One Star, One Sheet: Tim Kerr

Tim Kerr

4x 50 Goal Scorer

1987 2nd team All-Star

1989 Masterson Trophy Winner

  When people speak of one-dimensional players, usually someone will bring up Tim Kerr. Tim Kerr could score goals, lots of them.  A four time 50 goal scorer, Kerr also led the league in powerplay goals 3 times, including an NHL record 34 in 1985-86.  Topping out at 6'3" and 230 pounds, Kerr was made for "garbage goals".
  Tim Kerr played his junior hockey for the Kingston Canadiens.  During his drafts season, he scored 42 points in 57 games, which put him 7th on his team.  On draft day in 1979, one of the deepest ever due to minimum age changes, Kerr was not selected.  Available as a free agent, Kerr signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.
  Kerr made the Flyers team out of training camp in 1980, due to an injury to Ken Linseman.  Kerr scored his first career goal against Mike Veisor of the Hartford Whalers on October 26, 1980.  He would finish the season with 22 goals and 45 points in 68 games during his rookie season.  He posted similar number the following season, 21 goals, and 51 points in 61 games.
  The 1982-83 season was a sign of things to come for Tim Kerr.  His goal and point production were up, but also his injuries.  Kerr scored 11 goals and 19 points in 24 games.  He missed significant time due to a knee injury.
  Starting with the 83-84 season, Kerr ran together four impressive seasons, in terms of goals and durability.  Kerr scored 54, 54, 58 and 58 goals in consecutive season while also playing in 74 or more games in each season.  Kerr set a, still standing, NHL record with 34 powerplay goals in 1985-86 and was a Second Team All-Star in 1986-87.
  Kerr would get the nickname "The Sultan of Slot" for how lethal he was in close proximity of the net.  Kerr paid the price for playing in front of the net, but he also reaped the rewards.
  Unfortunately for the Flyers, Kerr's injury bug would resurface during the play-offs, first in 1985 and then again in 1987.  In 1985, after setting a NHL play-off record, scoring  four goals in 8:16, and in a single period, Kerr would be injured and missed the majority of the semi-finals and Stanley Cup Finals.  In 1987, Kerr suffered a serious shoulder injury versus the New York Islanders during the second round.  The Flyers, without its top goal scorer, eventually lost the Stanley Cup final to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
  Kerr missed all but eight games in 1987-88 due to the shoulder injury.  Kerr returned to form in 1988-89, scoring 48 goals in 68 games.  Also true to form, Kerr missed time, and a chance at another 50 goals season due to injuries.  This time to a broken jaw.  Kerr did save his best for the play-offs, scoring 14 goals and 25 points in 19 play-off games as the Flyers lost in the Semi-Finals to the Montreal Canadiens. For Kerr's determination to play and for overcoming injuries, Kerr was awarded the Bill Masterson trophy in 1989.
  Injuries continued to plague Kerr for the rest of his career.  Kerr wouldn't play more than 40 games in each of his last four seasons.  Although Kerr's on ice injuries paled in comparision to his loss in 1990, when his wife lost her life while giving birth to the couple's third child.
  Following the season, Kerr was left unprotected in the 1991 expansion draft.  he was selected by the San Jose Sharks and that same day, he was flipped to the Flyers division rival, the New York Rangers.  In another injury shortened season, Kerr had 18 points in 32 games for the Rangers.  In the offseason, Kerr was traded to the Hartford Whalers for a final, yet again, injury plagued season before retiring in 1993.
  Kerr's career is a what could have been career.  While Kerr wasn't a physically dominating player, he was extremely difficult to move once he layed down roots in front of the opponents net.Kerr could have easily had six straight career 50 goal seasons in the mid-to-late-1980s  if not for injuries.  It was the shoulder injury in 1987 that would eventually end his career.  Did injuries rob the Sultan of Slot a place in HHOF?  How do you compare him to Cam Neely's selection?

One Star, One Sheet: Dale Hunter

Dale Hunter

1407 Career Games

1020 Career Points

3565 Career PIM

  Dale Hunter is one of those player you hate, until he's on your team.  Which becomes obvious once you know his nickname was "The Nuisance".  Hunter had eight seasons were he scored 20+ goals and had 200+ PIM - twice as many as any other NHL player in history. 
  Hunter was selected 41st overall in the 1979 draft by the Quebec Nordiques.  In his first NHL game on October 9, 1980 against the Calgary Flames, he notched two assists.  He added three more assists in the next game against the Edmonton Oilers.  Hunter scored his first NHL goal against Richard Brodeur of the Vancouver Canucks on October 29th, 1980.  Hunter finished his rookie season with 19 goals, 44 assists and 226 PIM.
  Hunter, born in Ontario, became a key figure in the Battle of Quebec.  In game five of the opening round of the1982 play-offs, Hunter scored 22 seconds into overtime against the Montreal Canadiens.  The goal gave the Nordiques its first NHL play-off series win.  The Nordiques would make the play-offs in all seven seasons Hunter played, including two trips to the Conference Finals.
  1983-84 would be an eventful season for Dale Hunter.  Hunter earned his first NHL suspension; three games for slashing Mike Ramsey in the face during the overtime on March 4, 1984.  The three game suspension would be the only three regular season games Hunter missing during his first six seasons.  Quite a feat for a player who played the style Hunter did.  Hunter set a career high in points with 79 during the 83-84 season.
  The Battle of Quebec reached it's boiling point during the 1984 play-offs with the Good Friday Massacre.  At the end of the second period, Hunter pushed Guy Carbonneau to the ice.  What started as a minor scrum turned into a bench clearing brawl and both teams joining the fray.  A Louis Sleigher sucker punch ended the first brawl.  The second brawl started with Dale's brother, Mark Hunter going after Sleigher.  This game gets replayed a lot as a "Classic" game, so there is a chance you might see this game on tv.  After the two brawls, seven goals are scored in the third period in this series clinching game, so it is a good game to watch on top of the brawling.  Do I have to mention that Dale Hunter, #32, is in the middle of both brawls?

   

   Hunter would play a few more seasons with Quebec before being traded, with Clint Malarchuk to the Washington Capitals for Alan Haworth, Gaetan Duchesne, and a 1st round pick.  While Haworth and Duchesne would play a combined three seasons for the Nordiques, the first round pick would score over 600 goals, win two Stanley Cups and enter the HHOF in 2012 for the Quebec/Colorado franchise. 

  Hunter played over 11 seasons with the Washington Capitals, including five as captain. His number 32 is one of four numbers retired by the Capitals.  One of the highlights of Hunter's time as a Capital would be his game 7 overtime goal versus the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1988 play-offs.  One of the lowlights would be his game 6 cheap shot on Pierre Turgeon.  Hunter claimed he thought the play was still on and he never saw the puck go into the net.  The NHL would suspend Dale Hunter for 21 games.  The longest suspension ever handed out by the NHL at that time.

  Hunter matched a career high with 79 points in 1992-93.  It was his last good offensive season, as he never had more than 46 in any future season.  In Hunter's last full season as a Capital, the team made it to the Stanley Cup final.  They were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.  

  During the 1998-99 season, Hunter's last, the Capitals traded him back to the franchise that had drafted him, although it was now located in Colorado.  Hunter was used sparingly in the play-offs, averaging under seven minutes a game, as the Colorade Avalanche lost in the Semi-Finals to the Dallas Stars.  Hunter retired in the offseason.

