John Vanbiesbrouck

At 61 years old, John Vanbiesbrouck has this physical status:

While playing midget level hockey, Vanbiesbrouck joined the Little Caesars hockey club, a travel ice hockey team in Detroit. During a tournament in Toronto, Vanbiesbrouck lost his jersey and was forced to wear a teammate's uniform. He played well in the tournament with junior scouts in attendance. Since Vanbiesbrouck wore another player's jersey, he went undrafted in the midget draft, while the player whose jersey he wore was drafted in the fourth round. After being unclaimed in the draft, Vanbiesbrouck was offered a try-out with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, members of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL), which later became the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). At the try-out, he made the team over several other players, and became the starting goaltender for the Greyhounds. Vanbiesbrouck played in 56 games and compiled a 31–16–1 record during his first season in Sault Ste. Marie. Following the 1980–81 season, he was drafted in the fourth round, 72nd overall, of the NHL Draft by the New York Rangers.

On December 5, 1981, just months after being drafted, Vanbiesbrouck made his professional debut with the Rangers as an emergency call-up. He helped defeat the Colorado Rockies 2–1. Despite only allowing one goal and earning his first NHL win, the Rangers decided to return him to Sault Ste. Marie, a move intended to aid his development. He finished the year with a 12–12–2 record for the Greyhounds and made his first international appearance, representing the United States at the 1982 World Junior Championships. He played one more season for the Greyhounds, playing 62 games winning 39 of them and being named to OHL second All-Star team.

Following his career with the Greyhounds, Vanbiesbrouck moved on to the minor leagues, joining the Central Hockey League's (CHL) Tulsa Oilers. During the 1983–84 season, his first with the Oilers, the ownership group was unable to sustain the team. They went bankrupt, were taken over by the league, and forced to play their remaining games on the road. After losing their home rink the team was housed in Denver, Colorado where they shared a practice facility with the University of Denver and fellow CHL team the Colorado Flames. The lack of ice time often forced the Oilers to practice in a shopping mall where they were not allowed to shoot pucks. For extra practice, Vanbiesbrouck had tennis balls hit at him in the parking lot. Despite all the adversity, the Oilers won the Adams Cup as league champions. Meanwhile, Vanbiesbrouck won the Terry Sawchuk Award, with back-up Ron Scott, for fewest goals against in the league and shared CHL MVP honors with Bruce Affleck by winning the Tommy Ivan Trophy.

Vanbiesbrouck made the Rangers full-time in the 1984–85 season, playing in 42 games and posted a 4.20 goals against average (GAA). The following year, Vanbiesbrouck played in 61 games, winning a career high 31. The 31 victories accounted for all but five of the Rangers' regular season total. His success continued over to the post-season, where he led the Rangers to an upset over the Philadelphia Flyers in the opening round. He then followed it by defeating a Washington Capitals team that registered 107 points in the regular season. The Rangers lost in the Conference Finals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. In the off-season, Vanbiesbrouck was named a First Team NHL All-Star, won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender, and signed a new three-year contract with the Rangers. He was unable to repeat his success in the next season, winning 18 games in 50 games played while losing 20 contests.

Prior to the 1987–88 season, Vanbiesbrouck was hit by a puck under his mask in practice, which caused a non-displaced fracture of his lower jaw and a broken tooth. Fortunately for him, the injury did not require his jaw to be wired shut, and he was able to return to practice the next day. He showed no ill effects from the injury, playing in 56 games, winning 27. On June 13, 1988 Vanbiesbrouck suffered nerve damage to his left wrist after a glass coffee table he was sitting on collapsed and broken glass lacerated his ulnar nerve and three tendons. He was sitting on the table assembling video equipment in anticipation of the birth of his first child. The glass broke beneath him, and as he braced for the fall, his wrist was cut by the glass. Vanbiesbrouck required five hours of microsurgery to remove glass from his wrist and repair the nerve and tendon damage. He was initially expected to miss four-to-six months, but he recovered in time to attend the Rangers pre-season training camp just three months later. Again he played in 56 games, and increased his win total to 28.

Vanbiesbrouck began the 1989–90 season as the Rangers' starting goaltender, but after the Rangers struggled in early January, he began to share the duties with the recently called-up Mike Richter. During the playoffs, head coach Roger Neilson employed a rotation system between the two goaltenders. The Rangers won their first round match-up against the New York Islanders, but lost to the Washington Capitals in the second round. For his part, Vanbiesbrouck posted a 2–3 record with a 3.02 GAA and a .902 save percentage.

