Paul Coffey

At 63 years old, Paul Coffey has this physical status:

Playing career

Coffey competed in the 1974 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga as a youth.

In the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, Coffey was drafted sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers. He flourished in the 1981-82 season, scoring 89 points and being named a second-team NHL All-Star. He was the second defenseman in NHL history to score 40 goals in a season, and he led the Oilers to second place in point scoring in their first Stanley Cup-winning season, 1983–84. He won his first James Norris Memorial Trophy in 1984–85, scoring 37 goals and 121 points. Coffey became the last defenceman in the twentieth century to score four goals in a single game on December 26, 1984. In 1985, Coffey had a record-breaking post-season, scoring (12), assists (25), and points (37) in one playoff year by a defenceman on the way to another Stanley Cup. He won the Norris Trophy again in 1985-86, while defeating Bobby Orr's record for goals in a season by a defenseman, scoring 48 points. Among defensemen, his 138 points ranked second only to Orr (1970–71) in 1970–71.

In 1986–87, Coffey won Edmonton's third Cup appearance, but it would be his last game in an Oilers uniform against the Philadelphia Flyers. Coffey was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1987 following a financial dispute with Edmonton's head coach and general manager Glen Sather. He changed his uniform number from 7 to 77, which he would wear for the majority of his career until he wore 74 in Boston, where he wore 74.

Coffey spent four and a half seasons with Pittsburgh. Coffey made history by winning 1,000 points on December 22, 1990, beating the second defenceman to do so in a record-breaking 770 games. With Pittsburgh, Coffey captured their fourth Stanley Cup in 1990–91. Denis Potvin became the career leader in goals, assists, and points by a defenceman during the 1992 season. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he was reunited with former Oilers teammates Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri for portions of two seasons.

After a brief time with Los Angeles, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent three and a half seasons. Coffey led his team in scoring for the first time in his entire career, and was awarded the Norris Trophy for the third time in a lockout-shortened NHL season. When helping Detroit reach the Stanley Cup Final in the 1995 playoffs, he led all defensemen in shorthanded goals (2). In four games, the Red Wings were swept by the New Jersey Devils. Coffey will help the Red Wings win 62 straight seasons the following year, but the team will be eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. Coffey mistakenly scored on his own net during Game 1 of the series, but Coffey's Stephane Yelle attempted to sneak the puck into the slot but Coffey's stick came first.

Coffey was traded to the Hartford Whalers at the start of the 1996-97 season as part of a deal to purchase Brendan Shanahan, a move that Coffey was dissatisfied with.

Before being traded to the Flyers, Coffey only played 20 games for the Whalers. He was a member of the Philadelphia Athletic Club for a season and a half, winning the 1997 Stanley Cup Final, his seventh appearance against his former team, Detroit. Coffey's Final sequence was not fruitful, having been ice for six of Detroit's goals and being in the penalty box for a seventh when the Flyers forfeited a power-play goal, leaving with no points and being minus-2 and minus-3 in the first two games, and leaving Coffey sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a concussion.

He was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes after a brief stint (10 games) with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he played for one and a half seasons. In 2000-2001, he spent his remaining seasons with the Boston Bruins, winning their last season.

Ray Bourque reached his career goal, assist, and point records during Coffey's last NHL season, and Bourque and Coffey both retired after the 2000-2001 season. Coffey finished third overall, with 396 goals, 1135 assists, and 1531 points, ranking second only to Bourque in all-time career scoring by a defenseman. However, Coffey scored more points per game than Bourque did, despite playing 203 fewer games but losing by only 48 points.

In 2004, Paul Coffey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame for his first year of eligibility, and the Edmonton Oilers retired his uniform number 7 in 2005.

Post-playing career

Coffey was fined a gross misconduct point for a racial insult while coaching a game for the Toronto Marlboros midget 'AAA' team in February 2014. The Greater Toronto Hockey League looked at the assault charge, and Coffey was fined a three-game suspension. Coffey is a co-owner of the OJHL's Pickering Panthers.

Career statistics

Figures in boldface italics are NHL records for defencemen.

Source

Awards

• Named to the OHA second All-Star team — 1980
• Won the James Norris Memorial Trophy — 1985, 1986, 1995
• Named to the NHL first All-Star team — 1985, 1986, 1989, 1995
• Named to the NHL second All-Star team — 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990
• Played in the NHL All-Star Game — 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
• 4-time Stanley Cup champion — 1984, 1985, 1987 (with Edmonton), 1991 (with Pittsburgh)
• Won Canada Cup — 1984, 1987, 1991 (with Team Canada)
• Named to the Canada Cup All-Star team — 1984
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004
• In 1998, he was ranked number 28 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players
• Currently 13th all-time in career points (was 9th when he retired in 2000, but was passed by Mario Lemieux later in the 2000–01 season, Joe Sakic on January 1, 2007, Jaromir Jagr on October 12, 2007, and Mark Recchi on March 29, 2011)
• Was inducted into the Penguins Hall of Fame on November 15, 2007