Daren Puppa (born March 23, 1965 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey player in the NHL. During his career he played as a goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning and briefly the Toronto Maple Leafs. He started his career splitting time between the Sabres and the AHL's Rochester Americans. He was eventually traded to the Maple Leafs, but played only 8 games for them before being claimed by the Lightning in the 1992 expansion draft. In 1995-96, Puppa's stellar goaltending was a major factor in the Lighting earning their first playoff berth in team history. The team took the powerful Philadelphia Flyers to six games before losing in the first round.
Chronic back trouble would limit Puppa to only 50 games over the next four years, and he was forced to retire midway through the 1999-2000 season.