  Hunter, and his brother Mark (who is also prominent in the Good Friday Massacre) together bought the London Knights of the OHL.  Dale has coached the team since 2001, with a breif hiatus in 2011-12 while he coached the Washington Capitals.  The Knights won the 2005 Memorial Cup and set an OHL record by pulling off a 31 game unbeaten streak.

 

  Dale is perhaps the least offensively skill players to score 1000 points.  He never scored 80 points in a single season and has the lowest ppg of any 1000 point scorer.  What he can claim is to be the only 1000 point player with over 3000 pim.  In fact, his 3565 career PIM is second all-time.

One Sheet, One Star: Mike Gartner

Mike Gartner

2001 HHOF

708 Career Goals

17x 30 goal scorer

  I believe Mike Gartner heads up the list of players who were very good for a long time category in the Hockey Hall of Fame.  He only has one 50 goal season and one 100 point season.  He was a little better than a point-per-game during hockey's offensive heyday of the 1980s.  He never won an award or made a post season all-star team.  What he did do was score 30 or more goals in 15 straight seasons and netted 708 goals for his career.  
   Mike Gartner started his professional career with the WHA's Cincinnati Stingers.  The Stingers were one of two WHA teams that were not included in the NHL's absorption of the WHA.  That left Gartner eligible for the 1979 NHL Draft.  The 1979 draft was extremely deep due to the lowering of the age restrictions and the availability of several young stars who had played in the WHA the previous season.  Gartner was selected 4th overall by the Washington Capitals.

  Gartner's best season was with the Capitals in 1984-85, scoring 50 goals and 102 points.  His blazing speed and scoring prowess helped him get selected to the 1984 and 1987 Canadian Canada Cup teams. Gartner would call the 1987 Canada Cup the highlight of his career.  He was never able to win a Stanley Cup, but did win two Canada Cups.  Gartner had 9 points in 17 Canada Cup games.

  The Capitals were a very good regular season team, but could never make it our of the Patrick division in the play-offs, regularly losing to Islanders in post season play.  Near the 1988-89 trade deadline, the Capitals made a traded to get grittier.  They sent Gartner and Larry Murphy to the Minnesota North Stars for Dino Ciccarelli and Bob Rouse.  The following season at the trade deadline, Gartner was on the move again, back to the Patrick division, to the New York Rangers.
  Gartner would come close to scoring 50 again in 1990-91, making a serious push for it as he scored 8 goals in the last 7 games.  Instead he had to settle for hockey's Cy Young award, with 49 goals and  20 assists.  Things really started to look up for the Rangers as the "Messiah" Mark Messier was acquired for the 1991-92 season.  Messier did deliver the Stanley Cup to New York in 1994, unfortunately Gartner was a victim of the Oilerization of the Rangers.  The Rangers boasted six former Cup winning Edmonton Oilers on their Cup wining team.  Gartner was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 1994 trade deadline for Glenn Anderson. 
  While with the Leafs, Gartner made it out of the second round, as the Leafs lost in the semi-finals to the Vancouver Canucks.  Gartner never won a Stanley Cup during his career.  The following season marked the end of Gartner's 15 straight 30 goal seasons, since matched by Jaromir Jagr.  While the shortened lock-out season made getting 30 goals difficult, Gartner was only on pace for 26 goals over a full season.
  Mike notched two more 30 goal seasons, one with Toronto in 1995-96 before being traded to Phoenix, where he notched his last.  He retired as a Phoenix Coyote with a total of 708 career NHL goals.
  Gartner did win one award of note in the NHL.  In 1993, he was selected as the All-Star MVP after scoring a record four goals, which he shares with a few other players. Mike played in  seven All-Star games and won the fastest skater competition three times at the skills competition.

Hey Mike, where's your 'stache?

   So where does Gartner rank in terms of greatness?  He never had a high peak but played a very good level for a very long time.  Is he really deserving of the HHOF? 
 

One Star, One Sheet; Brett Hull

Brett Hull

741 career goals

1991 Hart winner

2 Stanley Cups

2009 HHOF

  Whoa, what's up with the Flames card?  I went a bit out of order on the release dates on this one.  That card is from a insert set from 2003 -04 Topps, called the Lost Rookies.  (*insert shameless plug* I do lost rookies too, check them out)  I included this post-pre-rookie (huh?) to have his Flames days represented.  I was a big Flames fan as a kid as Hull was blowing up in the early 1990s.
  Hull was drafted by the Flames 117th overall in the 1984 draft.  It's not like the Flames didn't know they had a future star on their hands.  He had the lineage, being Bobby Hull's son.  He scored 50 goals in 67 games in the AHL in 1985-86.  In 52 games with the Flames in 86-87, Hull scored 26 goals and 50 points in 52 games before being traded.  True, the Flames picked up two pieces of their 1989 Stanley Cup winning team in Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley.  Still, you have to wonder what if the Flames kept Hull. 
  Hull would set the league on fire as a St. Louis Blue.  In 1988-89, he scored 41 goals in his first full season with St. Louis, and then followed it up with seasons of 72, 86, and 70 goals.  In 1990-91, Hull won the Hart Trophy as league's MVP.  It was Hull and Oates mania.  His 86 goals are the highest by a player not named Wayne Gretzky. 
  Hull scored 50+ goals in five consecutive seasons.  He only one of six players to have five consecutive 50 goal seasons and was also the last to do so.
 Gretzky and Hull would be united after the Blues won the Gretzky trade sweepstakes in late February of 1996.  The expected explosion of offense never materialized.  During 15 regular season games together, Gretzky only set up three Brett Hull goals.  The Blues lost in the second round of the play-offs in seven games to the Detroit Red Wings.  Gretzky left via free agency in the off-season.  Hull and the Blues would also be disposed of by the Red Wings in the play-offs in the two following seasons. 
  In 1998, Hull signed as a free-agent with the Dallas Stars.  For the first time in his career, his team would make it past the second round, and this time they would win the Stanley Cup, albeit on a questionable triple overtime goal.  At least Brett is above rubbing it in....

  Hull played three season with the Stars, winning one Stanley Cup.  He would repeat that with the Detroit Red Wings; three seasons, one Cup. After the lost season of 2004-05, Hull retired five games into the 2005-06 season as a Phoenix Coyote.  Making him the second 700 goal scorer to retire as a Phoenix Coyote. Any guesses on the other one?
  I don't have much to say on Hull since he was such a well covered player through out his career.  I guess I should mention that he is the son of HHOFer Bobby Hull and they hold the record for most career goals by a father and son.  Perhaps if the Flames never traded him I would be in the mood to go more in-depth on him. 

