Scott Edgar Mellanby (born June 11, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach, and executive. He primarily played right wing throughout his NHL career, on occasion shifting over to the left side. He is the son of former Hockey Night in Canada producer Ralph Mellanby.
After his second season in the WCHA was finished, he promptly played his first two NHL games. He made his NHL debut on March 22, 1986 against the New York Rangers.[6] In 1989, Mellanby suffered a serious injury in a barroom brawl when he tried to help a friend and he wound up getting a severe cut from a broken beer bottle on his left arm. The cut sliced four tendons, a nerve and an artery in the arm.[7]
Mellanby would play for Philadelphia until the summer of 1991, when he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-player deal that included Jari Kurri going to Philadelphia (though Kurri was traded to the Los Angeles Kings the same day).[8]
Mellanby was left unprotected by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft, allowing him to be claimed by the new Florida Panthers. This was the team where Mellanby would have his best years. In fact he became a fan favorite in Florida when he killed a rat with his hockey stick in the team dressing room, spawning the “rat trick” craze, where fans would litter the ice with thousands of plastic rats after each Panthers goal.[9] He also scored the Panthers’ first ever goal in franchise history on October 9, 1993 and played in the 1996 All-Star game.[10]
Mellanby was traded to the St. Louis Blues in February 2001, and the move revitalized his career. He scored 57 points during the 2002–03 season, his highest total since 1996. Mellanby then signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers in the summer of 2004 and he re-signed with Atlanta for the 2006–07 season. On November 23, 2006, he was suspended one game for a fight between the Thrashers and the Washington Capitals.[11]
Prior to turning professional, Nash was a highly regarded prospect with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he spent two seasons, earning the Emms Family Award in 2001 as the League’s Rookie of the Year. He began his NHL career with the Blue Jackets immediately following his draft, in 2002–03, and was nominated for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year. In his second NHL season, Nash scored 41 goals to tie with Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk as winners of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s leading goal-scorer. Nash is a five-time NHL All-Star and was also awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award in the 2008–09 season for his charitable work in the Columbus community. He is the all-time Blue Jackets franchise leader in goals, points, and games played. In 2022, Nash’s number 61 was retired by the Blue Jackets.[1]
The first NHL contract for Nash was negotiated minutes before the signing deadline by Gord Kirke. It was the most lucrative contract for an NHL rookie at the time, valued at 1.2 million USD per season plus bonuses and incentives which ranged from 8 to US$12 million.[4]
In Nash’s sophomore campaign, he improved his rookie goal total from 17 to 41, a career-high that tied Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for most goals in the League. At 19 years of age, Nash was the youngest player in history to lead the League in goals.[5] Recording 16 assists, Nash finished the year with 57 points.[citation needed]
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Nash played for HC Davos of the SwissNationalliga A (NLA). He scored 26 goals and 46 points in 44 games and added 11 more points (nine goals and two assists) in 15 games in the NLA playoffs. Joined by fellow NHL-er Joe Thornton, Davos went on to win the Swiss Championship, as well as the 2004 Spengler Cup.[7]
With the NHL set to resume play in 2005–06, the Blue Jackets re-signed Nash to a five-year, $27 million contract. The deal saw his annual salary increase each year, with $3.5 million the first season and $7 million in the last season of the contract for a $5.4 million average salary.[8] Knee and ankle injuries, however, sidelined Nash for much of the first half of the season. Missing 28 games total, Nash was still named to Team Canada for the 2006 Olympics, shortly after being activated from the injured reserve. Upon returning from a disappointing seventh-place finish in Turin, Nash completed the season at a point-per-game pace with 54 points in 54 games.[9]
In 2006–07, Nash matched his sophomore points total with 57, and was named to the Western ConferenceAll-Star Team for the second time in his career. He was Columbus’ lone representative both times. Nash scored the game-winning goal in the West win.[10]
The following season, on January 17, 2008, Nash scored what many commentators called the “goal of the year”[11] in the final minute versus the Phoenix Coyotes. Breaking a tied score, Nash deked around two defenders and the goaltender to score the eventual game-winner. Later, at the end of the season, the goal was nominated for an ESPY Award in the category of Best Play.[12] Selected to his third All-Star Game in 2008 that season, Nash scored the quickest goal in All-Star Game history, just 12 seconds in and ended the game with a hat-trick.[13]
Completing the season with 38 goals and 69 points, Nash nearly matched his personal best goals total and set a career high for points and assists. Shortly before the end of the season, on March 12, 2008, Nash was also named the fifth captain in Blue Jackets history, replacing the recently traded Adam Foote.[14]
In the off-season, in May 2008, Nash was named the cover athlete and spokesman for the NHL 2K9 video game.[15]
Nash was named captain of the Blue Jackets in 2008, maintaining the position until he was traded to the New York Rangers in 2012.