The following season, the two goaltenders formed the best duo in the NHL. The duo remained together even after Vanbiesbrouck had a chance to leave via free agency in 1992. A new collective bargaining agreement established him as a group 2 free agent, allowing the Rangers to match any offer from another team or to claim draft choices as compensation if he were to sign with another team. After not receiving much interest from other clubs, Vanbiesbrouck re-signed with the Rangers, signing a two-year deal with an option for the third averaging $1 million per season. At the end of the 1992–93 season, the decision was made to trade Vanbiesbrouck. With the upcoming expansion draft, the Rangers would only be able to protect one goaltender. Faced with the prospect of losing one of their two goaltenders, the Rangers traded the "equally talented" but older Vanbiesbrouck to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for future considerations (ultimately, Doug Lidster).

Vancouver made the trade not with the intention of keeping Vanbiesbrouck, but rather in an attempt to keep other players on their roster from being drafted. Rules of the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft allowed teams to protect one goaltender, nine forwards and five defensemen. Additional rules stated that teams could only lose one goaltender in the draft and prevented teams from losing both a defenseman and a goaltender. Prior to the draft, Florida Panthers general manager Bobby Clarke won a coin-toss giving them the first pick in the draft. Thus, with their first selection, the Panthers picked Vanbiesbrouck to be the number one goaltender for their team. Upon his arrival in Florida, Vanbiesbrouck went on a "mall tour" to help elevate the visibility of the franchise and made an informative video explaining ice hockey terms for Blockbuster, then owners of the franchise. In January 1994, he made his return to Madison Square Garden. In his first game back to his former home venue, Vanbiesbrouck made 51 saves, ultimately losing the game 3–2. During the season, he was also named to the All-Star game as the Panthers' sole representative. In the game, Vanbiesbrouck played the third period, made six saves and was credited with the win. At the completion of his first season in Florida, he played in 57 games posting a 21–25–11 record, registering a 2.53 GAA, and his career best save percentage of .924 ranked him second in the league. Vanbiesbrouck was named a Second Team NHL All-Star and was shortlisted for the Hart and Vezina Trophies. His 21 wins tied the Minnesota North Stars' Cesare Maniago's record for the most by an expansion goaltender. The record was later passed by Ron Tugnutt during the Columbus Blue Jackets' inaugural season. The Panthers finished the season with 83 points, one point behind the New York Islanders, for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The following season was shortened due to the 1994–95 NHL lockout. Consequently, Vanbiesbrouck played in just 37 games registering a 14–15–4 record. He lowered his GAA from the previous year to 2.47 and increased his shutout total from one to four. However, his save percentage dropped to .914. The Panthers again fell a point short of making the playoffs.

In the 1995–96 season, Vanbiesbrouck was named to the All-Star Game. In the game, he played the second period and gave up three goals on seven shots. The Panthers were in playoff position for more than half of the season, but faltered late in the season and were close to falling out of the playoff race. Late in the season, Vanbiesbrouck shutout the New Jersey Devils putting Florida into the playoffs. At the end of the regular season, he played in 57 games posting a 21–25–11 with two shutouts. His games played ranked him tenth in the league while his GAA of 2.68 was ninth. In the first round, Florida defeated the Boston Bruins in five games. Their second round match-up was against the heavily favored Philadelphia Flyers. Vanbiesbrouck posted a shutout in the first game of the series, the third post-season shutout of his career and the first in Panthers playoff history. During the series, Vanbiesbrouck held the Flyers scoreless for 116:46 straight minutes as Florida upset Philadelphia, winning four games to two. In the Conference Finals, the Panthers were again huge underdogs to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that featured the league's two top scorers in Mario Lemieux and Jaromír Jágr. The Penguins took a 3–2 series lead, but the Panthers won Game 6, 4–3, to force Game 7. In Game 7, Vanbiesbrouck made 39 saves in a 3–1 Panthers victory, winning the Eastern Conference and putting them in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Panthers fell behind the Colorado Avalanche 3–0 in the series. Game 4 was considered one of the classic games in finals' history. The game was a 0–0 tie entering the third overtime period. Early in the period, a long shot from Colorado's Uwe Krupp eluded Vanbiesbrouck, giving the Avalanche a 1–0 win and the Stanley Cup. Vanbiesbrouck made 55 saves in the loss and even though his team was swept in the finals, he still finished third in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