One Star, One Sheet: Jeff Hackett

Jeff Hackett

500 career games

3x 20 game winner

2nd best Save % 1995-98

  Once again we stretch the definition of a star.  Perhaps I should be calling this "One player I remember, One Sheet".  Hackett had some good years, but also had some historically abysmal years.
  Hackett played his junior hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL.  In 1986-87, he led the OHL in GAA, 3.05 and helped the team win the OHL championship.  Hackett and the Generals would lose in the Memorial Cup final.
  His performance made him the 4th goalie taken in the 1987 Draft by the New York Islanders and 34th player overall.  The first goalie taken was Jimmy Waite at 8th overall.  Hackett led all goalies from his draft class with 500 career games played.  The Islanders had lost their dynasty and were in the process of rebuilding.  Hackett would lose his first five decisions before winning his first in 1989.  A sign of things to come for Hackett. 
  Hackett spent the 1989-90 season in the AHL with the Springflied Indians.  He won the play-off MVP as the Indians won the AHL Calder trophy as play-off champs.  He returned to the Islanders for the 1990-91 season and get the back-up job, largely due to the previous year's starter, and former Memorial Cup nemesis, Mark Fitzpatrick, missing almost the entire season due to illness.  Hackett went 5-18-1 during his rookie season.
  With Fitzpatrick ready to play and starter Glenn Healy under contract, Hackett was left unprotected in the 1991 expansion draft.  He was the first player selected overall by the San Jose Sharks.  Hackett was the main starter for the expansion team and he severely outplayed the other Sharks goalies that season.  Hackett appeared in 42 games, go 11-27-1, .892 save percentage, with a 3.84 GAA.  The other four Shark, goalies would combine for a 6-31-4 record, with a .868 save percentage and a 4.82 GAA.  Hackett was arguably the Sharks MVP during their expansion season.
  The following season would be a different story.  The entire Sharks team would take a step backwards.  All the way back to being considered one of the worst teams ever in the history of the NHL.  The Sharks finished the season in last place overall with an 11-71-2 record for 24 points.  Hackett lost 30 games while only winning two.  He holds the record for least wins while losing 30+ games in a season.  He also has the second worst winning percentage in a single season, .076, of any goalie would played 20+ games in a season.  Worst is Michel Belhumeur, .056.
  One of the lowlights during the 1992-93 season was a 13-1 pounding of the San Jose Sharks by the Calgary Flames.   Six Flames scored 3 or more points that night, including Jeff Reese.  Reese's 3 assists are notable since it's the single game scoring record for a goalie. 
  With the emergence of Arthurs Irbe in San Jose, Hackett was deemed expendable was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks for a third round pick.  Even though Hackett was on a much better team, his performance continued to be abysmal.  Hackett went 2-12-3 in 1993-94.  His career record so far, 24-94-6, with a 4.09 GAA.  Amazing he was still in the NHL.
  He rode the bench for the majority of the 1994-95 lockout shortened season, only appearing in 7 NHL games.  His GAA, 2.13, and save percentage, 2.38, took remarkable jumps, which were a sign of things to come.  During the 1995-96 season, Hackett had his first winning season, going 18-11-4, and also recorded his first career shutout.  He played even better the following season, finishing second in save percentage, .927, and vastly outplayed the Hawks #1 goalie, and future HHOFer, Ed Belfour.  Belfour did not appreciate Hackett's success and reportedly was a bit of a bully towards Hackett.  With Hackett's excellent play, Belfour's attitude and contract demands, The Hawks shopped Belfour around until they found a suitor in Hackett's old team, the San Jose Sharks.
  Hackett finally found himself as a #1 goalie on a playoff contending team.  While Hackett continued to play well between the pipes, the Hawks could not score.  In 1996-97, the Hawks were the second lowest scoring team in the NHL and found themselves out of the play-offs.  From 95-96 to 97-98, only Domink Hasek, .927, posted a better save percentage than Hackett, .920, and only Martin Brodeur and Chris Osgood, besting Hackett in GAA.
  After a horrendous start to the 1998-99 season for Hackett and the Hawks, the team was on a 10 game winless streak, a six player trade was made with the Montreal Canadiens.  The main player heading to the Hawks was Hackett's replacement, Jocelyn Thibault.  Hackett's play bounced back and he was the #1 goalie in Montreal until the emergence of Jose Thoedore.  By the 2001-02 season, Thoedore had taken over the #1 gig.  Hackett watched from the bench as Thoedore won the 2002 Hart and Vezina Trophies.  Hackett  numbers had sagged over the past two season but he was having a bounce back season as a back-up in 2002-03, even outplaying Theodore.  Good enough for the impending unrestricted free agent to be trade bait.  Hackett landed in Boston, via San Jose, as part of a three team trade.  Joining a stable of Bruins goalies that included 28 year old rookie, Tim Thomas. 
  Hackett started the play-offs on the bench but started the last three game during a five game series loss to the New Jersey Devils.  Hackett only started 10 career play-off games, seven versus Patrick Roy, and three against Martin Brodeur.  How's that for drawing the short straw.
  Hackett signed with the original goalie graveyard, the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2003-04 season.  Hackett began the season with back-to-back shutouts and then posted a third in his ninth game of the season.  I am not sure when he first suffered from vertigo, but in his first 17 games, Hackett was 9-2-5 with a .931 Sv% and 1.71 GAA.  In his last 11 games, he went 1-8-1 with a .865 Sv% and a 3.44 GAA.  He officially retired on February 9th, 2004 due to vertigo.
  For Hackett's career is seemed to have a real roller coaster ride.  Some abysmal years to begin his career on some abysmal teams.  Then he seemed to get it together and actually be one of the best goalies in the NHL in the mid 1990s.  By the early 2000s, it seemed he was to fade away, only to have a incredible rebirth in Philadelphia, only to be taken away from him due to his health.  His career best single season GAA was 2.16, and his worst was 5.28.  That's a whole 3.12 difference.  I believe that is modern era record. 
  So who is Jeff Hackett?  A mediocre goalie who lucked into a few good seasons.  Or a star goalie who was had a very unlucky start to his career?  Is he a star, or a just a player I remember?

One Star, One Sheet: Dale Hawerchuk

Dale Hawerchuk

2001 HHOF

1409 Career Points

518 Career Goals

1982 Calder winner

    For a player who put up some gaudy numbers, Hawerchuk is not considered among the elites.  Perhaps it was because he wasn't flashy, played in a small Canadian market, or never had any play-off success.
   Hawerchuk had plenty of success in his pre-NHL days.  He led the Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL to back-to-back Memorial Cups championships in 1980 and 81.  His dominating play in junior, 183 pts in 73s games in 1980-81, made him the clear cut number one pick for the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 draft.
   Aided by Hawerchuk, the Jets went from being worst in the league, with 32 points in 80-81, to a playoff team with 80 points in 1981-82.  At the time, it was the largest point increase by a team.  Hawerchuk became the 2nd rookie to score 100+ points and was awarded the Calder trophy.
  Dale would led the Jets in scoring every season he was a Jet, never averaging less than  a point per game in a single season.  Hawerchuk's best season came in 1984-85.  He scored 53 goals and 130 points to finish 3rd in the scoring race. He was voted to the 2nd team All-stars and was a runner up for the Hart trophy.  Another highlight for the Jets in the 1984-85 season was having six players score 30 or more goals.  The 1984-85 Jets are only one of three teams to have accomplished this.
  In terms of team success, the Jets only won two play-off rounds during Hawerchuk's years as a Jet, while losing eight, including five sweeps.  The Jets suffered from playing in the Smythe division during the 1980s which was owned by the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames during that decade.
     The hiring of Mike "Mikhail" Smith as GM of the Winnipeg in 1988, was the beginning of the end for Hawerchuk in Winnipeg.  According to Hawerchuk, “Mike Smith had come in and taken over as the GM in Winnipeg and was making some big changes, things were getting so bad in Winnipeg that I finally asked Smith to trade me.”  Which is a bit ironic since Mike Smith coached the 1980-81 Winnipeg Jets and helped cement the 1st overall choice in the 1981 draft for the Jets.  Smith went 2-17-4, as the third and final head coach of the Jets that season. 
  At the 1990 NHL draft, Hawerchuk and a 1st round pick, was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a Phil Housley, Scott Arniel, Jeff Parker and the Sabres 1st round pick.  The Jets would select Keith Tkachuk and the Sabres took Brad May.
  Hawerchuk was no longer the 100+ point man he was in Winnipeg but still put up a point a game or better in his first four seasons with the Sabres until an injury plagued season in 1994-95.  Even though the Sabres were a more talented team than the Jets of the 1980s, with Pat Lafontaine, Alexandr Mogilny, Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek, they fared no better in the playoffs.  During Hawerchuk's five seasons in Buffalo, the Sabres won one play-off round while losing five.
  After the 1994-95 season, Hawerchuk signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Blues.  Hawerchuk was reunited with coach Mike Keenan, who had coached Hawerchuk in two Canada Cups and also in Junior B when Hawerchuk was only 15 years old.  Hawerchuk struggled to put up points with the Blues, netting 41 in 66 games before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.
  Hawerchuk played two season for the Flyers before retiring due to a losing battle to hip injuries, which had plagued him for a few seasons.  He finally played a NHL game in May, as the Flyers went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals in 1997, before getting swept by the Detroit Red Wings.
  Hawerchuk would later go into coaching and is currently the coach of the OHL's Barrie Colts.
  So once again, where does Hawerchuk rank in terms of greatness. If you consider his point totals and then consider the team he had to work with during his prime years with the Jets, you can't help but to be impressed with how many points Hawerchuk amassed.

