Mike Krushelnyski

Last updated
Mike Krushelnyski
Born (1960-04-27) April 27, 1960 (age 63)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
NHL Draft 120th overall, 1979
Boston Bruins
Playing career 1980–1996

Michael "Krusher" Krushelnyski (born April 27, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre/left winger who played 14 years in the National Hockey League (NHL). While playing in the NHL, he won three Stanley Cups as a player with the Edmonton Oilers and one as an Assistant Coach with the Detroit Red Wings. In a career of 897 games, Krushelnyski recorded 241 goals and 328 assists for 569 career points. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, but grew up in LaSalle, Quebec.

Contents

He is the father of Lehigh Valley Phantoms ice hockey forward Alexander Krushelnyski. [1]

Playing career

As a youth, Krushelnyski played in the 1973 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from LaSalle, Quebec. [2] After being selected by the Boston Bruins in the 6th round, 120th overall, in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Krushelnyski played for the Springfield Indians and the Erie Blades in the American Hockey League (AHL). [3]

Krushelnyski made his NHL debut on October 24, 1981, against the Montreal Canadiens. [4] During the 1984–85 offseason, the Bruins traded Krushelnyski to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ken Linseman. [5] While playing left wing on the Oilers top line with Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri, Krushelnyski finished fourth on the team in scoring as he recorded a new career-high 43 goals and 88 points. [6]

Krushelnyski won three Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in 1985, 1987, and 1988. Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley were part of the 1988 trade in which Wayne Gretzky (who had personally requested McSorley and Krushelnyski to be part of the trade) was sent to the Los Angeles Kings for two players, draft picks and cash. [7] He later played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings before retiring after the 1995 season.

He is best remembered for scoring an overtime goal as a member of the Kings that eliminated the heavily favoured and defending Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames from the 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs in the sixth game of the Smythe Division Semifinal (leading in part to his former team, the Oilers, winning another Stanley Cup at the end of that play-off season). [8] [9] Krushelnyski chipped the puck over Flames goaltender Mike Vernon at 3:14 of the second overtime while lying flat on the ice after being knocked down during a goalmouth scramble. CBC Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert called this goal in a dramatic fashion:

Granato shot – Krushelnyski to the net, and Vernon again made the save. Back it comes Duchesne shooting, Vernon kicks that out; rebound – THEY SCORE!!!!

Post-retirement

After retiring, Krushelnyski was an assistant coach with Detroit when they won the Cup in 1997, [10] but left after winning his fourth championship to become head coach of the Central Hockey League's Fort Worth Fire, a post he held until the team folded in 1999.

He coached in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2006-07 and from November 2008 to December 2009 for the Vityaz Chekhov. [11] In between his two stints with the KHL, he was coach of the Ingolstadt Panthers in Germany, the DEL

In 2013, Krushelnyski competed in the 4th season of CBC's figure skating reality show Battle of the Blades. [12] He was voted out on October 7, losing to Oksana Kazakova and Vladimir Malakhov. [13]

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

   Regular season   Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1978–79 Montreal Juniors QMJHL 4615294442113478
1979–80 Montreal JuniorsQMJHL723960997862352
1980–81 Springfield Indians AHL 8025285347711229
1981–82 Erie Blades AHL6231528344—————
1981–82 Boston Bruins NHL 17336210002
1982–83 Boston BruinsNHL792342654317861412
1983–84 Boston BruinsNHL662520455520000
1984–85 Edmonton Oilers NHL804345886018581322
1985–86 Edmonton OilersNHL54162440221045916
1986–87 Edmonton OilersNHL80163551672134718
1987–88 Edmonton OilersNHL762027476419461012
1988–89 Los Angeles Kings NHL78263662110111454
1989–90 Los Angeles KingsNHL63162541501013412
1990–91 Los Angeles KingsNHL1515610—————
1990–91 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL5917223948—————
1991–92 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL729152472—————
1992–93 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL84192039621637108
1993–94 Toronto Maple LeafsNHL5456112860000
1994–95 Detroit Red Wings NHL20235680000
1995–96 Cape Breton Oilers AHL5016254178—————
1996–97 HC Milano Saima ITA 20000—————
NHL totals897241328569699139294372106

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References

  1. ↑ "PHANTOMS SIGN KRUSHELNYSKI". theahl.com. August 17, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  3. ↑ Yvonne Marton (April 24, 2015). "My first car: Go big or go home, believes hockey great Mike Krushelnyski, a.k.a. 'Krusher'". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ "1979 NHL DRAFT PICK". hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ Soria, Rob (May 27, 2014). "Oilers History: The Importance of Ken Linseman" . Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  6. ↑ "OILERS FLY WITH KRUSHELNYSKI AT WING". The New York Times. May 31, 1985. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  7. ↑ Lisa Dillman (August 7, 2013). "The Wayne Gretzky trade: How great was that?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ Steve Springer (April 15, 1990). "Kings Clinch in Overtime, 4-3 : NHL playoffs: Flames, defending Stanley Cup champions, are eliminated on goal by Krushelnyski in second extra period". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Steve Springer (April 16, 1990). "Overtime Was Right for Kings : Hockey: Krushelnyski wondered what the excitement was about after his goal in second extra period". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ Robinson, Peter (June 15, 2017). "Krusher's big heart keeps him coming back". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  11. ↑ George Malik (November 8, 2008). "Krushelnyski heads back to Russia". mlive.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  12. ↑ "FORMER NHLERS SCOTT THORNTON AND MIKE KRUSHELNYSKI ON 'BATTLE OF THE BLADES'". thehockeynews.com. September 15, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  13. ↑ Ruth Myles (October 7, 2013). "Mike Krushelnyski was 'holding on for dear life' on Battle of the Blades". Calgary Herald. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
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