Keith Primeau

Keith Primeau
Born	(1971-11-24) November 24, 1971 (age 52) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Detroit Red Wings Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes Philadelphia Flyers
National team	Canada
NHL draft	3rd overall, 1990 Detroit Red Wings
Playing career	1990–2005
Medal record Representing   Canada World Championships 1997 Finland

Keith David Primeau (born November 24, 1971) is a Canadian businessman and ice hockey coach. He is a former professional ice hockey centre who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers.

He was recently the special assistant to the general manager and director of player development of the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL, now currently an assistant hockey coach at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, the coach of Revolution in the Revolution Ice gardens, and the owner of a franchise of Bain's Deli in Philadelphia. ^[1] He is the older brother of Wayne Primeau.

Playing career

Primeau was drafted third overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings after playing two years with the Niagara Falls Thunder of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He split his first two professional seasons with Detroit and their then-American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Adirondack Red Wings. He set career highs in assists (42), points (73) and plus/minus (+34) in 1993–94. He made his only Stanley Cup Finals appearance while with the Red Wings in 1995, losing in a sweep to the New Jersey Devils. Primeau held out after the club signed Igor Larionov and after playing for Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, Detroit traded him (along with Paul Coffey and a 1997 first-round draft pick, ultimately used to select Nikos Tselios) to the Hartford Whalers in exchange for Brendan Shanahan and Brian Glynn a few days following the start of the 1996–97 season. ^[2]

Primeau became a leader with his new team when the franchise moved to North Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes, being named team captain in 1998–99. However, he missed the majority of the 1999–2000 NHL season after holding out and was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers (along with a 2000 fifth-round draft pick, ultimately used to select Kristofer Ottosson) in exchange for Rod Brind'Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier and a 2000 second-round draft pick (Agris Saviels) on January 23, 2000. On May 5, 2000, Primeau scored the game-winning goal in the longest game in modern NHL playoff history (five overtime periods for a total of 152 minutes and one second) against Ron Tugnutt of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Only two games, in 1933 and 1936, were longer.

In his first full season with the Flyers, Primeau led the team in goals (34) and tied his career-high in points (73). Early in the following season, he was named team captain after defenceman Éric Desjardins resigned from the position. ^[3] After posting nearly identical seasons statistically in 2001–02 and 2002–03, Primeau was given the task of centering a more defense-oriented line in 2003–04. ^[4] He did well enough in his new role to earn a surprise selection to the 2004 NHL All-Star Game, the second of his career. ^{[5] [6]}

In the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs, Primeau recorded nine goals and seven assists for a total of 16 points; it was the best playoff year of Primeau's career and his play carried the team to within a game of the Stanley Cup finals. In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Primeau scored the game-tying goal with 1:49 left in regulation. The Flyers won the game, 5–4 in overtime, sending the series back to Tampa for Game 7. The Flyers went on to lose that game by a score of 2–1. Hockey legend Phil Esposito later told Primeau that, "During the '04 playoffs, when you and the Flyers took the Lightning to seven games, you were the most dominating player I ever saw. More than Orr, Howe, Gretzky, or anyone." ^[7]

Nine games into the 2005–06 season, Primeau suffered a concussion which ended his season. As a result of ongoing post-concussion syndrome, he officially announced his retirement on September 14, 2006. ^[8] On February 12, 2007, the Flyers honoured Primeau before a game against the Detroit Red Wings, the team which originally drafted him. An emotional Primeau thanked the fans for welcoming him back. ^[9]

Primeau has been a resident of Voorhees Township, New Jersey. ^[10]

Personal life

Primeau, along with his brother, Wayne, and Las Vegas Wranglers general manager Ryan Mougenel, own and operate the Toronto-based Durham Hockey Institute. The three of them are also part-owners of the Whitby Fury, a team in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). ^[11] Keith's son Cayden played his college hockey at Northeastern University, before signing his entry level contract with the Montreal Canadiens after his sophomore season. ^[12] Cayden was a 7th round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and started 5 games for the silver medal winning United States men's national junior ice hockey team in the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. ^{[13] [14]}

Primeau and his wife Lisa reside in Voorhees, New Jersey with their four children, where they have resided since his January 2000 trade to the Philadelphia Flyers. The family previously resided in Farmington Hills, Michigan earlier in his career.