Rk	Player	From	To	GP	G	A	PTS
1	Dale Hawerchuk	1981	1990	713	379	550	929
2	Thomas Steen	1981	1990	667	186	388	574
3	Paul MacLean	1981	1988	527	248	270	518
4	Laurie Boschman	1982	1990	526	152	227	379
5	Doug Smail	1981	1990	646	178	198	376
6	Brian Mullen	1982	1987	372	124	172	296
7	Dave Ellett	1984	1990	458	91	197	288
8	Dave Babych	1981	1986	321	67	210	277
9	Randy Carlyle	1983	1990	424	69	197	266

 

One Star, One Sheet - Domink Hasek

Dominik Hasek

2014 HHOF

6x Vezina 

2x Hart

2x Stanley Cup

  I am not going to write much about Dominik Hasek.  First off, I am going to claim he is the best NHL goalie of all-time.  If he had played for the Colorado Avalanche or Detroit Red Wings during the 1990s he would have had been the driver behind a dynasty.  He won two Hart Trophies, making him the only goalie to win more than one.  He was a 10th round draft pick in 1983 and played his first NHL game in 1990 at age 25.  He was once traded for Stephane Beauregard and a 4th round draft pick. 

One Star, One Sheet - Mike Bullard

   Mike Bullard

50 goal scorer

100 points scorer

1984 All-Star

  After finishing third in league scoring in the OMJHL in 1979-80, which would be named the OHL the following season, Mike Bullard was selected 9th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Jimmy Fox, who led the OMJHL in scoring was selected immediately after Bullard with the 10th pick by the Los Angeles Kings.

  Bullard would play in 15 games for the Penguins in 1980-81.  In his rookie season, Bullard scored 36 goals.  Two seasons later in 1983-84, Bullard scored 51 goals and 92 points.  Which was 24 goals and 35 points more than the next best for the Penguins that season.  This was also the season the Penguins finished the year 3-15-0 to finish last/first in the NHL/Mario Lemieux Sweepstakes.

  Suddenly the 51 goal scorer found himself off the first line as Lemieux took over as the team's top centre.  In the following two seasons, Bullard scored 32 and 41 goals.  Bullard started slow in the 1986-87 season, only scoring two goals in the fourteen games.  An already strained relationship with Pens coach Bob Berry took a turn for the worst when Bullard, then team captain, found himself demoted to the fourth line.  A lively exchange during a team practice sealed Bullard's fate as a Pittsburgh Penguin.  

  By the next day, he was traded to the Calgary Flames for another disgruntled forward, Danny Quinn.  Bullard arrived in Calgary just in time to rock out in the Flames team music video.  It's easy to spot Bullard, he's probably the only Flame who appears to be actually enjoying it.

  Bullard had his best season with the Flames in 1987-88, scoring 48 goals and 103 points.  The Flames, who led the NHL in points, were swept in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champs, the Edmonton Oilers.  After two straight disappointing play-off results, the Flames sold high on Mike Bullard, shipping him to the St. Louis Blues in a deal that brought Doug Gilmour to Calgary.
  Bullard would only last 20 games in St. Louis before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyer in a straight-up deal for Peter Zezel.  Bullard would put up decent offensive number in Philadelphia, 113pts in 124 games but would leave the NHL after the 1989-90 season for Switzerland.
  Bullard would return to the NHL in 1991.  He had his worst season in the NHL.  Failing to top 20 goals or 40 points for the first time in his career.  In a strange twist, Bullard would find himself behind Doug Gilmour and Peter Zezel in the depth chart.  The last two players he was traded for.
  Bullard retired from the NHL in 1992, but would play professionally until 2003 in Germany.
 

One Star, One Sheet - Michel Goulet

Michel Goulet

HHOF 1998

548 Goals

1152 Points

5x All-Star

  Michel Goulet was the youngest of the Baby Bulls.  The Baby Bulls were influential in merger of the WHA and the NHL.  John Basset the owner of the Birmingham Bulls of the WHA dreamed of owning a NHL team.  In 1978, when it became apparent that Birmingham would not be included in any WHA-NHL merger, Basset figured he would punish the NHL by signing underage star junior players.  This was a season after the controversial, and precedent setting Ken Linseman signing.

  The six Baby Bulls were scooped up by NHL in the first 33 picks during the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, including Michel Goulet to the Quebec Nordiques with the 20th overall spot.  Goulet is perhaps the only player to demand to be drafted by the Quebec Nordiques.  Goulet who could barely speak english, attempted to get a court order preventing any NHL team other than the Nordiques from drafting him.  That was after a contract clause in Goulet's contract with Bulls has deemed void by the NHL.  The clause would see Goulet automatically become property of the Quebec Nordiques after a NHL-WHA merger.  The tactics scared away the other teams and Goulet was available at 20th overall pick.  He then became the first NHL player to have his contract written exclusively in French.

  Goulet would be an All-Star in Quebec.  Quietly scoring 50 goals in four straight seasons and becoming a 1st or 2nd Team All-Star five times.  In 1984 he finished third in league scoring with 121 points.  He was never the star Francophones desired.  He wasn't flashy like a Guy Lafleur or dominant like a Maurice Richard.  A hold-out in 1985 didn't endear him to the fans either.  Also, looking back on the stats and player of the Nords through the 1980, you'd assume his centreman would have been HHOFer Peter Stastny, but it wasn't.  Dale Hunter was Goulet's centreman for the majority of Goulet's years in Quebec.  

  As the 1980s were nearing an end, the Nordiques and Goulet were both suffering from a decline in performance.  Goulet was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in a deal that would see three prospects go to Quebec.  The three prospects would all be out of the NHL by 1992 and play less than 100 games combined for the Nordiques.

  Goulet was no longer the scoring threat he once was.  He rounded out his game with better defensive play.  In 1992, the Black Hawks were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals.  It was the closest Goulet would come to a Stanley Cup Championship.   

  On March 16th, 1994, Goulet, along with his JOFA 235 helmet, also known as the eggshell helmet, lost an edge and fell awkwardly into the board.  Goulet suffered a third degree concussion.  He would never play another professional hockey game.

  A year later to the date, the Quebec Nordques retired Goulet's jersey number 16.  The following season, the Nordiques moved to Colorado and the number was unretired and taken by Warren Rychel.

