Mike Eastwood (born 1 July 1967 in Ottawa, Ontario) began the route to the NHL playing junior hockey with the CJHL's Nepean Raiders. In 1986-87, he played for the Pembroke Lumber Kings as a 19-year-old and in 1987-88, he enrolled at Western Michigan University and scored 13 points as a CCHA rookie. After improving to 23 points in his sophomore season, he scored 52 points in his junior college season. In 1990-91 as a senior, he scored 29 goals and 61 points and was named a CCHA Second Team All-Star. Eastwood was drafted 91st overall in the 1987 Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs and on November 16, 1991, made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks. He played nine NHL games that season and scored two assists while spending the majority of the season with the team's AHL affiliate in St. John's. In 1992-93, he played 12 games and scored his first goal on March 27, 1993 against the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-2 win. In 1993-94, Eastwood joined the Maple Leafs full time and helped the club reach the Western Conference finals before losing to the Vancouver Canucks.


In the shortened 1994-95 season, Eastwood was traded to the Winnipeg Jets and remained with the franchise until it moved to Phoenix. However, after just 33 games in Arizona, he was traded to the New York Rangers. Midway through the 1997-98 season, Eastwood was dealt to the St. Louis Blues and spent four full seasons with the team before he was delt to the Chicago Blackhawks early into the 2002-03 season. After a short stint in Chicago, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired the veteran forward in the summer of 2003.