Paul Coffey (b. June 1, 1961, in Weston, Ontario) was a professional
ice hockey defenceman in the NHL. While he was known for defensive
deficiencies, Coffey's scoring prowess was second only
to Bobby Orr
amongst NHL defensemen.
Paul Coffey's NHL Career
Paul Coffey was drafted sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 1980.
He played his first seven seasons during the heyday of the Oilers in
which he won won three Stanley Cups with them in 1984, 1985 and 1987.
After a monetary dispute, Coffey was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins
in 1987, where he played four and a half seasons, and won another Stanley
Cup in 1991. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Kings where he was
re-united with Wayne Gretzky and would play for half of two seasons.
After his brief stint with L.A., was traded to the Detroit Red Wings where he played for four and a half seasons and enjoyed moderate success. He was then traded to the Hartford Whalers. But before he could even get halfway into the season, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers. He played for Philadelphia for a season and a half before being traded to the Chicago Black Hawks. After a very brief stint (10 games) in Chicago, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he played one and a half seasons. He would play his final season in Boston, with the Boston Bruins. Paul Coffey retired in 2000 with a very impressive 396 goals, 1135 assists, and 1531 points.
Stats and Facts
- Paul Coffey's best season was 1985-86 when he had 138 points. In that
season, he set a record for most goals by a defenceman with 48. That
record still stands today.
- He won the Norris Trophy for best defenceman in 1985, 1986, and 1995.
- He was part of 4 Stanley Cup champion teams in 1984 (Edmonton Oilers),
1985 (Edmonton Oilers), 1987 (Edmonton Oilers), and 1991 (Pittsburgh
Penguins).
- His 1531 career points make him the second highest scoring defenceman
of all time, next to Ray Bourque.
- One of the best defencemen of all time, renowned for his excellent
skating ability and speed on the ice. In 2004, Paul Coffey was inducted
into
the Hockey Hall of Fame.
- He is currently the owner of a Toyota dealership named Paul Coffey's
Bolton Toyota in Bolton, Ontario.