 

 

 

 

One Star, One Sheet - Shayne Corson

Shayne Corson

1156 Career Games

693 Career Points

3x All-Star Game

  Okay, so we might be stretching it with the star aspect on this one, but Corson did play in three All-Star games, was a member of Team Canada for the 1991 Canada Cup and was part of Team Canada in the 1998 Olympics.

  Selected 8th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1984 draft, Corson carved out a solid career for himself.  He played 1156 career games during 19 seasons in the NHL.  He brought a lot of grit to the table.  At age 15, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which brought on panic attacks.  Corson also had a lengthy rap sheet off the ice, from arrests to rumoured adultery.

  Corson spent six season withe Canadiens, including his best offensive season by far in 1989-90, when he scored 31 goals and 75 points.  Unfortunately, Corson was adept at finding trouble off the ice as he was on the ice.  He was arrested in Winnipeg in 1990 for a bar fight and was involved in another bar fight in 1992 in Montreal.  The second incident led the to infamous Pat Burns quote, "Shayne Corson can go eat shit."  Corson was traded the following offseason to Edmonton for Vincent Damphousse.

  Corson was a disappointment in Edmonton, as the once great Dynasty continued its nose dive.  The Oilers missed the play-offs all three seasons he played there including his time as captain.  Corson was selected as the Oilers captain to start off the lockout shortened 1995 season.  Corson was later stripped of his captaincy when he scuffled with Jason Arnott over an assist Corson felt he should have been credited with.  The following offseason, Corson was on the move.

  The St. Louis Blues signed Shayne Corson as a free agent.  The Blues coach Mike Keenan had coached Corson during the 1991 Canada Cup and was a big fan of grit and sandpaper type of players.  Early into the 1995-96 season, Keenan stripped Brett Hull of the team's captaincy and awarded it to Corson, who subsequently handed it over to Wayne Gretzky.  

  As the Blues failed to live up to expectations, and with Gretzky leaving via free agency in the offseason, Corson was traded early in the 1996-97 season to the Montreal Canadiens for playmaking centre, Pierre Turgeon.  The following season, Corson would find his offense, scoring 55 points in 62 games, including 22 points in the first 16 games.  The strong start helped Corson secure a spot on Team Canada for the 1998 Olympics.
  Corson's point totals would drop to 32 and then 28, the following two seasons.  In the 2000 offseason, Corson signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Corson's time in Toronto was marred by several events.  The Maple Leafs dressing room rumoured to divide into factions, with Corson, and his cousin, Darcy Tucker, labeled as troublemakers.  There were widespread rumours of an affair between Corson and Alexander Mogilny's wife.  Corson's panic attacks returned during his final season of the Leafs and while he credits Tucker for helping him get through the attacks, Corson's health was the official reason for walking out, and retiring, on the team. after being a healthy scratch, during the 2003 play-offs. 
  Corson would play again in the NHL.  He came out of retirement late in the 2003-04 season to sign with the Dallas Stars.  He would score 10 points in 17 regular season games but the Stars would lose in the first round of the play-offs.  
  Corson was a divisive player.  Many rumours point to him being a cancer in the dressing room and generally a terrible teammate, but at the same time he has been lauded for his leadership and sacrifices on the ice.  Corson went into the resturant business after re-retiring. 
 

One Star, One Sheet - Dino Ciccarelli

Dino Ciccarelli

2010 HHOF

608 Goals

1200 Points

  Dino Ciccarelli has a few distinct marks on his career.  A pesty, although some would say dirty, winger, Dino made a living parked just outside the opponents crease.  A two time fifty goal scorer, Ciccarelli became infamous for his altercation with Luke Richardson in 1988.  An eventful career for a player who went undrafted.

  In 1977-78, Ciccarelli led the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League with 72 goals, two more than some guy name Wayne Gretzky.  While in the Play-offs, Ciccarelli stepped on a broken stick in practice, slid into the boards and broke his leg.  Ciccarelli had planned signing with the WHA in 1978, but it was now doubtful he would ever play pro hockey again.  Dino rehabbed vigoursly and returned to the OMJHL the following year but was limited to 19 points in 30 games. 

  The 1979 NHL Entry draft is considered to be one of the deepest drafts in history, albeit aided by the influx of WHA underagers and a drop in the minimum age.  Ciccarelli, who fell off the scouts radars, went undrafted.  In September of 1979, the Minnesota North Stars signed Ciccarelli as a free agent.  Cicarelli would retire as the career leading scorer for undrafted players, who were draft eligible.

  Ciccarelli would make it to the NHL midway through the 1980 season.  He made an immediate impact scoring 30 points in 32 games but the best was yet to come.  The North Stars made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup Finals.  Ciccarelli set a play-off rookie record with 14 goals as the Star fell to the New York Islanders in the Finals.

  Dino would set career highs in goals, 55, assists, 51, and points, 106, in 1981-82 and would be among the team leaders for several seasons.  He had his second 50 goals and 100 point season in 1986-87.  Ciccarelli scored 40 goals or more for five straigh seasons, from 85-86 to 89-90.

   At the start of the 1987-88 season, Ciccarelli held out for a new contract.  The North Stars were rumoured to be in talks with the Penguins and Kings.  You have to wonder what kind of numbers Ciccarelli would put up beside Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh.  No trade was made and Dino ended his holdout three days before the start of the season. 

  It was January 6, of 1988 when Cicarelli would become infamous.  Cicarelli, feeling he was being abused by several Leafs players, snapped on Luke Richardson.  The NHL suspended Ciccarelli for 10 games.  The police also became involved.  Ciccarelli was charged and became the first NHL player to be convicted with assault stemming from an on-ice incident.  

  Ciccarelli was traded the following season in a deal that saw the North Stars acquire 50 goals scorer and future HHOFer, Mike Gartner, and another future HHOFer, Larry Murphy.  Ciccarelli would play three and a half seasons in Washington before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings.  Dino returned to the Stanley Cup finals as a Red Wing in 1995, but the Wings would get swept by the New Jersey Devil.  

  During training camp of 1996, Ciccarelli was traded to the Tampa Bay Lighting. He led the team with 35 goals that season.  The following season, a recurring theme occurred for Ciccarelli, he held out during training camp.  He had also done so before with the Stars and Capitals.  Ciccarelli eventually returned to the team but scored at much slower pace.  He was traded to the Florida Panthers partway through the season.  A back injury suffered in 1999 ended Ciccarelli's career.

  Ciccarelli now owns a chain of sportsbars in Michigan, called Ciccarelli's 22.  He was inducted into the HHOF in 2010. 

One Star, One Sheet - Chris Chelios

Chris Chelios

2013 HHOF

3x Stanley Cup

3x Norris Trophy

  Chris Chelios played 26 seasons in the NHL.  He is 5th all-time in career games played with 1651.  Chelios was selected 40th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry draft.  The 10 players selected above him played a combined 1734 career NHL games.

  Chelios joined the Montreal Canadiens late in the 1983-84 season.  He solidified his spot by scoring 10 points in 15 playoffs games.  In his rookie season of 1984-85, Chelios finished 2nd in Calder trophy voting, to Mario Lemieux.  Chelios became a star in Montreal, winning the Stanley Cup in 1986 and a James Norris Trophy in 1989.