During the 1996–97 season, Vanbiesbrouck was elected by the fans to the All-Star Game as the starting goaltender. Vanbiesbrouck' 200,457 votes led the Eastern Conference. By season's end, Vanbiesbrouck finished in the top ten in the NHL for save percentage (6), GAA (5) and tied for 11 in wins (27). The Panthers finished fourth in the Eastern Conference and faced the Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Vanbiesbrouck made 34 saves in Game 1, shutting-out the Rangers 3–0. It was the only game the Panthers won as the Rangers defeated them 4–1 in the series. The following season, Vanbiesbrouck reached a personal milestone. On December 27, 1997, the Panthers defeated the New York Islanders 6–2 at Nassau Coliseum. The win marked the 300th of his career, making him the 15th goaltender, and second American, in NHL history to reach the mark. Despite his personal milestone, Vanbiesbrouck suffered through his worst statistical season with the Panthers. The team fared no better as they finished the season in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoffs.

During the off-season, Vanbiesbrouck signed a two-year, $7.25 million contract, with an option for a third year, with the Philadelphia Flyers. His first season with Philadelphia was successful, as he posted a career best 2.18 GAA, notching six shutouts, playing in a career high 62 games and registering a 27–18–15 record. However, he struggled in the playoffs. Despite posting good individual numbers (.938 save pct and 1.46 GAA), Vanbiesbrouck let in goals that many Flyers fans perceived to be "soft" that cost the Flyers games. However, what ostensibly cost the Flyers the games was their inability to score timely goals for their goaltender—they scored just 11 goals in 6 games while Vanbiesbrouck allowed just nine goals in six games. Philadelphia was eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games. He continued to be "shaky" at the beginning of the 1999–2000 season. As a result, rookie Brian Boucher began playing more. Vanbiesbrouck reached another milestone during the season, becoming the 8th goaltender in NHL history to play in 800 games. Vanbiesbrouck played 50 games during the season, registering a 25–15–9 record, but in the playoffs, the Flyers opted for Boucher.

During the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Philadelphia traded Vanbiesbrouck to the New York Islanders in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. The Islanders made the trade with the intention of having Vanbiesbrouck mentor first overall draft pick Rick DiPietro. He played in 44 games for the Islanders winning 10 of them and recording a shutout. On the eve of the NHL trade deadline, the Islanders traded Vanbiesbrouck to the New Jersey Devils for Chris Terreri and a ninth-round pick. New Jersey made the deal with the intent to give starting goaltender Martin Brodeur some rest prior to the playoffs. With Terreri struggling, they felt it best to bring in someone who had played regularly throughout the year. Vanbiesbrouck played in four games for the Devils, winning them all, and recorded his 40th career shutout. The shutout tied him with Frank Brimsek for the most shutouts by an American-born goaltender in NHL history. Vanbiesbrouck did not play during the playoffs, but the Devils advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they played the Colorado Avalanche and lost in seven games. Vanbiesbrouck retired immediately after Game 7 on June 10, 2001. He stated that "it's time" and he wanted to leave the game healthy. He was retired for only eight months before he agreed to terms with the Devils to come out of retirement. He posted a 2–3–0 record as the Devils back up, finishing his career with 374 wins. His win total was the most by an American-born goaltender in NHL history at the time. He again did not play in the playoffs as the Devils were eliminated in the first round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes. Vanbiesbrouck retired for the second and final time on May 24, 2002.

Following his playing career, Vanbiesbrouck earned several accolades. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds retired his number (1). NHL named him the best player to wear jersey number 34, and on October 12, 2007, Vanbiesbrouck was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. He is 16th in NHL history in wins. However, he is also sixth all-time in losses.

Career statistics

Bolded numbers indicate league leader.

Source

• F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy (OHL – best rookie goals against average) winner in 1981.
• Selected to the OHL second All-Star team in 1983.
• Selected to the CHL first All-Star team in 1984.
• Terry Sawchuk Trophy winner in 1984 (shared with Ron Scott).
• Tommy Ivan Trophy (CHL Most valuable Player) winner in 1984 (shared with Bruce Affleck).
• Selected to the NHL first All-Star team in 1986.
• Vezina Trophy Winner in 1986.
• Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award winner in 1990 (shared with Kelly Kisio).
• Selected to the NHL second All-Star team in 1994.
• Played in 1994, 1996, and 1997 National Hockey League All-Star Games.
• Became the 15th, and only the 2nd American, goaltender in NHL history to record 300 career wins.
• Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in October 2007.
• In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, was ranked No. 31 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons
• Vanbiesbrouck appears on the NHL 97 cover.