Going into the 2008–09 campaign, the Blue Jackets had gone without a playoff appearance in franchise history. Led by the newly appointed captain Nash and bolstered by rookie goaltender Steve Mason, the Blue Jackets finished the season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference to earn a post-season berth against division-rival the Detroit Red Wings. The series was preceded by an 8–2 rout over the Red Wings on March 7, 2009, a game in which Nash scored three unassisted goals.[16] According to the Columbus Dispatch, citing the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player to score three goals unassisted was Maurice Richard (who scored four) against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 1948. Despite the convincing victory late in the season, the Blue Jackets were swept by the Red Wings in four games.[17]
In addition to leading the Blue Jackets to the playoffs, Nash had a career season with 79 points, in addition to scoring 40 goals for the first time since 2003–04. In the off-season, on July 3, 2009, Nash signed an eight-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets worth $62.4 million set to take effect in 2010–11.[18]
As the 2011–12 season began to unfold, Columbus recorded a dismal 2–12–1 record, the worst start to an NHL season by any team in 19 years.[19] With the team struggling, rumors began circulating that the Blue Jackets were contemplating trading Nash as a solution to their on-ice woes. While Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson stated publicly that he had had no discussions regarding a Nash deal, other teams had indeed inquired about his availability.[20] When asked about it, Nash stated that if the franchise felt it could improve itself by dealing him, he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to get the deal done.[21] Though Howson had previously maintained that he had no intention of trading Nash, two weeks before the trade deadline, he stated in the press that the team was open to all options and they were willing to listen to trade proposals for Nash, despite not actively shopping him. Speculation was that in return for Nash the Blue Jackets would ask for a top six forward, a top prospect and a first-round draft pick.[22][23]
Trade speculation continued on into the summer with no deal imminent. While Howson claimed he merely wanted to receive “market value” in any deal for Nash, there was speculation that his asking price was too high for many rival NHL GMs to consider.[24] Columbus eventually found a trade partner in the New York Rangers. Nash, along with Steven Delisle and a conditional third-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, were traded to the Rangers for Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round draft pick.[25]
Nash signed a contract to play with HC Davos again during the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[26] In late September 2012, while playing for Davos, Nash injured his shoulder and left the game.
Nash during the 2012–13 season, his first with the New York Rangers.
Nash had a successful first regular season with the Rangers, scoring 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points in 44 games played in the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season. However, in the playoffs, Nash underwhelmed with only one goal and four assists in 12 playoff games.[27]
Nash opened the 2013–14 season well, with three assists in two games. But on October 8, 2013, in a game against the San Jose Sharks, Nash suffered a concussion from a hit by Brad Stuart, which forced him to miss 17 games.[28] On November 21, Nash scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 win against the Dallas Stars.[29] He would finish the season with a solid goal total of 26 in 65 games, but with only 13 assists, his 39 points tied a career low. Nash struggled mightily in the playoffs for the second straight year, scoring only three goals in 25 playoff games. Despite his low offensive production, however, he was solid defensively throughout, and the Rangers reached the Stanley Cup Finals, ultimately losing in five games to the Los Angeles Kings in a series in which all the games were close decisions.[30]
Nash had a superstar season in 2014–15 scoring a career-high 42 goals (third in the NHL behind Steven Stamkos with 43 and Alexander Ovechkin with 53) and 27 assists. Nash’s production also improved during the 2015 playoffs, as he scored five goals and nine assists (14 points) in 19 games as the Rangers fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a hard-fought seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series.[31]
Nash’s performance declined at the start of the 2015–16 season as he struggled to recapture his scoring pace from the previous season. This was further exacerbated by muscle spasms that caused Nash to miss 22 games. Despite being involved in trade rumors, few teams seemed to be interested in Rick Nash and his $7.9 million cap hit. Nash scored a career-low 15 goals, going with 21 assists for a career-low 36 points. He then recorded two goals and two assists in New York’s five-game opening round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.[32]