  In the offseason of 1990, arguably the worst trade in the history of the Montreal Canadiens occurred.  The Canadiens traded Chris Chelios, and a draft pick to the Chicago Black Hawks for Denis Savard.  Yes, the Hawks never won a Cup with Chelios and the Canadiens would win a Cup in 1993 with Savard on the roster, but Savard was a third line center that season and missed all but one game of the Stanley Cup finals.  Official reason from the Habs for the Chelios trade was concerns over Chelios's knees, citing a doctor's report that Chelios would not last another 5 seasons.  The conspiracy theorist point towards Chelios's partying ways (some proven, some not) including an affair with the Habs President's wife, naked BBQing, prostitutes, underage lady friends, and public urination. Chelios was officially traded the day after the public urinating incident.

  In Chicago, Chelios won two Norris trophies, was a top six in Norris voting seven times in eight seasons and was a 1st or 2nd team All-Star five times.  Although Chelios helped the Black Hawks reach the Cup final in 1992, the Black Hawks never found much playoff success.  They missed the play-offs in Chelios final full season as a Black Hawk. 

  In March of 1999, with Hawks as sellers at the trade deadline, the Black Hawks would send the 37 year old Chelios to the Detroit Red Wings for two 1st round picks and young defenceman, Andres Eriksson.  Eriksson was a disspointment in Chicago and the two first round picks, which were late first round picks, were busts.  Chelios took on more of a defensive role in Detroit as he helped the Wings win two Stanley Cups.  Chelios played with the Wings until the leg injuries, predicted by Montreal doctors in 1990, forced him to miss the majority of the 2008-09 season.

  The 48 year old Chelios would attempt a comeback in 2009, signing with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, before signing with the Altanta Thrashers for a seven game stint at the end of 2009-10 season.

  In 2013, in his first year of eligiblity, Chelios was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

 

One Star, One Sheet - Jimmy Carson

Jimmy Carson

100 point scorer

50 goal scorer

Part of the Gretzky Package

  Drafted 2nd overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, Carson made the jump straight to the NHL for the 1986-87 season.  Carson scored 32 goals and 79 points while finishing third in the Calder trophy voting, losing out to teammate Luc Robitaille.  In his sophomore season, Carson scored 55 goals and 107 points.  The early success of the young center made him the marque piece heading to the Edmonton Oilers in the Wayne Gretzky mega-blockbuster trade in the summer of 1988.

  Carson would finish in the top 10 in NHL scoring for the Oilers in 1988-89 with 100 points, but could never come close to replacing Gretzky.  He scored 3 points in a seven game Round one play-off lose to the Los Angeles Kings, while Gretzky had 13.  Carson, citing the "Gretzky Syndrome" left the team in October of 1989 and demanded a trade.  Carson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a few key pieces of the Oilers 1990 Stanley Cup victory, Petr Klima, Adam Graves and Joe Murphy, whose was the 1st overall pick in the 1986 draft.

  Carson would soon find himself buried on the Red Wings depth chart at center behind HHOF Steve Yzerman and future HHOF Sergei Fedorov.  Carson became expendable and in January of 1993, he was traded back to the Los Angelese Kings, in a deal that involved Paul Coffey, to center the second line behind Wayne Gretzky.  Gretzky was reportedly "saddened" by the trade.  I have a feeling Gretzky is not on Carson's Christmas card list. Carson set an NHL record that season by playing in 86 regular season games.  The Kings would reach the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Montreal Canadiens.

  Carson, only 25, was no longer an offensive threat.  Scoring only 11 points in 25 games to start the 1993-94 season, Carson was sent to the Vancouver Canucks.  The Canucks reached the Stanley Cup Finals, without the help of Carson.  Carson would only play 2 games in the first round, while being a healthy scratch for the rest.

  Signed by the Whalers in the 1994 off season, Carson missed the end of the season with a shoulder injury.  He would re-injure the same shoulder early in the 1995-96 season, costing him the rest of the season.  No longer an offensive threat and certainly not a 3rd or 4th line type pf player, Carson had played his last NHL game at age 27. 

  It is strange to think that a two time 100 point scorer can be considered a bust. 

One Star, One Sheet: Sean Burke

Sean Burke

324 Career Wins
3x All-Star
1992 Olympic Silver Medal

  Sean Burke burst onto the scene in the spring of 1988.  First he played with team Canada in the Olympics in Calgary and then he carried the lowly sad sacked New Jersey Devils all the way to the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals, then known as the Wales Conference Finals.  Burke helped catapult the Devils into th Play-offs by going 10-1-0 in 13 games at the end of the 87-88 play-offs.
  Burke would never tend another play-off run.  He retired with 38 career play-off games under his belt, with 17 of those coming in 1988.  Burke's honeymoon with the Devils was over by the 1990-91 season.  Burke, a restricted free agent in 1991, had lost his starting job to Chris Terreri in the 1990 play-offs.  Frustrated with playing second fiddle, Burke sat out the entire 1991-92 season.
  Sitting out, gave Burke another shot at an Olympic medal.  Burke helped the team make it to the Gold medal game, but were bested by the Unified Team, i.e. Russia and "friends" by a score of 3-1.   The Silver medal was Canada's first Olympic medal in Ice Hockey since 1960.
  During the 1992 offseason, Burke was traded to the Hartford Whalers.  Burke played in and won, the Hartford Whalers last game in the NHL.  He made the move with the team to Carolina but was traded twice during the 1997-98 season.  First to the Vancouver Canucks,  where he went 2-9-4 with a 3.51 GAA, and then to the Philadelphia Flyers.  While Burke performed well down the stretch with the Flyers, he was lit up by the Buffalo Sabres in the play-offs.  Burke was the first of many failed quick fix attempts by the Flyers for their goalie woes.
   Burke would sign as a free agent with the Florida Panthers and help keep the team competitive until an early season trade in 1999 would send him to the Phoenix Coyotes.  The Coyotes sent goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov went to the Panthers.  Mikhail would play 15 more career NHL games before returning to play in Russia.  Burke would have his best NHL seasons playing for the Coyotes.  In 2001-02, Burke was a finalist for the Vezina trophy, 4th in the Hart Trophy voting and also 3rd in the All-Star team voting, i.e. he was a 3rd team All-Star.
  In February of 2003, a struggling Coyotes team would send the aging Burke back to the Philadelphia Flyers.  In strange twist, Burke found himself backing up his back-up from the 2001-02 season, Robert Esche, while the Flyers went all the way to game Seven of the Stanley Cup semi-finals before bowing out.
  After the lock-out of 2004, Burke signed on with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team the Flyers had lost to the previous play-offs.  Burke would spend a mediocre season with the Lightning before playing a final mediocre season with the Los Angeles Kings. He retired at age 40.
  There was never a card produced of Sean Burke as a King.  I made one and shared it in an earlier post.  I also had success get Mr. Burke's auto TTM.  He is currently the goalie coach and assistant GM with the Phoenix Coyotes.
 
 

One Star, One Sheet: Ed Belfour

Ed Belfour

2011 HHOF

484 Wins

2 Vezinas

1999 Stanley Cup

Belfour is only one of four goalies to win the Vezina trophy and the Calder in the same season.  Can you name the others?  Belfour is well known for his Eagle mask, the source of his nickname.  Eddie is also known for his run-ins with the law.  Twice during his playing days, Belfour was charged with resisting an officer and allegedly offered an officer a $1 million bribe to release him.

One Star, One Sheet: Vincent Damphousse

Vincent Damphousse

432 Goals
1205 Points
1993 Stanley Cup

  Vincent Damphousse was drafted 6th overall in the 1986 Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He is the highest scoring player from that draft year, and arguably had best career, with the exception of Brian Leetch, who was drafted 9th overall.

