Hendricks was drafted by the Nashville Predators right out of high school, but his career took a circuitous route through the minor leagues before he carved out a niche as an effective, full-time NHL player.

The Predators selected Hendricks in the fifth round (No. 131) in the 2000 NHL Draft, the year he was a key part of Blaine High School's state championship team in hockey-mad Minnesota. College came first for Hendricks, who played four seasons at St. Cloud State in Minnesota before moving on to professional hockey.

Hendricks, who had rejected the Predators' contract offer, was a free agent and began a minor-league journey that included stops in the American Hockey League with Milwaukee, Lowell, Hershey and Providence. He had a big season (22 goals, 52 points) on a first-place Providence team in 2007-08, but the Boston Bruins did not call him up to the NHL.

That made the 6-foot, 207-pound Hendricks, the son of a Marine, realize the physical, grinding game - checking, winning faceoffs, killing penalties, blocking shots - had to be his trademark if he were to get to the NHL because he wasn't going to make it on offensive production. He fine-tuned his game and was a physical, all-purpose energy player in his final season in the minors with Lake Erie in 2008-09. Hendricks has had NHL stints with the Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Predators and Edmonton Oilers, who acquired him in a trade for goaltender Devan Dubnyk on Jan. 15, 2014. His selfless play has earned him three nominations for the Bill Masterton Trophy, given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.