On October 11, 2016 Nash was named an alternate captain for the New York Rangers, joining Daniel Girardi, Marc Staal, and Derek Stepan along with captain Ryan McDonagh.[33] On November 8, 2016, Nash scored his 400th goal in a 5–3 loss against the Vancouver Canucks.[34] Nash again missed several games during the 2016–17 season, this time with a nagging groin injury. He still managed to score 23 goals and 15 assists for 38 points, in 67 games. Nash’s production continued to improve during the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. He recorded two goals and one assist in the Rangers six-game opening-round victory over the Montreal Canadiens.[35]
On October 26, 2017, Nash skated in his 1,000th NHL career game, which resulted in a 5–2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. He became the 312th player in NHL history to play at least 1,000 career games.[36][37]
During the 2017–18 season, the Rangers struggled relative to their results from past seasons. On February 8, 2018, the team released a letter to fans that signaled intentions to begin a rebuild, to which rumors of a Nash trade began to swirl, as he was in the last year of his contract.[38] On February 25, 2018, one day before the trade deadline, Nash was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, prospect Ryan Lindgren, a 2018 first-round pick (which became Jacob Bernard-Docker), and a 2019 seventh-round pick (which became Massimo Rizzo).[39] Rick Nash’s first goal as a Bruin, and his 800th career point, came on February 27, 2018, in a 4–3 overtime Bruins home ice win over the Carolina Hurricanes.[40] Nash would go on to play 23 games for the Bruins, and suffered a concussion in a game against the Tampa Bay Lighning, after a hit from Cedric Paquette.[41]
On January 11, 2019, at age 34, due to unresolved symptoms from a concussion sustained in March 2018, Nash was forced to retire from professional hockey after playing 1,060 career games spanning over 15 seasons.[42]
A right winger, Middleton was drafted in the first round, 14th overall, by the Rangers in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft after a glittering junior career with the Oshawa Generals in which he led his league in scoring his final year and was named to the league’s Second All-Star Team. He spent the 1973–74 season with the Rangers’ farm team, the AHLProvidence Reds, earning rookie of the year honors and being named to the AHL’s First All-Star Team.
Middleton made the big club during the 1974–75 season, and despite suffering injuries that restricted him to 47 games, scored 22 goals in that limited time. The following season was not as spectacular, as he scored 24 goals in 77 games while showing defensive deficiencies.
Middleton was traded to the Boston Bruins for Ken Hodge on May 26, 1976. Rangers head coach and general manager John Ferguson Sr. was confident that his team had enough young talent to justify making Middleton expendable. What the Bruins got was a player who was ten years younger and a swifter skater than Hodge.[2] The transaction became even more one-sided in favor of the Bruins when head coach Don Cherry developed Middleton’s defensive skills to make him a solid two-way player.[3] Hodge played only a single season more before his career ended, while Middleton became a star in Boston, scoring a hat trick in his first game as a Bruin (October 7, 1976 versus Minnesota) and nearly nine hundred points in a Bruins uniform over the next twelve years. Generally paired with centre Barry Pederson, Middleton had five straight seasons of at least forty goals and ninety points and led the Bruins to perennial glittering records. His leadership was apparent in being named co-captain (with Ray Bourque) to succeed Terry O’Reilly in 1985, a position he held until he retired, wearing the “C” during home games. Middleton was regarded as one of the best one-on-one players of all time[citation needed] and currently ranks second all time in career shooting percentage (19.7) among players with 400+ goals.
His best season was the 1981–82 season, during which Middleton scored a career high 51 goals, won the Lady Byng Trophy for excellence and sportsmanship, and was named to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team. The following season, Middleton led the Bruins to the league’s best regular season record, and set unbroken records that year for the most points scored in the playoffs by a player not advancing to the finals (33) and for a single playoff series (19, in the quarterfinals against Buffalo). His 105 points in the 1983–84 season tied Ken Hodge’s team record for most points scored in a season by a right winger, and remains unbroken.
Middleton scored 25 shorthanded goals for Boston—a Bruins’ team record that was surpassed by Brad Marchand in 2018–19. Middleton had held the club record for more than 30 years since overtaking Derek Sanderson‘s record of 24.
Middleton also starred in international play, being named to play for Team Canada in the Canada Cup in 1981 and 1984. Teamed on the top line with Wayne Gretzky and Michel Goulet in the 1984 series, he scored four goals and four assists in seven games. Further, Middleton played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1981, 1982 and 1984.
