Jimmy Carson

Last updated
Jimmy Carson
Born (1968-07-20) July 20, 1968 (age 55)
Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for Los Angeles Kings
Edmonton Oilers
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
Hartford Whalers
Lausanne
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 1986
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 19861998

James Charles Carson (born July 20, 1968) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League with five different teams. In 1988, he became only the second teenager in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season; the first was Wayne Gretzky. [1]

Contents

Playing career

As a youth, Carson played in the 1980 and 1981 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Detroit Compuware minor ice hockey team. [2]

Carson was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft as the second overall pick. He scored 37 goals as an 18-year-old rookie in the 1986–87 NHL season. In just his second NHL season he notched 55 goals, establishing himself as one of the sport's top young players and setting a single season NHL record for most goals by a United States-born player. The record was matched by Kevin Stevens in the 1992–93 NHL season, At the end of his second season, Carson was part of the August 9, 1988, blockbuster trade that sent himself, Martin Gélinas, the Kings' three first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993, and $15 million cash to the Edmonton Oilers for Wayne Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski.

Carson demanded a trade out of Edmonton in November 1989. He was traded to his hometown of Detroit along with Kevin McClelland and a fifth-round draft pick for Adam Graves, Petr Klíma, Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples. These players were instrumental in helping Edmonton win their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years in 1990.

Carson later returned to Los Angeles in January 1993, following a trade for popular all-star defenseman Paul Coffey. He played with Gretzky and the Kings for parts of two seasons, but never regained the scoring touch he had early in his career. He later played for the Vancouver Canucks and the Hartford Whalers, where he ended his NHL career in 1996.

From 1996-1998 Carson played for his hometown Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. He was a member of the 1997 Turner Cup-winning team.

Carson represented the United States in the 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and the 1987 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Carson participated in the Red Wings versus Toronto Maple Leafs alumni game before the 2014 NHL Winter Classic at Comerica Park. [3]

Personal life

Carson is of Greek descent; his grandfather changed the family name from Kyriazopoulos to Carson upon immigrating to the United States. [4]

While still a player in the NHL, Carson began to prepare for a post-hockey career by earning certifications in financial planning in 1992. When his playing career ended, he joined Northwestern Mutual. [5]

Carson and his wife have four children and reside in the Metro Detroit area. They have three sons and one daughter.

Achievements

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1983–84 Detroit Compuware Ambassadors MNHL658574159
1984–85 Verdun Junior Canadiens QMJHL 68447211616149172612
1984–85 Verdun Junior Canadiens M-Cup 30114
1985–86 Verdun Junior CanadiensQMJHL6970831534652680
1986–87 Los Angeles Kings NHL 803742792251236
1987–88 Los Angeles KingsNHL8055521074555384
1988–89 Edmonton Oilers NHL8049511003672136
1989–90 Edmonton OilersNHL41230
1989–90 Detroit Red Wings NHL442016368
1990–91 Detroit Red WingsNHL642125462872134
1991–92 Detroit Red WingsNHL8034356930112350
1992–93 Detroit Red WingsNHL5225265118
1992–93Los Angeles KingsNHL3412102214185492
1993–94 Los Angeles KingsNHL2547112
1993–94 Vancouver Canucks NHL34107172220110
1994–95 Hartford Whalers NHL389101929
1995–96 Lausanne HC NDA 1334714
1995–96 Hartford WhalersNHL111010
1996–97 Detroit Vipers IHL 1871623413461012
1997–98 Detroit VipersIHL491028383493476
NHL totals6262752865612545517153222

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1986 United States WJC 74150
1987 United States WC 102354
Junior totals74150
Senior totals102354

See also

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References

  1. Gave, Keith (2018). The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage. Gold Star Publishing. p. 54. ISBN   9781947165175 . Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  2. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  3. "Jimmy Carson, Red Berenson among four additions to Red Wings alumni team for Winter Classic". 16 August 2012.
  4. "The Trade at 25: Wayne Gretzky Oral History" by Adam Proteau. The Hockey News. Vol 67, Number SC. July, 2013
  5. DiFranco, Michael (31 October 2009). "What Ever Happened to Jimmy Carson?". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  6. Kreiser, John. "A look at some off-the-beaten-track NHL marks". nhl.com. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
Preceded by Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick
1986
Succeeded by