Playing Career
O'Donnell grew up in the Ottawa area playing minor hockey with several teams before playing his Midget season with the CJHL's Kanata Valley Lasers in 1987–88. He was a 4th round choice (59th overall) of the Sudbury Wolves in the 1988 OHL Priority Selection.
O'Donnell played major junior in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Sudbury Wolves for the three seasons. Following his third and final OHL season, he was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 6th round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
O'Donnell immediately turned pro the following season with the Sabres' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans. At one point during the Sabres 1992 – 1993 season O'Donnell was set to make his NHL debut with the team due to the single game suspension of Gord Donnelly. However, O'Donnell's flight from Rochester to Hartford was canceled, and he was unable to make it to the city in time for the game.
After three seasons in the Sabres organization, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the 1994 off-season for Doug Houda. As a result, O'Donnell began playing in the International Hockey League (IHL) with the Kings' minor league affiliate, the Phoenix Roadrunners. During his first season in the Kings organization, he made his NHL debut in 1994–95, appearing in 15 games and recording 2 assists. From then on, O'Donnell established himself as a full-time NHLer, playing the following five seasons with the Kings.
On June 23, 2000, O'Donnell was released by the Kings into the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft and he was claimed by the Minnesota Wild. Joining the expansion Wild, O'Donnell was named the franchise's first captain for the month of October as part of a rotating monthtly captaincy. Late in the season, however, he was dealt at the 2001 trade deadline to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenceman Willie Mitchell. O'Donnell went on to appear in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals with the Devils, but lost the championship to the Colorado Avalanche in 7 games.
In the off-season, O'Donnell became a free agent and signed with the Boston Bruins. In his first season as a Bruin, O'Donnell recorded NHL career-highs with 22 assists and 25 points in 80 games. After three seasons in Boston, he became a free agent once more and signed with the Phoenix Coyotes. For the second time in his career, he was dealt at the trade deadline in his first season with a new club, as the Coyotes traded him to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in exchange for Joel Perrault. The following season, in 2006–07, O'Donnell won a Stanley Cup championship with the Ducks.
After another season with the Ducks, in which O'Donnell played in his 900th NHL game on January 18, 2008, against his former team, the Minnesota Wild, he was traded in the 2008 off-season to the Los Angeles Kings for a draft pick in 2009. Playing in his first season with the Kings, O'Donnell then achieved the 1000-game mark on March 14, 2009 against the San Jose Sharks at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.
On July 1, 2010 O'Donnell signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.
O'Donnell signed a one-year contract worth $850,000 with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 1, 2011.
After 17 seasons in the NHL, O'Donnell announced his retirement on January 16, 2013.
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