At the time of his retirement following the 1987-88 season, Middleton ranked third on the Boston Bruins’ all-time regular-season scoring list (trailing only Johnny Bucyk and Phil Esposito) with 402 goals and 496 assists for 898 points–10 more than Bobby Orr accumulated. As of the end of the 2020-21 season, Middleton was in fifth spot, having been overtaken on the list by both Raymond Bourque and Patrice Bergeron.
Middleton’s 100 playoff points for Boston puts him in a sixth-place tie with Bucyk on the club’s all-time list.
Williams won the Stanley Cup three times: in 2006 with the Hurricanes and in 2012 and 2014 with the Kings. Nicknamed “Mr. Game 7“,[1] Williams played nine game seven playoff games in his NHL career, with his team sporting a 8–1 record in these games. He currently is tied for most goals in these games with Glenn Anderson at seven, and has the outright record for most game seven points, with 15. Williams won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs in 2014 with the Kings.
Williams was drafted in the sixth round, 125th overall, by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)’s Plymouth Whalers in the 1998 OHL Priority Selection. He was signed as a 16-year-old by the Whalers and split time between the OHL club and their affiliate, the Compuware Jr. A. club of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), during the 1998–99 season. He finished his junior career with two seasons played for Plymouth.
Williams was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. In four seasons played with the Flyers, Williams struggled to live up to expectations, as he tried to adapt to the varying systems of three separate coaches – Craig Ramsay (2000), Bill Barber (2000–2002) and Ken Hitchcock (2002–2006). Williams was also frequently injured, which simultaneously hampered his development. He broke his left hand in his rookie season (hit by David Tanabe of the Carolina Hurricanes) and had various sprains and strains in his sophomore year. Williams also suffered a left knee injury on January 18, 2003, when he was hit low by the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s Brad Lukowich. The hit tore Williams’ anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL), and, on January 23, 2003, he had surgery to repair the ligaments. Originally projected to miss four to eight months recovering from the injury, Williams made it back into Philadelphia’s line-up in just three months.
Williams signed a one-year contract with the Hurricanes for the 2005–06 season, when he set career-highs in games played (82), goals (31), assists (45), points (76) and penalty minutes (60). In the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Williams injured Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu in the eye without being penalized in Game 3, despite Montreal receiving a double minor penalty for high sticking in overtime. Saku Koivu missed the remainder of the playoffs due to the injury. [3]
Williams scored the final goal of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, an empty net goal at 18:59 of the third period of Game 7.[4] With the score 2–1, a loose puck along the boards ended up on the stick of Bret Hedican, who passed it to Eric Staal. Seeing Williams open, Staal threw the puck down the ice to him. Williams skated down the ice and tapped the puck into the open net, sealing the Hurricanes’ first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Hurricanes won the series 4–3.
On July 1, 2006, Williams signed a new five-year contract with the Hurricanes worth $3.5 million per season.
In 2006–07, Williams recorded career-highs in goals (33), penalty minutes (73), power play goals (12) and game-winning goals (8). It was Williams’ second consecutive season of 82 games played. Williams made his first appearance in an NHL All-Star game at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas, recording a goal and an assist. Williams also played for Canada in the 2007 IIHF World Championship, in which he won his second gold medal.
Williams was off to a good start for his 2007–08 season, with 30 points in 36 games (9 goals, 21 assists), before his season ended: on December 20, 2007, during the first period of a game with the Florida Panthers, Williams suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee after a hit by Rostislav Olesz. Williams underwent successful surgery for the torn ligaments on December 26, 2007, and returned on April 1, 2008, only to leave the game with an unrelated back injury.
On September 17, 2008, Williams was thought to be sidelined for four-to-six months when he tore his right Achilles tendon in an off-ice, pre-season workout.[5] Williams underwent surgery for the injury the following day, on September 18. Williams again surprised fans and analysts when he returned from his injury on December 4, 2008, more than one month earlier than his earliest projected return date. He was greeted by a round of applause on his first shift by the crowd, and played his first full NHL game in nearly 11 months. He played 32 games before he was again injured, this time by a teammate’s slap shot, which broke his left hand.
On February 28, 2011, Williams signed a new four-year, $14.6 million contract with Los Angeles.[7] He scored 15 points in the 2012 playoffs, helping the Kings win their first Stanley Cup.
During the 2012–13 season, Williams scored 11 goals with 22 assists, as the Kings would ultimately lose to the eventual Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals of the 2013 playoffs.
