Mark Messier
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2007) |
| Mark Messier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Messwithcup.jpg | |||
| Born |
January 18, 1961 St. Albert, AB, CAN | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Played for |
WHA Indianapolis Racers Cincinnati Stingers NHL Edmonton Oilers New York Rangers Vancouver Canucks | ||
| NHL draft |
48th overall, 1979 Edmonton Oilers | ||
| Playing career | 1979–2004 | ||
Mark John Douglas "Moose" Messier (born January 18, 1961, in St. Albert, Alberta) is an ice hockey centreman, who is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the National Hockey League. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL (1979-2004) with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. He was also technically a member of the San Jose Sharks for 2 months, but he never played a game for them. He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association's Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers. Before his retirement, he was the last former WHA player still active in professional hockey.
Playing career
Edmonton Oilers (1979-1991)
Messier was drafted in the 2nd round, 48th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Nicknamed "Moose," "The Captain," "Mess," and "The Messiah," Messier was renowned as a fierce, tough competitor whose intense leadership in the locker room was as important as the goals he scored on the ice. He holds the distinction of being the only player ever to captain two different franchises to Stanley Cup championships, winning six championships in total.
Though Messier ranks second in all-time scoring with 1,887 points (694 goals and 1,193 assists) in the regular season, his greatness will always be measured in terms of playoff achievements. In Game 3 of the 1984 Finals, for example, with his Oilers trailing the four-time defending champion New York Islanders by a goal, it was Messier's goal that sparked a comeback by the Oilers. By the end of the series, Messier had earned his first and only Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the playoffs.
Baby Oilers (1980-1987)
Consisting of Messier, Glen Anderson, Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky. Originally thought to be just an urban legend, naysayers were silenced one evening in 1984 after game of shinny when LeRoy Leeman was asked to participate in the dressing room festivities with then fifth member Gary Coleman in the traditional raising of the Stubby.
As this writing a few breweries in Edmonton Alberta still bottle with the Stubby, keeping the tradition alive.
New York Rangers (1991-1997)
Messier was already known as a hockey superstar, but the birth of the Messier legend came as a New York Ranger in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the rival New Jersey Devils. A game away from elimination, Messier confronted the NYC media and publicly guaranteed a Game 6 victory. Knowing full well the implications of his remarks, he backed up his promise by scoring a natural hat trick in the third period which helped the Rangers erase a two-goal deficit. The Rangers went on to win the series and the Stanley Cup (with Messier scoring the Cup winning goal in game 7) — their first in 54 years — and effectively put New Yorkers in a frenzy in the process. From that moment on, Messier was indelibly etched in sports history.
The 1994 Stanley Cup would be the high watermark of the second half of Messier's career. In 1995-96, Messier came as close as he had since 1991-92 to breaking the 100-point plateau when, at the age of 35, he recorded a 99-point season. With Wayne Gretzky joining the Rangers in 1996-97, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals. The Rangers were defeated in the conference finals by the Philadelphia Flyers that year. An 84-point year during the 1996-97 regular season encouraged the Vancouver Canucks to sign the 36-year old to a high-priced free agent contract, ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky being together again on the same team after just one season.
Vancouver Canucks (1997-2000)
It was a high-profile move, with Messier returning to Canada after six years with the Rangers, but the honeymoon did not last. Before playing the season, Messier was given the team captaincy, handed over to him by Trevor Linden. Sixty points in 1997-98 was his worst mark in a full year since his first NHL season; his next two seasons were shortened by injury. His demand that the #11 the team unofficially retired in honour of Wayne Maki be given to him hurt his image as well.[1] He finished with 162 points over three years, and, having become unpopular with Canucks fans, left at the end of the 1999-2000 season.
Back On Broadway: New York Rangers (2000-2004)
After his tenure with the Canucks, he returned to New York to try to lead the under-achieving Rangers back to glory. The Rangers held a press conference where they symbolically buried a hatchet, and Messier made an ill-fated "guarantee" of a playoff berth.[1] Messier was also given back the team captaincy upon his return to the Rangers, handed over to him personally by Brian Leetch.
