The hockey Unknowns : Don Sweeney

Donald Clarke Sweeney (born August 17, 1966) is a former ice hockey player who played over 1,100 games in the NHL, most of it with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is now with the Bruins as the assistant general manager.

Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Played for	AHL Maine Mariners NHL Boston Bruins Dallas Stars
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	166th overall, 1984 Boston Bruins
Playing career	1988–2004

Playing career

Donald Sweeney grew up in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. Sweeney was drafted out of St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, where he played with his school team as a defenceman, round 8: 166th overall, by the Boston Bruins. Before joining the Bruins, he played for four years at Harvard University where he was a NCAA East All-American and an ECAC First Team All-Star in 1988.

He made his NHL debut during the 1988–89 season, having spent half of the year with the American Hockey League's Maine Mariners. In the following season he helped the team to win the Prince of Wales Trophy by scoring six points in 21 games until they finally lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals.

In 1992–1993, Sweeney played in all 84 games and put up 36 points and ended up winning the Adams Trophy that year. In both the 1994/95, 1995/96, 1996/97 seasons,^[when?] he was second amongst the defenceman on the team with 22 and 28 points respectively. In 1998, Sweeney missed the last 23 games of the season with a fractured shoulder that he suffered on March 1. In the next season, Sweeney achieved 205 hits and 85 blocked shots in 81 games. In the 1999/2000 season he had 301 hits and 84 blocked shots. The following year he had 172 hits in 72 games and in 2000/01 season he contributed 18 points in 81 games. In the 2002/03 season Sweeney scored only eight points in 67 games as his team nestled into third place in the division. On November 14 that year, he played in his 1,000th NHL game.

He played 15 seasons and 1,051 games for the Bruins uniform, and is one of just four players (two defencemen) in team history to play in over 1,000 games.

Since July 2006, he has ranked third on the Bruins' all-time games played list and among all-time club defencemen, he ranks tenth in career goals, eighth in assists and ninth in points with 52–210=262 career Boston totals.

Sweeney concluded his NHL playing career in 2003–04 with the Dallas Stars. He retired with 52 goals and 221 assists for 273 points and 681 penalty minutes in 1,115 career regular season games. He added nine goals and ten assists for 19 points with 81 penalty minutes in 108 career playoff contests.

He took a job in 2005 as Assistant Dean of Admissions at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and was also a studio analyst for Bruins' games on New England Sports Network (NESN). He was a color commentator for college hockey games on NESN and CBS College Sports Network.^{[citation needed]}

On June 21, 2006, Sweeney rejoined the Boston Bruins as the team's director of player development, responsible for the scouting of professional league players, as well as tracking the progress of the team's drafted prospects at the AHL, junior hockey and college levels. On July 14, 2007, he was promoted to director of hockey operations and player development.^{[citation needed]} In July 2010, he was promoted to the assistant general manager.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup after the Boston Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 39 years.^{[citation needed]}

He and his wife, the former figure skater Christine Hough, have twin sons, Jarrod and Tyler. He is a distant relative of the USA soccer midfielder Tucker Reinhardt.^{[citation needed]}

^{Career Stats :}

The Hockey Unknowns : Dave Poulin

David James Poulin (born December 17, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.

Dave Poulin
Born	December 17, 1958 (age 55) Timmins, ON, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Rögle Bandyklubb Philadelphia Flyers Boston Bruins Washington Capitals
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1982–1995