Williams won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2014 playoffs, where he won his third Stanley Cup and second with the Kings. He scored 9 goals and 15 assists during the playoffs, including the game-winning goal in Game 1 the Finals against the New York Rangers, and the Kings’ first in the 3–2 comeback in Game 5 to win the Cup. Williams also had points in all three Game 7 matches the Kings had en route to the Finals.[8]
On July 1, 2015, Williams signed a two-year, $6.25 million contract with the Washington Capitals.[9] He would play his 1,000th NHL game on April 10, 2016. Despite the team winning back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies,[10][11] the Capitals could not advance past the second round in either season.[12][13]
Return to Carolina and retirement (2017–2020)[edit]
On July 1, 2017, Williams returned to the Hurricanes, signing a two-year, $9 million contract.[14]
As a free agent during the 2019 off-season, Williams was undecided on whether he would return to professional hockey.[18] If he chose to return, it would only be with the Hurricanes.[19] On September 2, Williams announced he had “decided to step away from the game.”[20]
On January 7, 2020, Williams returned to the Hurricanes, signing a one-year, $700,000 contract.[21] In his return to the lineup on January 19, he scored the game-deciding shootout goal to defeat the New York Islanders 2–1.[22]
On October 8, 2020, Williams announced his retirement from professional hockey after a 19-season NHL career.[23]
After retiring, Williams was hired as a “special advisor” to Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell.[24]
Unger set an NHL record by playing 914 consecutive games in the regular season between February 24, 1968, and December 21, 1979, doing so with four teams: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Flames.[1] Unger passed Andy Hebenton, who had the record of 630 consecutive games played that had stood since the 1963-64 NHL season. Unger’s streak came to an end after Flames’ coach Al MacNeil benched him on December 21, 1979 (the only game he would miss that season). His record has since been surpassed by Phil Kessel who has played over 1000 consecutive games as of 2022
Unger finished his career with 1105 career NHL games, scoring 413 goals and 391 assists for 804 points, and he also registered 1075 career penalty minutes.[1] Unger was the MVP of the 1974 NHL All-Star Game played in Chicago. He had an assist and scored a shorthanded goal in the West Division’s 6–4 victory over the East Division.
After retiring from the NHL he went to play for three seasons in the British professional league. During a season for the Peterborough Pirates he racked up 95 goals and well over 200 points while playing in only 30 games.
Garry was the oldest of four children of Jakob and Olive (Wheeler) Unger. Unger’s younger sister used a wheelchair; she proved to be an inspiration to Unger during his playing career. After being traded to Atlanta in 1979, Unger encountered a group of Christian players, including Paul Henderson, whom Unger credits with helping him discover spirituality and giving meaning to his life.[3]
He and his wife Beverly have three children. Garry presently works with the Banff Hockey Academy in Banff, Alberta, Canada.[citation needed]
On April 14, 2011, Damphousse was charged by Montreal police with six counts of assaulting his spouse after allegations made by his wife.[4] The incidents were alleged to have occurred between January 2008 and early 2011. Damphousse categorically denied the allegations brought against him and also filed a complaint against his wife for assault.[5] On June 19, 2013, the Crown dropped all charges against the ex-hockey player, though the Crown announced intentions to pursue its case against Allana Henderson, now Damphousse’s ex-wife, for armed assault and theft under $5,000. Henderson was accused of committing assault with her vehicle and stealing a briefcase from her ex-husband. On January 14, 2015, the Crown dropped all charges against Henderson.[6]
Alexander Nikolayevich Maltsev (Russian: Александр Николаевич Мальцев; born 20 April 1949) is a Russian former professional ice hockeyforward and politician.
