Russ Courtnall | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born | Duncan, British Columbia, Canada | June 2, 1965||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
Position | Right wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs Montreal Canadiens Minnesota North Stars Dallas Stars Vancouver Canucks New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings | ||
National team | Canada | ||
NHL Draft | 7th overall, 1983 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
Playing career | 1983–1999 |
Russell William Courtnall (born June 2, 1965) is a Canadian former ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings between 1984 and 1999. Courtnall was born in Duncan, British Columbia, but grew up in Oak Bay, British Columbia.
Courtnall was born in Duncan, British Columbia. His father, Archie, had played professional hockey, and worked in the forestry industry on Vancouver Island. [1] Archie had depression, and in 1978 killed himself. [2] Coming out of junior hockey, he was considered one of the top prospects in 1983 and the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him seventh overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. In the 1982–83 season with the Cougars, Courtnall scored 36 goals and 61 assists for 97 points in 60 games. After being drafted by the Leafs, Courtnall appeared in just 32 games with the Cougars, scoring 29 goals and 66 points before being called up to the Maple Leafs, who were in dire need of scoring help at the time. As a rookie with Toronto, he scored 12 goals and 22 points in 69 games. Although his goal production was not as high as the Maple Leafs had hoped for, his speed opened up opportunities, especially for his linemates.
In 1984, Courtnall also suited up for the Canadian Olympic team, which finished out of the medals at the 1984 Winter Olympics. Upon returning, he rejoined the Maple Leafs. In the 1985–86 season, playing alongside fellow Notre Dame Hounds alumni Gary Leeman and rookie Wendel Clark on what was dubbed The Hound Line, Courtnall broke the 20-goal barrier, notching 22 to go along with 38 assists for 60 points. His offensive numbers improved the following year with 29 goals and 73 points.
In trying to force Courtnall to play a tougher brand of hockey, the club saw his offensive production decrease in the 1987–88 season. After just nine games into the 1988–89 season, on November 7, 1988, the Maple Leafs dealt Courtnall to the Montreal Canadiens for enforcer John Kordic. Although Courtnall's stock had clearly gone down in the eyes of Maple Leafs' management, most observers felt Montreal got a steal in that trade.
In 64 games, Courtnall put up 39 points with the Canadiens, but his fast skating and stickhandling abilities made him a fan favourite. Courtnall played strongly in the playoffs, where the Canadiens advanced to the 1989 Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the Calgary Flames. In 21 postseason games, Courtnall contributed eight goals and 13 points.
Courtnall played for the Canadiens until 1991–92 season when on August 31, 1992, he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for the 1992–93 season. In 84 games, he managed a career-high 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points. He followed that up with an 80-point season in the team's first year of play in Dallas, and was selected to play in the 1994 National Hockey League All-Star Game. Late in the 1994–95 season, on April 7, 1995, Courtnall was traded to the Vancouver Canucks where he teamed up with his brother, Geoff Courtnall, for 13 games that year.
On March 8, 1997, the Canucks traded Courtnall to the New York Rangers, and on November 7, 1997, Courtnall signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings, where he played until his retirement following the 1998–99 season. He finished with 297 goals, 447 assists and 744 points in a 15-year NHL career.
Courtnall was a participant in both the second and third seasons of Battle of the Blades, the latter as a last-minute replacement for the late Wade Belak, but was eliminated early in the competition on both occasions.
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1981–82 | Notre Dame Hounds AAA | SMHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1982–83 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 60 | 36 | 61 | 97 | 33 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 6 | ||
1983–84 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 32 | 29 | 37 | 66 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1983–84 | Canadian National Team | Intl | 16 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1983–84 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 14 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1984–85 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1985–86 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 73 | 22 | 38 | 60 | 52 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 8 | ||
1986–87 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 79 | 29 | 44 | 73 | 90 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | ||
1987–88 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 65 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 47 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
1988–89 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1988–89 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 64 | 22 | 17 | 39 | 15 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 18 | ||
1989–90 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 27 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 10 | ||
1990–91 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 79 | 26 | 50 | 76 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 7 | ||
1991–92 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 27 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
1992–93 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 84 | 36 | 43 | 79 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1993–94 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 84 | 23 | 57 | 80 | 59 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0 | ||
1994–95 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 32 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1994–95 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 13 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 21 | ||
1995–96 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 81 | 26 | 39 | 65 | 40 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
1996–97 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 47 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1996–97 | New York Rangers | NHL | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | ||
1997–98 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 58 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
1998–99 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 57 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 1,029 | 297 | 447 | 774 | 557 | 129 | 39 | 44 | 83 | 83 |
Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 0 | |
1984 | Canada | OG | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
1991 | Canada | WC | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
1991 | Canada | CC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
Senior totals | 17 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 2 |
Mats Johan Sundin is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), retiring in 2009. Originally drafted first overall in 1989, Sundin played his first four seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques. He was then traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994, where he played the majority of his career, serving 11 seasons as team captain. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Sundin was the longest-serving non-North American-born captain in NHL history. Sundin last played for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008–09 season before announcing his retirement on 30 September 2009. He appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 10 of his 18 seasons.