Playing career Poulin began his hockey career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the University of Notre Dame. He played with the Fighting Irish from 1978–1982 and he was named to the Second All-Star Team in 1982. His small size got him overlooked in the NHL Entry Draft so instead he went to Sweden to play for Rögle BK. Poulin's head coach was Ted Sator, who was also a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League. Sator was impressed with Poulin's abilities and called for him to be put on board the Flyers' roster. In 1982-83, he made the leap to the NHL after a brief stint with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League. On the second-to-last day of the season, Poulin made his debut at Maple Leaf Gardens, netting two goals in a 6-3 Philadelphia victory. The following season, Poulin was put on a line with superstar Brian Propp and Tim Kerr. The line became a dangerous offensive line in the league for the bulk of the next three seasons, and in his first full NHL campaign, helped him set a club record (now since passed) for most points by a Flyers rookie with 76. Poulin quickly established himself as a strong leader and a player that could play at both ends of the ice, owing to the fact that he was 25 years old before taking a regular shift in the pros. Those attributes aided in his being named team captain on the eve of the 1984-85 replacing Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke,[1] who had dealt former teammate Darryl Sittler to Detroit on the day he was to take the captaincy. Poulin continued to be a strong presence offensively and defensively during his eight year stay in Philadelphia, and overcame debilitating injuries at key times to help the club win. In 1985, though slowed by knee and rib injuries, he helped a young Flyers club reach the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in five games. During Game 6 of the Wales Conference Finals at the Spectrum, Poulin scored a memorable two-man disadvantage short-handed goal which helped close out the Quebec Nordiques. Two years later, Poulin missed chunks of playoff time with fractured ribs, but contributed to a pair of series clinchers—a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders in Game 7 of the Patrick Division Finals, and in Game 6 of the Wales Finals at the Montreal Forum. Once healthy, he could not aid Philly in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, as the Flyers lost to Edmonton again, but this time in a seven-game thriller. For his efforts during the regular season, he was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1986-87 and was named to the 1986 and 1988 NHL All-Star Games.[1] Poulin also played at the Rendez-vous '87 event[1] where he recorded the winner late in the third period of Game 1. The switch from Mike Keenan to Paul Holmgren as Flyers head coach meant a shift in responsibilities, as Poulin became more of a defensive specialist. By 1989-90, Poulin's play was deteriorating due to injuries and inconsistent play of his teammates, and less than a month after being stripped of the captaincy, was traded to the Boston Bruins for former Flyers center Ken Linseman. In his first season with the Bruins, Poulin, along with former teammate Brian Propp, made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, but Boston lost in five games.  He stayed with the team for three more years which saw him win the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1992-93. He left the team as a free agent following the 1992-93 season and signed on with the Washington Capitals. Poulin lasted another season and a half before retiring.    Post-playing career Poulin spent 10 years as head hockey coach at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. In 2004, Poulin was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame.[1] On July 23, 2009, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke introduced Poulin as the club's new Vice-President of Hockey Operations. As of January 2013, Poulin has also served as the GM of the Toronto Marlies.     Awards and honours Award Year All-CCHA Second Team 1981-82 NHL All-Star Game 1986, 1988 NHL Frank J. Selke Trophy 1986-87 NHL King Clancy Memorial Trophy 1992-93 Inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on February 23, 2004. Holds Philadelphia Flyers record for most points in a season by a rookie (76).
Career Statistic :

The Hockey Unknows : Dave Babych

David Michael Babych (born May 23, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently an assistant director of player personnel with the Vancouver Canucks.^[1] He played in two NHL All-Star Games and played for the Winnipeg Jets, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Wayne Babych. He was the first NHL player to wear the number 44 on a permanent basis.

Playing career

 

 

Winnipeg Jets

Considered a franchise talent after a standout junior career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Portland Winter Hawks, Babych was selected second overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets. At the time of his selection, Babych and his brother Wayne (taken 3rd overall in 1978) were the highest-drafted pair of brothers in NHL history, a record since broken by Pierre and Sylvain Turgeon and the Sedin twins (Daniel and Henrik). Babych stepped into the Jets lineup immediately as a teenager during the 1980–81 season, turning in a stellar rookie campaign in which he finished second on the club with 38 assists and led all Winnipeg blueliners with 44 points. Babych went on to lead all defenders on his team in scoring in each of his first 10 NHL seasons.

In 1981–82, Babych emerged as a star on a revitalized Winnipeg team which improved by 48 points with the addition of superstar rookie Dale Hawerchuk, setting franchise records for defencemen with 19 goals and 68 points in helping the Jets to their first-ever NHL playoff berth. Key to his improvement and development was the acquisition of veteran Serge Savard, a future Hall of Famer, to serve as his partner on the blueline. 1982–83 would be better yet, as he led the Jets with 61 assists and broke his own club record for defensive scoring with 74 points. He was also voted in as a starter for the Campbell Conference at the 1983 NHL All-Star Game.

Babych played in the All-Star game again in 1984, and turned in another excellent season, although he missed 14 games due to injury. In 1984–85, the Jets would have their best season ever, finishing fourth in the NHL with 96 points, and Babych - now forming a dynamic partnership on the blueline with former Norris Trophy winner Randy Carlyle - finished the year with 62 points to lead the team's defenders in scoring for the fifth consecutive season. He excelled in the 1985 playoffs, leading the team in scoring as they won their first-ever playoff series before being ousted by the Edmonton Oilers.

 

Hartford Whalers

Despite registering 16 points in his first 19 games to start the 1985–86 season, Babych was dealt to the Hartford Whalers for Ray Neufeld. Unpopular with Winnipeg fans at the time, the move would be a terrible one for the Jets as Neufeld was never more than a depth player for them and was out of the NHL by 1989, while Babych continued to excel for nearly another 15 years.