  Damphousse immediately became a regular on the Leafs.  In 1989-90 Damphousse finished second on the team with 94 points.  The following season he led the team in points with 73, which was 34 points higher than the next Leaf.  Damphousse also made waves around the NHL scoring four goals and earning MVP honours at the All-Star game in 1991.

  The Leafs, desperate for goaltending help, sent Damphousee to the Edmonton Oilers in a package that brought Grant Fuhr and Glen Anderson to Toronto.  Damphousse led the Oilers with 89 points but the Oilers felt a need to toughen up, and sent Damphousse to the Montreal Canadiens in a deal for Shayne Corson.

  Damphousse enjoyed the best years of his career in Montreal.  In his first season, 1992-93, with the Canadiens, he led the team in scoring during the regular season and during the play-offs.  1993 was Damphousse's first and only Stanley Cup victory.  Damphousse scored 90+ points three times while with the Canadiens, including a career high of 97 in 1992-93.  Damphousse also served as team captain from 1996 until he was traded in 1999 to the San Jose Sharks.

  By this time in his career, Damphousse was no longer a point a game player.  His best season with the Sharks was his first full season, 1999-2000, when he scored 70 points.  A free agent in 2004, he signed with the Colorado Avalanche, but announced his retirement after the 2004-05 season was canceled.

  Damphousse was a solid, but unspectacular, star throughout the 1990s.  He never topped 50 goals, 100 points or make the top ten in goals, assists or points. While he never played with any top tier scoring talent, he played with a lot of tier two and three players. 
  On a side note, I love how the 2003 Pacific Exclusives Gold scanned.  That set was notorious for coming out of the back in bad condition,  a lot of chipping on the corners and edges.

One Star, One Sheet; Bill Guerin

Bill Guerin

2 Stanley Cups
429 Career Goals
2002 2nd Team All-Star

    Bill Guerin was an upper tier power forward in the 1990s and early 2000s.   He twice topped the 40 goal mark and played with eight teams over his 18 year career.
  Originally drafted 5th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1989 draft, Guerin chose to go to college.  He played two seasons at Boston College before making the jump to pro hockey in 1991.  After being a point a game player with the Utica Devils in the AHL, Guerin earned a permanent spot on the Devils roster during the 1992-93 season.  Guerin was a physical force for the Devils and helped the Devils win a Stanley Cup in 1995.  In a game against the San Jose Sharks on Novemeber 11th, 1995, Guerin earned his first career Gordie Howe Hat Trick, scoring a goal, an assist and also getting into two fights.
   Guerin was selected to team USA for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.  While Guerin was unable to score a goal, he provided toughness for the team and won a stunning upset over the heavily favoured Team Canada.  Guerin followed it up leading the Devils in goals, with 29.
  Prior to the 1997-98, Guerin sat out training camp, hoping to get a better contract.  Of course it made huge waves with Devils fans, but it also made national sports headlines as the Devils GM, Lou Lamarillo, who was also the GM of the USA Olympic team, left Guerin off the preliminary roster for the Olympics.  The situation drew the ire of the NHLPA and other USA hockey stars, but in the end it was Guerin who blinked first.  Guerin, begrudgingly, signed a 3 year, $5 millions dollar deal, not so much to play for the Devils, but to play for team USA in the 1998 Olympics.
  By January of 1998, the saga drew to a head, as the New Jersey Devils shipped Bill Guerin to the Edmonton Oilers in a four player deal.  Guerin got to play for team USA in the the 1998 Nagano Olympics.  Team USA had a regrettable performance on the ice, finishing 6th, and off the ice, trashing their hotel rooms.  Before the off-ice incident Guerin was asked if the team should have a curfew, his reply was prominently featured in the papers after the room trashing.  "No.  Why should we?  We are all grown men.  We know how to handle ourselves."

Guerin, #12, can bare to watch

  Guerin spent three seasons with the Oilers.  He had his first 30 goal season and had 64 points in 1998-99 but he followed that up with a disappointing 24 goal and 46 points in the following season.
  Guerin, a restricted free agent after the 2000-01 season and eligible to be an unrestricted free agent in 2002, played himself out Edmonton, by that I mean out of Edmonton's price range.  In the 2000-01 season, Guerin was fourth in the league in scoring with 22 points after 21 games when he was traded to the Boston Bruins in a deal for Anson Carter and draft picks, one of which was used to select Ales Hemsky.  Guerin would continue his point a game pace and finished with 40 goals and a career high of 85 points. 
  Guerin would sign a one year deal with the Bruins and set a career high with 41 goals, which was 2nd best in the NHL that season.  He was chosen as a Second Team All-Star.  He won a silver medal at the Olympics in Salt Lake City.  Guerin was seen as one of the biggest names available during the 2002 free agency period and he was set to cash in, and he certainly did.
  The Dallas Stars signed Guerin to a 5 year, $45 million dollar contract.  Straddled with high expectaions, Guerin struggled to produce.  Scoring 25 and 34 goals in the first two seasons of the contract.  After the 2004-05 lockout, with rules in place to increase scoring, Guerin looked lost, scoring only 13 goals, a career low, excluding the 1995 lock-out season where he scored 12 goals.  He was still selected to his third Olympics but Team USA put in a horrible performance, finishing 8th The Stars cut Guerin loose, buying him out of the remaining two years on his contract.
  Guerin signed a one year deal with the St. Louis Blues for $2 million.  Guerin was rejuvenated in St. Louis, scoring 28 goals in  61 games.  The Blues, who were out of the play-off chase come the trade deadline, sent Guerin to the San Jose Sharks for a pair of prospects and a 1st round draft pick.
  Guerin had 8 goals in 16 games with the Sharks, but Sharks failed to make it out of the second round in the play-offs.  Guerin, an unrestricted free agent, signed a 2 year, $9 million contract with the New York Islanders.  Guerin led the Islanders with 23 goals in 2007-08.  The Islanders were an abysmal team, finished 26th in the NHL in 07-08 and were on thier way to a 30th place finish when they dealt Guerin to Pittsburgh Penguins.
  The Penguins, who had lost in the Stanley Cup finals the previous season, were looking for Guerin to add veteran leadership to a young team.  Guerin played incredibly well in the play-offs, scoring 15 points in 24 games and helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup.  It was Guerin's second career Stanley Cup.  Guerin would play one more season with the Penguins.  Guerin scored 21 goals, his 13th 20+ goal season.
  Guerin was invited the Philadelphia Flyers training camp in 2011, but failed to make the team.  With no other offers for in his services, Guerin officially retired in December of 2011.

  Guerin was elected to the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.  He currently works in Player Development with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

One Star, One Sheet; Grant Fuhr

Grant Fuhr

403 Wins
4 Stanley Cups

2003 HHOF

  Grant Fuhr is considered one of hockey's top clutch goalies.  Fuhr won four Stanley Cups and was in net for Team Canada's memorable 1987 Canada Cup victory.  Accolades, controversy and curiosity were prevalent in Fuhr's career.
  Fuhr was born to a bi-racial couple but was put up for adoption shortly after birth and was raised by a white family.  Fuhr's skin colour made headlines as the Edmonton Oilers selected him 8th overall in the 1981 draft.  Fuhr made the team out training camp, lost his first game but then set a rookie record by going unbeaten in his next 23 games.  He finished the season 28-5-14, with a 3.31 GAA and was the runner-up for the Vezina trophy.  His rookie season was the only time Grant Fuhr finished in the top ten for GAA.  Fuhr's play-off legacy would get off to a rocky start as he was involved in the Miracle in Manchester and a first round exit by the Oilers.

