Welcome back, Darren!

The Chicago Wolves have announced today that they have re-signed Darren Haydar, who led the team in assists with 36 and clocked in second in goals (21) and points (57). This was the tenth time in as many years — so, his entire professional career — that Haydar surpassed 50 points, and the ninth he scored more than 20 goals.

Not bad for a 32-year-old, right?

His 10-year career has seen him take place in 709 AHL games with the Wolves, Milwaukee Admirals, Grand Rapids Griffins, and Lake Erie Monsters. He’s also appeared in 23 NHL games with three different teams, scoring a goal and 7 assists. His 2006-2007 season with the Wolves was highly decorated:  he won the Les Cunningham Award (AHL MVP) and John B. Sollenberger Trophy (AHL lead scorer), as he notched 122 points (41G, 81A) over 73 games.

He’s won the Calder Cup twice, in ’04 with Milwaukee and ’08 with the Wolves — and his 39-game, 79-point (24G, 55A) streak tied Gretzky’s own as the fourth-longest streak in pro hockey, and set an AHL and franchise record. After he won AHL Rookie of the Year in 2003, he got going and never stopped, and Wolves fans are excited to keep him around for one more season.

Maybe now that Baumer’s retired to the other side of the bench, Haydar could see the C again? We’d be super excited!