In Hartford, Babych continued his stellar play, finishing the season with 69 points - the second-highest total of his career - and was named the team's top defender. In 1986–87, he missed time with injury and finished with a career-low 41 points. However, he bounced back the following year to record another 50-point season, good for second on the Whalers in scoring. He was named the Whalers' top defender again in 1988–89, and led the team in playoff scoring with six points in four games. In 1989–90, he finished the year with 6 goals and 43 points, his 10th consecutive season over 40 points.

Babych suffered a serious wrist injury in 1990–91, requiring surgery shortly after the start of the season, causing him to miss 40 games. He then suffered a severely broken thumb almost immediately after his return, ruling him out for the rest of the campaign. He only appeared in eight games all season, recording six assists.

 

Vancouver Canucks

After missing almost all of the previous season to injury, Hartford exposed Babych in the 1991 NHL Expansion Draft, where he was selected by the Minnesota North Stars. However, he was almost immediately dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for Tom Kurvers.

While Babych was no longer the front-line defender he was earlier in his career, he continued to be a steady and valued contributor during his seven years in Vancouver, capable of showing flashes of his former offensive ability. Babych became the only defender in Canucks history to record a hat trick during the regular season, a feat he accomplished on November 22, 1991, against the Calgary Flames (Doug Halward also recorded a hat-trick for the Canucks in a playoff game). He finished the 1991–92 season with five goals and 29 points (second amongst Vancouver defenders, behind Jyrki Lumme), and was a key factor on a vastly improved Canuck team which won their division for the first time in 17 years. He also added eight points in 13 playoff games.

Injuries limited Babych to just 43 games in 1992–93, but he bounced back in 1993–94 with 32 points, his highest total since 1990. He continued to play inspired hockey in the playoffs as Vancouver reached the Stanley Cup Finals, scoring the biggest goal of his career on June 9, 1994, in Game 5 of the Finals against the New York Rangers. After the Rangers came back from a 3–0 deficit to tie the game, Babych jumped into the rush and buried a pass from Pavel Bure to score the game-winning goal. It sparked a comeback in the series for Vancouver, who would narrowly lose the series in seven games.

Babych continued to toil steadily on the Canucks' blueline for another four seasons, although the team's fortunes went into decline. Most notable for Babych was a surprise offensive resurgence at the start of the 1995–96 campaign, which saw him amongst the league's highest-scoring defenders through the first month of the season.

 

 

Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings

With the Canucks well out of the playoff race at the end of the 1997–98 season, the team dealt Babych to the Philadelphia Flyers for a low draft pick in order to give him a chance to play for a contending team. However, Babych missed a substantial amount of time after breaking his foot blocking a slap shot soon after his arrival in Philadelphia, and the Flyers were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.

Babych continued to serve as a depth defender for the Flyers in 1998–99, before being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline. He finished his final season with two goals and 8 points in 41 games between Philadelphia and Los Angeles. He had a brief stint in Switzerland in 2000 before retiring.

Babych finished his career with 142 goals and 581 assists for 723 points in 1195 NHL games, along with 970 penalty minutes. He added 21 goals and 41 assists for 62 points in 114 playoff games.

 

 

Retirement

Babych made his home in North Vancouver^{[disambiguation needed]}, British Columbia, following his retirement.^[1] In December 2009, he was hired to work in a part-time capacity with the Vancouver Canucks as an assistant specializing in defencemen to director of player personnel Dave Gagner.^[1]

 

 Lawsuit against the Flyers

Babych sued the Flyers and the team's orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi, in 2002, claiming that improper medical care for his 1998 foot injury shortened his career. Bartolozzi misdiagnosed the injury as a bone bruise rather than a fracture, and gave Babych painkillers so he could suit up for the first round of the playoffs. Babych claimed for many years that playing through the injury caused permanent damage which prematurely ended his career. Claiming that the Flyers and Bartolozzi had defrauded him, he sued for $2 million in lost wages. The Flyers were dismissed as a defendant before trial when a judge ruled there was no evidence of fraud on their part. While a jury found no evidence of fraud Bartolozzi's part either, it found that he failed to follow accepted standards of care and awarded Babych US$$1.02 million in lost wages and US$350,000 for pain and suffering in November 2002.^[2]

Personal life

Babych, who is of Ukrainian ancestry,^[3] was born in Edmonton, Alberta.
Dave and Wayne Babych are also brothers-in-law, as they married twin sisters. They have since divorced their first wives and started new families.
Babych had a small role in the movie Slap Shot 2.^[4]

STATS :

The Hockey Unknowns : Patrick Flatley

Patrick Flatley (born October 3, 1963 in Toronto, Ontario)^[1][2][3] is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played in the NHL for 14 seasons between 1983 and 1997 for the New York Islanders and New York Rangers.

