Darren Haydar played college hockey at the University of New Hampshire from 1998 to 2002. In his senior season, he had a stellar year, leading the Wildcats with 76 points on 31 goals and 45 assists in 40 games. He was also named a First-Team All-American and was the Hockey East Player of the Year. Haydar finished his collegiate career as the third all-time leading scorer in UNH history with 219 points.

After college, Haydar had a long and very successful professional career, particularly in the AHL. He was a dominant scorer in the AHL, winning two Calder Cup championships with the Milwaukee Admirals and Chicago Wolves. He holds the AHL’s all-time record for playoff goals, assists, and points. His most notable season came in 2006-07 with the Chicago Wolves, when he led the league with 122 points and was named the Les Cunningham Award winner as the league’s most valuable player. Despite his success in the AHL, Haydar’s NHL career was brief, playing only 23 games with the Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, and Colorado Avalanche.