SPORTS

Oilers name defenceman Andrew Ference new team captain

The Canadian Press Published Sunday, September 29, 2013 2:59PM EDT

Edmonton Oilers Brad Hunt, left, and Andrew Ference discuss drills during the Edmonton Oilers NHL hockey training camp in Sherwood Park, Alta., on Thursday September 12, 2013..THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.

Text:

EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers named defenceman Andrew Ference their new team captain on Sunday, making him the 14th in franchise history.

The 34-year-old Ference is entering his 14th NHL season and his first with the Oilers.

Drafted in the eighth round of the 1997 Entry Draft, the five-foot-11, 189-pound defenceman has 37 goals, 156 assists and 645 penalty minutes in 760 career games.

The Edmonton native has spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, and Boston Bruins throughout his NHL career. He helped Boston to its sixth Stanley Cup championship in 2011.

Ference also served as an alternate captain with the Bruins for the past two seasons.