 

Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	NHL New York Islanders New York Rangers AHL Springfield Indians
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	21st overall, 1982 New York Islanders
Playing career	1983–1997

 

Playing career

Flatley attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he played for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team for two seasons, helping the team capture the 1983 NCAA Men's ice hockey championship, and was himself named a tournament all-star, a WCHA first team all-star, and a 1983 All-American.^[4][5]

Flatley was drafted 21st overall by the New York Islanders in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft,^[5] and scored on his first NHL shot on goal, against Doug Soetaert of the Winnipeg Jets.^[4] Playing for the Canadian National Team in 1983–84, he scored 34 goals in 54 games. Rejoining the Islanders for the 1984-85 season, he was put on a line with Brent Sutter and Clark Gillies, and scored 9 goals through the first three rounds of the playoffs, becoming a big contributor in the Islanders' drive for their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup. However, the Islanders lost in the finals to the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers.

Although he never emerged as a top scorer, Flatley did become a highly effective role player, adding smart positional play, strong defense, and grit to the Islanders teams in the late 1980s and 1990s. Flatley was sometimes referred to as "the chairman of the boards" because he rarely failed to dig the puck out in battles in the corners. In 1991 he was named the Islanders' fifth captain. Prior to the 1996-97 season, Flatley signed a one year deal with the New York Rangers.^[2]
He played 780 career NHL games, scoring 170 goals and 340 assists for 510 points. His best offensive season, points-wise, was the 1992–93 season when he scored 47 assists and 60 points.^[6]

 

 

Collegiate career

Flatley was a member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship team of 1983, and national finalist of 1982.

 

 

Awards and honours

Pat Flatley was named to the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.^[3]

Award	Year
All-WCHA First Team	1982–83
AHCA West All-American	1982–83

 

 

Career statistics

The hockey unknowns : Doug Smail

Playing career

Doug Smail starred at the University of North Dakota for three seasons from 1977 to 1980, scoring 87 points in 40 games in his final season in the WCHA. His performance was enough to warrant notice from the Winnipeg Jets, and the next season he was a full-time NHL player.

Smail played eleven seasons with Winnipeg, being a top two-way player for them, as he had twelve consecutive seasons in which he scored at least one shorthanded goal, with a total of 28 shorthanded goals in his career.

Perhaps Smail's greatest claim to fame was when he set the NHL record for fastest goal after the opening faceoff by scoring a goal five seconds after the game started on 20 December 1981. Smail finished his career with the Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques and Ottawa Senators, but never achieved the success he had in Winnipeg.

After Smail's NHL career was over, he played three seasons in Britain for Fife Flyers and Cardiff Devils before retiring. He was the first player ever to sign for a British team directly from an NHL team when he signed for Fife Flyers from Ottawa Senators.

 He now resides in Colorado with his wife and three children. Smail was the Assistant Coach of the U-16 Team Rocky Mountain AAA Hockey program, where he coached alongside former NHL player Rick Berry last year, and is now the Head Coach of the Rocky Mountain Roughriders U-15 AAA squad.

 

 

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-WCHA Second Team	1979–80

• Named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1980)
• Named to the NCAA Championship Tournament MVP (1980)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1990)
• British Ice Hockey Writers Association Player of the Year (1994)

 Records

• Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise record for career shorthanded goals (25)
• Fastest goal to start an NHL hockey game (5 seconds)

 

 Career statistics

The hockey Unknowns : Dale Craigwell

 source : wikipedias

Dale A. Craigwell (born April 24, 1971 in Toronto, Ontario and raised in Oshawa, Ontario) is a retired professional hockey player who played professionally for 9 years and played parts of 3 years with the San Jose Sharks in the NHL. He played centre and shot left-handed.

Craigwell was drafted by the Sharks in the 10th round, 199th overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 11th player ever drafted by the Sharks. Prior to being drafted he played in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals for 3 years, scoring 95 points in 56 games his final year there.

During the 1991–1992 NHL season, the first for the Sharks, Craigwell was called up in the middle of the season and skated in 32 games, scoring 16 points. The 1993–1994 season was the first for Craigwell to play full time for the Sharks, but the results were dismal, as he was regulated to a defensive role and scored only 9 points the whole year. The following year he suffered an ankle injury and missed the entire 1994–1995 season.

Craigwell then played for the Kansas City Blades in the now defunct IHL for 3 years, followed by 3 more years playing in Europe, one in Germany and two in England before retiring after the 2000–2001 season.

CAREER STATS :