Messier's 67-point season as a 40-year old in 2000-01 was a mark better than any he established in his Vancouver years, showing that he could still be a valuable presence, but the Rangers missed the playoffs for the fourth year running. After missing half of 2001-02 due to an arm injury, Messier recorded only 23 points, and finished up next year with a mediocre 40-point campaign. On June 30, 2003, the Rangers traded Messier to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations. However, the Rangers resigned Messier again as an unrestricted free agent on September 3.
The 2003-04 season had been widely expected to be Messier's last. On November 4, 2003 against the Dallas Stars, Messier scored a pair of goals to vault past Gordie Howe into second on the all-time point scoring list. Eleven days later, Messier was the only active player to play in the legends game at Edmonton's Heritage Classic, suiting up with the Oiler alumni and making many light-hearted comments about being Edmonton's "ringer."[citation needed] During his last game at Madison Square Garden, Messier received applause every time he touched the puck and, after the game, received a standing ovation while he skated around the Garden and bowed to every section of the stands.[citation needed] At the age of 43, most media outlets believed Messier had decided to quit. The NHL lockout eliminated the next season. All speculation ended on September 12, 2005, when he announced his retirement on ESPN radio.[2]
Messier retired eleven games behind Howe's NHL record 1,767 regular season games played. Messier holds the record for most NHL regular season and playoff season games played at 1,992. Messier is one of a handful of players to have played 25 NHL seasons, doing so over four decades.
On January 12, 2006 during a very emotional ceremony that featured most of the 1994 Stanley Cup team, the New York Rangers retired his number 11 in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. Fans unable to attend the game put their tickets back on the market, with front row seats being resold up to the price of $30,000. The ceremony lasted 75 minutes, making it the longest of its kind in the history of professional sports.[citation needed] His is the 4th number retired by the Rangers. His number was also retired by the Edmonton Oilers on February 27, 2007 against the Phoenix Coyotes, coached by former teammate Wayne Gretzky.[3]
Off the ice
Messier attended St. Francis Xavier high school in Edmonton as he played juniour hockey where his father Doug was his coach and mentor for his early years, where he played with the Spruce Grove Mets. Mark's brother Paul Messier was drafted by the Colorado Rockies 41st overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft, but he only played nine games with the club in 1978-79 before embarking on a long career in the German Bundesliga. His cousins Mitch and Joby also skated for NHL clubs.
Messier's son Lyon, who was born on August 16, 1987 is developing into a solid young hockey player and is currently a defenceman for the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League. Lyon's mother is former model Leslie Young. His current girlfriend and soon to-be wife, Kim Clark, gave birth to Mark's second son, Douglas Paul, on July 15, 2003, and daughter Jacqueline Jean in August, 2005.
Almost thirty years after having played with the Saints, Messier is a legend in the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert, Alberta. One of the rinks in the local Campbell Arena bears Messier's name.
More recently, Messier has found time to do some work as a hockey analyst. He's occasionally seen on The NHL on Versus as a studio analyst, was an in-game analyst for The NHL All-Star Game on Versus, and has been a guest commentator on The NHL on NBC.
Awards & achievements
- 1983-84 - Stanley Cup Champion
- 1984-85 - Stanley Cup Champion
- 1986-87 - Stanley Cup Champion
- 1987-88 - Stanley Cup Champion
- 1989-90 - Stanley Cup Champion
- 1993-94 - Stanley Cup Champion
- 1989-90 - Hart Memorial Trophy Winner
- 1991-92 - Hart Memorial Trophy Winner
- 1983-84 - Conn Smythe Trophy Winner
- 1989-90 - Lester B. Pearson Award Winner
- 1991-92 - Lester B. Pearson Award Winner
- 1981-82 - First-Team All-Star Left Wing
- 1982-83 - First-Team All-Star Left Wing
- 1989-90 - First-Team All-Star Centre
- 1991-92 - First-Team All-Star Centre
- 1983-84 - Second-Team All-Star Left Wing
- Played in fifteen NHL All-Star Games in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2004
- Played for the Edmonton Oilers Heritage Classic alumni team while a member of the New York Rangers.