Maltsev began his sports career at the Olimpiya Kirovo-Chepetsk of his hometown of Kirovo-Chepetsk (1966-1967, first coach N. I. Poles). He then played for Dynamo Moscow in the Soviet League for 530 games from 1967 to 1984. He was one of the few Soviet stars not to play for CSKA Moscow. A six-time Soviet all-star, he led the league in scoring in 1970–71 and tied with Valeri Kharlamov for MVP in 1971–72.[citation needed]
Maltsev was on the USSR team during the 1972 Winter Olympics, 1976 Winter Olympics, and 1980 Winter Olympics, winning gold in 1972 and 1976 and silver in 1980. He was named the best forward at the IIHF World Championships three times, leading the tournament in goals once and total scoring twice.[2] He made the world championship all-star team on five occasions. Maltsev’s 213 career goals in international play were the most by any Soviet player.[3] He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1999.[4]
Laidlaw started his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers in 1980, arriving from Northern Michigan University.[1] He also played for the Los Angeles Kings.[2] He left the NHL after the 1990 season.[3] He played one season for the Phoenix Roadrunners of the IHL before retiring from hockey. Afterward, he became the colour commentator on Kings’ radio broadcasts.[4] He currently runs a sports management company[5] in Rye Brook, New York.[6] Laidlaw is also a motivational speaker and frequently uses his mantra of living a “True Grit Life”.[7] Laidlaw promotes the “True Grit Life” through public speaking engagements and weekly podcast episodes.[8]
Laidlaw competed on Survivor: Island of the Idols, the 39th season of the CBS series Survivor. He was the first Canadian-born person to be a contestant on the show.[9] He was voted out on Day 14, finishing in 16th place out of 20 contestants.
In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Laidlaw at No. 87 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team’s first 82 seasons.[10]\\
After college, Juneau spent a year with the Canadian Olympic team while disputing his contract offer from the Bruins. The sticking point was Juneau’s insistence on being paid full salary even if he was sent to the minors – a demand Boston refused, having been burned in a nearly identical situation with Wes Walz the previous year. Then-general manager Harry Sinden was famously quoted in response to Juneau’s threat to play in Switzerland instead “Well, I hope he learns to yodel.” In the meantime, Juneau led Canada to a silver medal at the 1992 Albertville Games, and was the tournament’s leading scorer.[citation needed]
Juneau would eventually sign with Boston on the team’s terms, and Sinden’s fears proved groundless. Juneau joined the Bruins’ NHL roster right after the Olympics, and never spent a day in the minor leagues during his career. He had an impressive nineteen points in fourteen regular season games at the end of the 1992 season before a strong playoff.[citation needed]
His best season was his rookie year of 1992–93 with the Bruins, when, as the left winger on a powerful line with Adam Oates and Cam Neely, he had 32 goals and 102 points and set the NHL record for assists in a season by a left wing with 70, a mark Juneau held until 2022, when it was passed by Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers. As a reward, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.[citation needed] Legend has it while with the Bruins, Juneau approached Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk asking if he could wear his No. 9 in Boston. Bucyk responded “Score 557 goals first, and then come talk to me.”
During the 1993–94 season, the Bruins traded Juneau to the Capitals for Al Iafrate (who played only twelve games for Boston). In 1996, he became the first player ever to be awarded a penalty shot in overtime in a Stanley Cup playoff game (although he failed to score) during the second overtime of the Capitals’ four-overtime loss to Pittsburgh. Juneau was also a member of the 1997–98 Capitals squad that reached the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, scoring seventeen points in twenty-one playoff games. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Buffalo Sabres in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals that sent the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals. The next season, 1998–99, with the Capitals plagued by injuries and missing the playoffs, Juneau was traded to the Sabres, who reached the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.[citation needed]
Juneau’s offensive numbers steadily declined, largely due to chronic injuries. He became a journeyman, playing for five teams in four seasons before settling with the Montreal Canadiens as a third-liner for the final three seasons of his career. He announced his retirement after the 2003–04 NHL season. Juneau finished with 156 goals and 416 assists for 572 points over thirteen seasons.[citation needed]
Juneau wore No. 90 for the majority of his career, and later admitted that his reason for choosing No. 90 was a result of his preferred No. 9 was either retired or worn by different players. The lone exception was during his stint with the Ottawa Senators when he wore No. 39. This was done as then general manager Pierre Gauthier had a policy in place where no player could wear a number higher than the goaltender. As Patrick Lalime wore No. 40, Juneau was unable to wear his customary No. 90, which he reverted to following a trade to the Phoenix Coyotes.[citation needed]
After his playing career, Juneau became a partner and account manager at Quebec City-based Harfan Technologies. Rensselaer awarded Juneau an honorary degree at the school’s 2005 commencement ceremonies, then named him as the second inductee into the Rensselaer “Ring of Honor” in November. Between 2005-2007, Juneau moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he helped promote hockey to the youth in the area before moving to Kuujjuaq, Quebec, on a permanent basis, where he heads a hockey program for Inuit youth in northern Quebec focused on encouraging academic progress, a contribution for which he received the 2007 La Presse/Radio-CanadaPersonality of the Year Award.[citation needed] His involvement with the Nunavik hockey program ended in 2017.[2]
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