Steve Eminger was born October 31, 1983 in Woodbridge, Ontario. The first round, 12th overall selection of the Washington Capitals in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Eminger is an offensively gifted defenseman who made his NHL debut with the Capitals during the 2002-03 season.
A member of the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, Eminger entered his first NHL training camp looking to make a name for himself by keeping his game simple. With already two years of major junior hockey under his belt, the Woodbrige, Ontario native was probably expecting to be sent back to his junior team in Kitchener, however, Eminger's strong play in his own end and his ability to move the puck up the ice quickly impressed the Capitals staff enough in letting him start the 2002-03 season with the club.
Early on into the 2002-03 season, the Capitals gave Eminger the opportunity to represent his country at the 2003 World Junior Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Eminger became a fixture on Canada's blue line and was instrumental in leading Canada to the Gold Medal Game against team Russia, unfortunately for Eminger and Team Canada, the Russians escaped with a 4-2 gold medal victory.
Upon the completion of the 2003 World Juniors, the Capitals opted to return Eminger to Kitchener where he became a key component in the team's OHL title run and its Memorial Cup victory over the Hull Olympiques.
In his first full professional season in 2003-04, Eminger split his time between the Caps and the team's AHL affiliate in Portland. He became a regular in Washington over the next two seasons but failed to live up to the club's expectations. He managed to skate in only 20 games of the 2007-08 season but filled in nicely during the Capitals five playoff games.
Eminger's stint in Washington came to an end on June 20, 2008 when the club dealt him to the Philadelphia Flyers at the annual NHL Draft. He competed in 12 games for Philadelphia before the club sent him back to the Southeast Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
At the 2009 NHL trade deadline, Eminger was again traded, this time to the rival Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Noah Welch and a third round draft pick.
On September 4, 2009, Eminger was on the move again. This time as a free agent signed by the Anaheim Ducks to a 2-year deal. Though Eminger would not get the chance to serve out his contract with the Ducks, he was traded to the New York Rangers on July 9, 2010.
