Shane Churla

Last updated
Shane Churla
Born (1965-06-24) June 24, 1965 (age 58)
Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Hartford Whalers
Calgary Flames
Minnesota North Stars
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
New York Rangers
NHL Draft 110th overall, 1985
Hartford Whalers
Playing career 1985–1997

Shane Churla (born June 24, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted in the sixth round, 110th overall, by the Hartford Whalers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently the director of amateur scouting for the Florida Panthers. [1]

Contents

Playing career

After playing two seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Churla made his professional debut with the AHL's Binghamton Whalers in the 1985–86 season. He made his NHL debut with Hartford in the 1986–87 season, appearing in 20 games. After dressing for two more games with Hartford in the 1987–88 season, he was traded to the Calgary Flames in a multi-player deal.

During the 1988–89 season, the Flames traded Churla to the Minnesota North Stars. He was one of the players selected from the North Stars by the San Jose Sharks in the 1991 NHL Dispersal Draft; however, he was traded back to the North Stars only days later for Kelly Kisio.

Churla remained with the Stars franchise as it moved south to become the Dallas Stars. In the 1995–96 season, Churla moved from Dallas to the Los Angeles Kings, and then again to the New York Rangers. He retired as a Ranger after the 1996–97 season.

In his NHL career, Churla appeared in 488 games. He scored 26 goals and added 45 assists. He also appeared in 78 Stanley Cup playoff games, scoring five goals and tallying seven assists. Churla was considered a top enforcer in the NHL. He and Basil McRae were a formidable duo on the Minnesota North Stars at the end of the 1980s. He tallied 2,301 penalty minutes in his NHL career.

Churla is perhaps best remembered for receiving one of the most vicious elbows in NHL history during the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs, courtesy of Pavel Bure. [2] The elbow was dubbed by Don Cherry as "the mother of all elbows." [3] He was once described by Hartford Whalers General Manager Emile Francis as "having the guts of a slaughter house".

Churla is currently (2023) the highest average penalty minute per game played record holder by any nhl player who played more than 100 games. (Source: records.nhl.com)

Post-retirement

After retirement, Churla continued working in the hockey industry. In 2005, he became a scout for the Dallas Stars, identifying and evaluating draft-eligible players. In 2013, he moved to the Montreal Canadiens in a similar capacity [4] and eventually became the director of amateur scouting. After 7 years in Montreal, Churla left to join the Florida Panthers as their director of amateur scouting. [1]

Personal life

Churla is the cousin of former National Football League quarterback Mark Rypien. [5]

Churla's younger brother, Russ, also played in the WHL for one season, but has since retired.

Career statistics

   Regular season   Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1983–84 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 4837101151415641
1984–85 Medicine Hat TigersWHL70142034370910155
1985–86 Binghamton Whalers AHL 5241014306300022
1986–87 Hartford Whalers NHL 2001178200042
1986–87 Binghamton WhalersAHL24156249—————
1987–88 Hartford WhalersNHL200014—————
1987–88 Binghamton WhalersAHL255813168—————
1987–88 Calgary Flames NHL29156132701117
1988–89 Calgary FlamesNHL500025—————
1988–89 Salt Lake Golden Eagles IHL 3231316278—————
1988–89 Minnesota North Stars NHL1310154—————
1989–90 Minnesota North StarsNHL52235292700044
1990–91 Minnesota North StarsNHL402242862221390
1991–92 Minnesota North StarsNHL57415278—————
1992–93 Minnesota North StarsNHL7351621286—————
1993–94 Dallas Stars NHL696713333913435
1994–95 Dallas StarsNHL27134186500020
1995–96 Dallas StarsNHL34347168—————
1995–96 Los Angeles Kings NHL1112337—————
1995–96 New York Rangers NHL10000261122414
1996–97 New York RangersNHL450111061500020
NHL totals4882645712,301785712282

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Panthers name Shane Churla as club's new director of amateur scouting".
  2. ↑ Brough, Jason (November 8, 2012). "How long would Bure have been suspended for elbowing Churla if it happened in the 2012 playoffs?". nbcsports.com. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  3. ↑ Mighton, Stephen (July 18, 2016). "Top 15 Biggest NHL Goons Of All Time". thesportster.com. Retrieved June 12, 2018. Shane Churla may be better remembered for the elbow he received from Pavel Bure, to which Don Cherry dubbed "the mother of all elbows".
  4. ↑ "Ex-Stars enforcer Churla joining Montreal as scout". The Jamestown Sun. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Molnari, David (26 December 1993). "Everything Is Relative - Or So It Seems". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved 16 August 2011.
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