- The only player to have captained two different Stanley Cup-winning teams (Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers)
- In 1998, he was ranked number 12 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
- On November 13, 2006, the National Hockey League created the Mark Messier Trophy, a monthly leadership award.
- His 1,887 points in the regular season are the most of any player without winning a single scoring title.
- He was the last active player that had played in the 1970s.
Transactions
- August 9th, 1979- Edmonton Oilers' second round choice, 48th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft
- October 4th, 1991- Traded by the Edmonton Oilers, along with future considerations, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk.
- July 28th, 1997- Signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks.
- July 13th 2000- Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.
- June 20th, 2003- Traded by the New York Rangers to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for San Jose's 2004's 4th round draft choice.
- September 5, 2003- Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.
- September 12th, 2005- Officially announced retirement.
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1976-77 | Spruce Grove Mets | AJHL | 57 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 91 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1977-78 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 54 | 25 | 49 | 74 | 194 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1977-78 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1978-79 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 17 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 64 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1978-79 | Indianapolis Racers | WHA | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1978-79 | Cincinnati Stingers | WHA | 47 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 58 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1979-80 | Houston Apollos | CHL | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1979-80 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 75 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 120 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1980-81 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 72 | 23 | 40 | 63 | 102 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 13 | ||
| 1981-82 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 78 | 50 | 38 | 88 | 119 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1982-83 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 77 | 48 | 58 | 106 | 72 | 15 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 14 | ||
| 1983-84 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 73 | 37 | 64 | 101 | 165 | 19 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 19 | ||
| 1984-85 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 55 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 57 | 18 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 12 | ||
| 1985-86 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 63 | 35 | 49 | 84 | 68 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 18 | ||
| 1986-87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 77 | 37 | 70 | 107 | 73 | 21 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 16 | ||
| 1987-88 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 77 | 37 | 74 | 111 | 103 | 19 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 29 | ||
| 1988-89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 72 | 33 | 61 | 94 | 130 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 1989-90 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 45 | 84 | 129 | 79 | 22 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 20 | ||
| 1990-91 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 53 | 12 | 52 | 64 | 34 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 16 | ||
| 1991-92 | New York Rangers | NHL | 79 | 35 | 72 | 107 | 76 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | ||
| 1992-93 | New York Rangers | NHL | 75 | 25 | 66 | 91 | 72 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1993-94 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 26 | 58 | 84 | 76 | 23 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 33 | ||
| 1994-95 | New York Rangers | NHL | 46 | 14 | 39 | 53 | 40 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 8 | ||
| 1995-96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 74 | 47 | 52 | 99 | 122 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | ||
| 1996-97 | New York Rangers | NHL | 71 | 36 | 48 | 84 | 88 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 6 | ||
| 1997-98 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 82 | 22 | 38 | 60 | 58 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 59 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 33 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 66 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 89 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | New York Rangers | NHL | 78 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 18 | 25 | 43 | 42 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 1756 | 694 | 1193 | 1887 | 1910 | 236 | 109 | 186 | 295 | 244 | ||||
See also
- List of NHL statistical leaders
- List of NHL seasons
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
- List of NHL players with 500 goals
References
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=3688
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=2378
- http://www.hockey-fans.com/players/messier.php
Notes
- ^ "The 12 sports books of Christmas". Vancouver Courier. 2004. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
- ^ "Messier retires after 25 seasons". ESPN.com. 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
- ^ "Oilers to retire Mark Messier's No. 11 jersey". NHL.com. 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
- 1961 births
- Alberta Junior Hockey League players
- Alberta sportspeople
- Canadian ice hockey players
- Cincinnati Stingers players
- Conn Smythe Trophy winners
- Edmonton Oilers draft picks
- Edmonton Oilers players
- Hart Trophy winners
- Indianapolis Racers players
- Lester Pearson Award winners
- Living people
- New York Rangers players
- National Hockey League 50-goal seasons
- National Hockey League 100-point seasons
- National Hockey League All-Stars
- Hockey families
- National Hockey League players with retired numbers
- People from St. Albert, Alberta
- Portland Winter Hawks alumni
- Stanley Cup champions
- The NHL on Versus
- Vancouver Canucks players