  Fuhr struggled the following season and was actually demoted to the AHL for a month.  Although the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup finals, Fuhr only played 11 mins in the play-offs.  The Oilers went with Andy Moog during the 1983 play-offs.  For fives seasons Moog and Fuhr would split time during the regular season but after 1983, the play-offs were a different story.

  In 1983-84, Fuhr would return to form, he led the NHL in wins and set a single season records for goalies with 14 assists.  Fuhr started the play-offs as the go to guy and he held down the fort as the Oilers ended the New York Islanders dynasty and begin their own.  Fuhr would help the Oilers win four cups in five years.  It could have been five in five if it wasn't for Steve Smith's infamous own goal in 1986.
  Fuhr was Team Canada's starting goalie for the 1987 Canada Cup.  While the scores aren't flattering, 16 goals against in 3 games, Fuhr stood on head during the finals as the Soviets and Canadians kept fans on the edge of their seats.  Team Canada won the third game 6-5 on a late goal by Mario Lemieux,

  Although Fuhr would win the Vezina in 1987-88, his GAA, 3.43, and Save Pct, .881, weren't top ten in either category.  It is the only time since Save Pct became an official stat in 1983, that a Vezina winner did not finish in the top ten in either GAA or Save Pct.  As I mentioned, other than his rookie season, Fuhr never made the top ten in GAA.  Only twice in his career would he have a save percentage over .900, and that was in the mid-90s, during the dead puck era.  It would be Fuhr's play in the play-offs that would catapult him into stardom. 
  During the 1988 offseason, everything changed for the Oilers with the trading of Wayne Gretzky.  Fuhr would have his first losing season of his career, going 23-26-6, with a 3.81 GAA.  The following season, the Oilers would find a way to rebound and win a Cup without Gretzky, but it was also without Fuhr.  First it started with Fuhr's retirement.  Frustrated with his contract and not being able to wear a Pepsi logo on his goalie pads, Fuhr handed in his signed retirement papers to Oiler GM Glen Sather.  Sather, figuring it was only a ploy to get a new contract, never filed the papers.  Fuhr would unretire and make it to Edmonton in time for training camp.
  The inauspicious start to the season would be an omen for Fuhr.  He injuried his knee in pre-season, missing the first 11 games of the season.  He would play 17 of the next 22 games before suffering a shoulder injury.  He missed over 30 games before returning and then re-injuring the shoulder again.  Fuhr would watch creasemate Bill Ranford carry the Oilers to a Stanley Cup victory over the Boston Bruins.
  During the following offseason, Fuhr's career would hit rock bottom.  During the mid-80s, rumours ran rampant about drug use by the Edmonton Oilers.  The story was broke by Sports Illustrated and sparked RCMP investigations into the team.  No charges were laid and no names were named.  Although once Fuhr checked himself into a drug rehab during the 1990 offseason, the controversy sparked up again.  Fuhr admit to using illegal substances, i.e cocaine, from about 1983 to 1990.  The NHL, who had a strict and harsh drug abuse policy, suspended Fuhr for one year.  Considering Fuhr's confession and self-admission to rehab, the NHL later reduced his suspension to four months.  Fuhr made a triumphant return to the NHL on February 18th, 11 months since he last played in the NHL, with a 27 save shutout versus the New Jersey Devils. 
  Fuhr played well enough to get the nod for the play-offs.  He helped the Oilers reach the Conference finals before bowing out to the Minnesota North Stars in five games. 
  When it came time for the 1991 Canada Cup, Grant Fuhr was not invited to camp.  Officially, it was stated he hadn't played enough over the past year to be considered ready.  Instead, it was Fuhr's Edmonton Oiler back-up, Bill Ranford who got the started gig.  Team Canada never lost a game in the tournament and Ranford was selected at tournament MVP. 
  Bill Ranford was proving himself to every bit "money" as Grant Fuhr, but without the baggage.  During the 1991 training camp, Fuhr was shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven player deal.  Fuhr led the NHL in losses, 33, in 1991-92 and once again found himself expendable, as top prospect, Felix Potvin, pushed his way into the crease.  During the 1992-93 season, Fuhr was traded to Buffalo.
  In Buffalo, Fuhr continued his mediocre regular seasons and once again found himself hounded by the next hot prospect.  This time it was Dominik Hasek.  Hasek, who actually only two years younger than Fuhr, vaulted over the more experienced Fuhr.  Fuhr found himself riding the pine during the regular season, and also in the play-offs.  He would, along with Hasek, win the William Jennigs trophy in 1994, although Fuhr's GAA was more than 1.50 higher than Hasek's.  After spending a little over two years in Buffalo, Fuhr was once again part of a large deal.  This time he was going to Los Angeles.
  Reunited with former Oilers Wayne Gretzky, and Jari Kurri, Fuhr was expected to provide insurance for the injured Kelly Hrudey.  It was a disaster, Fuhr would go 1-7-3, with a 4.04 GAA.  It appeared Fuhr was done.  The Kings allowed to walk via free agency in the offseason.
   Fuhr still had one admirer, Mike Keenan.  Keenan was so convinced that Fuhr could still play that he didn't bother resigning Curtis Joseph, trading his rights to Edmonton.  At first it seemed like a disaster, Fuhr showed up at training camp overweight, Keenan exiled him from training camp for a week.  Fuhr got his act together in time for the season and would set a NHL record by playing 79 games, including a NHL record 76 straight.  He reinjured his knee in the 76th game of the season, causing him to miss three games, otherwise he likely would have started in all 82 games.  This was also the season the Blues traded for Wayne Gretzky and were expecting a deep run in the play-offs.
  Fuhr's knees would once again get injured during round one of the play-offs versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.  In a controversial play, Nick Kypreos "jumps" on a prone Grant Fuhr during a goal mouth scramble.  Fuhr reinjures his knee and is out for the rest of the play-offs.  Kyperos is suspended for one game.  Jon Casey takes over in net for the Blues.  The Blues are able to beat the Leafs in six games but lost in double overtime of the seventh game versus the Detroit Red Wings in round two.
  Granted, it was during the trap era, statistically, Fuhr had his best seasons while playing for the Blues.  During four season with the Blues, Fuhr was 108-87-41, with a 2.68 GAA and a .900 save percentage.  Fuhr was never able to lead the Blues past the second round in the play-offs and during his final two seasons with the Blues, his back-ups were outplaying him during the regular season.  The Blues let Grant Fuhr leave via free agancy in 1999.
  Fuhr returned to the battle of Alberta, but this time, he was on the other side.  Fuhr signed with Calgary Flames.  Fuhr spent the season as the back-up goalie and his numbers once again ballooned.  In 23 games he was 5-13-2, with a 3.83 GAA.  His 13th loss of the season tied him with Gilles Meloche for most losses in a career.  He retired after the 1999-00 season.
  Grant Fuhr was a first ballot HHOFer.  He certainly never made on his regular season numbers.  He shared the crease with Andy Moog during the 1980s, but Fuhr took his game to another level when it really mattered.  He made his name as big game goalie.  He survived the drug scandal and some horrible years in the early 1990s to finish his career on a positive note.
  If Fuhr had retired in 1989, does he still make the HHOF?  Other than a few good years in St, Louis, again not top ten in GAA or save percentage, Fuhr was mediocre at best.  Andy Moog's regular season numbers were slightly better than Fuhr, and he played well in spot duty during the Cup runs.  If Moog starts during the play-offs, do the Oilers still win those Cups?