Garry Michael Monahan is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League. He was the first-ever draft pick in NHL history.
Jyrki Olavi Lumme is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and SM-liiga. After beginning his career in Finland, playing with Ilves Tampere for three seasons, he moved to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens in 1988. The Canadiens had selected Lumme two years prior in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft 57th overall. In his second NHL season, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he spent the majority of his career and enjoyed the most success. Over nine seasons with the Canucks, Lumme was named the club's annual top defenceman on four occasions, became the team's all-time top goal- and point-scoring defenceman, and was a part of the squad's run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. Towards the end of his NHL career, he additionally played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs over the span of five seasons. In 2005, Lumme returned to Ilves Tampere of the SM-liiga after a two-year playing hiatus. He played two final campaigns in Finland before retiring, at which point he became a part-owner of Ilves Tampere.
Christopher The Cross Higgins is an American former professional ice hockey winger and current Skills and Development coach for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He finished a two-year career with the Yale Bulldogs, earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before turning professional for the 2003–04 season. After two seasons with the Canadiens' minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), he joined the NHL in 2005–06. He recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 2009. After brief stints with the Rangers, Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers, he joined the Vancouver Canucks in February 2011. Internationally, Higgins has competed for the United States in two World Junior Championships and one World Championship (2009).
Geoffrey Lawton Courtnall is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 to 2000. He was the head coach of the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and for the Victoria Vikes of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL).
Mathieu David Schneider is an American former professional ice hockey player. Considered an offensive defenseman, Schneider played 1,289 games in the National Hockey League with ten different teams, scoring 233 goals and totaling 743 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens.
The 1983–84 NHL season was the 67th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers de-throned the four-time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders four games to one in the Cup finals.
The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The New York Islanders were the top regular season team and the top playoff team, winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup by defeating the Minnesota North Stars in five games.
Sergio Francesco Momesso is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent 13 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1983 and 1997.
Tomáš Kaberle is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL), most notably for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as for the Boston Bruins, with whom he won the Stanley Cup, Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens. Kaberle also played in the Czech Extraliga for HC Kladno and HC Kometa Brno.
The 1970–71 NHL season was the 54th season of the National Hockey League. Two new teams, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks made their debuts and were both put into the East Division. The Chicago Black Hawks were moved to the West Division. The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup by beating the Black Hawks in seven games in the finals.
Garth Butcher is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Butcher was a top prospect as a junior player and was a member of the first Canadian team to win gold at the world junior championship. Butcher played in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons, from 1981–82 to 1994–95, mostly with the Vancouver Canucks.
Brandon Raymond James Prust is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Prust was drafted in the third round, 70th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, and has played in the NHL for the Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks. Prust was best known for his role as an enforcer.
Ronald Andrew Sedlbauer is a former professional ice hockey left winger who played seven seasons in the National Hockey League.
The 1971–72 Vancouver Canucks season was the Canucks' second season in the NHL. They finished 7th, last, in the East Division. Hal Laycoe, the team's first head coach, was fired after the season concluded and replaced by Vic Stasiuk.
Murray Albert Olmstead was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). Olmstead began his career with the Black Hawks in 1949. In December 1950, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens via Detroit. Olmstead had his best statistical years playing for Montreal, leading the league in assists in 1954–55 with 48, and setting a league record for assists with 56 the following season. During this time he frequently played on Montreal's top line with Jean Beliveau and Bernie Geoffrion. Olmstead was claimed in the 1958 NHL Intra-League Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and played there until his retirement in 1962.
Gary Spencer Leeman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player in the NHL. In 1990, he became the second Toronto Maple Leaf player ever to score 50 goals or more in a single NHL season, after Rick Vaive did it in 1981-82.
Adam Cracknell is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Phillip Jordan Ellis Benn is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for Brynäs IF of the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan. An undrafted player, Benn has previously played for the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs. He is the older brother of Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn.
Victor Joseph Mete is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Mete was selected 100th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.