Background
York was born in Waterford, Michigan and played his junior hockey for Detroit Compuware, where he scored 136 goals in 1993-1994.
York was born in Waterford, Michigan and played his junior hockey for Detroit Compuware, where he scored 136 goals in 1993-1994.
He attended Lutheran High School Northwest in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and from there went to Ontario where he played for the MTHL"s Thornhill Islanders.
lieutenant was there that he led the league in scoring and was named rookie of the year. York was drafted in the 6th round of the 1997 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the New York Rangers. During his time playing for the Rangers, York played on a line with Theoren Fleury and Eric Lindros.
This was nicknamed the "FLY" line, getting its name from the last initial of each player on lieutenant
He was named to the 1999–2000 National Hockey League All-Rookie team, scoring 26 goals during his rookie season. He was later dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Tom Poti, who had become a target of fans for his perceived indifference.
In Edmonton, York became an integral part of the team, playing on the top two lines and also on the penalty kill, where for a time he formed a formidable duo with Todd Marchant. In the 2004-2005 season he played in Germany for the Iserlohn Roosters in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
He was the second best scorer in the whole league.
On August 3, 2005, York was traded from the Oilers to the New York Islanders with a conditional draft pick in exchange for Michael Peca. After a season and a half with the Islanders, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Randy Robitaille and a 5th round draft pick on December 20, 2006. He signed with the Phoenix Coyotes to a 1-year, $1 million contract in the off-season.
On July 11, 2008, he signed a contract with The Human Context Sibir Novosibirsk, However opted out on July 25, after he signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
On August 19, 2009, he signed an AHL-only contract with the Rochester Americans, allowing him to sign with any National Hockey League team during the season. On September 10, 2010, he signed one-year contract with the Pelicans.
York scored 27 points in 52 games as the Pelicans narrowly avoided relegation. On May 13, 2011, York left to sign a one-year contract returning to Germany with the Iserlohn Roosters, with whom he spent a season from the 2004 National Hockey League Lockout.
His play in Ontario drew the attention of Michigan State University where he spent four years as a member of the Spartans hockey team In 2002, York was a member of the silver medal winning Team United States of America in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and played in the 52nd National Hockey League All-Star Game as a member of the North American team