Awards

• 1989–90: Second All-Star Team OHL
• 1989–90: OHL Most Goals (57)
• 1989–90: Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy Leading Scorer OHL
• 1998–99: Played in All-Star Game NHL
• 2000–01: Yanick Dupre Memorial (Philadelphia Flyers)
• 2002–03: Toyota Cup (Philadelphia Flyers)
• 2003–04: Played in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game

Records

• May 5, 2000: Ended longest game in modern NHL playoff history with his goal at 92:01 of overtime.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987–88	Hamilton Kilty B's	GHJHL		19	19	17	36	16		—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Hamilton Steelhawks	OHL		47	6	6	12	69		11	0	2	2	2
1988–89	Niagara Falls Thunder	OHL		48	20	35	55	56		17	9	6	15	12
1989–90	Niagara Falls Thunder	OHL		65	57	70	127	97		16	16	17	33	49
1990–91	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		58	3	12	15	106		5	1	1	2	25
1990–91	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		6	3	5	8	8		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		35	6	10	16	83		11	0	0	0	14
1991–92	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		42	21	24	45	89		9	1	7	8	27
1992–93	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		73	15	17	32	152		7	0	2	2	26
1993–94	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		78	31	42	73	173		7	0	2	2	6
1994–95	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		45	15	27	42	99		17	4	5	9	45
1995–96	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		74	27	25	52	168		17	1	4	5	28
1996–97	Hartford Whalers	NHL		75	26	25	51	161		—	—	—	—	—
1997–98	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		81	26	37	63	110		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Carolina Hurricanes	NHL		78	30	32	62	75		6	0	3	3	6
1999–2000	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		23	7	10	17	31		18	2	11	13	13
2000–01	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		71	34	39	73	76		4	0	3	3	6
2001–02	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		75	19	29	48	128		5	0	0	0	6
2002–03	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		80	19	27	46	93		13	1	1	2	14
2003–04	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		54	7	15	22	80		18	9	7	16	22
2005–06	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		9	1	6	7	6		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				909	266	353	619	1,541		128	18	39	57	213

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1996	Canada	WCH	2nd		5	0	0	0	21
1997	Canada	WC			11	3	3	6	14
1998	Canada	OG	4th		6	2	1	3	4
1998	Canada	WC	6th		6	3	1	4	4
Senior int'l totals					28	8	5	13	43

All-Star Games

Year	Location		G	A	Pts
1999	Tampa Bay		0	0	0
2004	Minnesota		0	0	0
All-Star totals			0	0	0

References

1. Drew Lazor, Philadelphia City Paper Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
2. Yannis, Alex (10 October 1996). "Whalers Finally Trade Shanahan for Coffey". The New York Times.
3. "Flyers Name Keith Primeau Captain". Philadelphia Flyers. October 23, 2001. Archived from the original on December 13, 2001. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
4. Meltzer, Bill (March 22, 2011). "2004: The Primeau Playoffs". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
5. "NHL: Philadelphia 4, New York Rangers 2". UPI. January 22, 2004. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
6. Moran, Edward (February 7, 2004). "Flyers eager to enjoy their Star turn". Philly.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2004. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
7. Rumors, Rumors, Rumors, and Breaking the Forsberg Story..., HockeyBuzz.com, retrieved on February 26, 2007.
8. Concussion effects force Keith Primeau to retire, ESPN.com, retrieved on December 17, 2006.
9. Fond farewell for Primeau in Philly, NHL.com, retrieved on February 27, 2007.
10. Panaccio, Tim. "Primeau finally deals with reality", The Philadelphia Inquirer , September 14, 2006. Accessed March 17, 2011. "The phone rang at Keith Primeau's house in Voorhees, N.J., on Sept. 6. Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said he wanted to meet the next day."
11. Steve Silver (2009-07-15). "Former NHL All-Star named Director of Player Development". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
12. "Canadiens sign goaltender Cayden Primeau to entry-level contract". SportsNet. March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
13. Engels, Eric (April 3, 2018). "How the Canadiens stole elite prospect Cayden Primeau in Round 7". SportsNet. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
14. "Cayden Primeau". eliteprospects. Retrieved 2019-01-19.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database
• Keith Primeau at Team Canada
• Keith Primeau at Olympics.com
• Keith Primeau at Olympedia
• Keith Primeau at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)

Sporting positions
Preceded by Mike Sillinger	Detroit Red Wings first round draft pick 1990	Succeeded by Martin Lapointe
Preceded by Kevin Dineen	Carolina Hurricanes captain 1998–99	Succeeded by Ron Francis
Preceded by Eric Desjardins	Philadelphia Flyers captain 2001–06 Derian Hatcher, 2006	Succeeded by Peter Forsberg