Paul MacDermid, to the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for Mike Hough on January 20, 1993. He finished the season with Salt Lake in the IHL. Sabourin then spent five seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals before finishing his playing career following the 1998–99 IHL season after one year with the Orlando Solar Bears.
Sabourin returned to the Capitals in 2002 as a colour analyst on the team's radio broadcasts,[9] a role he continues to hold in the 2023-24 NHL season.[10]
^ abPodnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 194. ISBN0-385-25999-9.