Garry Valk

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Garry Valk (b. Nov. 27, 1967 at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) was selected 108th overall in the 1987 National Hockey League (NHL) entry draft (6th Round, 108). Valk went on to have a distinguished NHL career spanning over a decade, debuting with the Vancouver Canucks in the 1990-91 season, scoring ten goals and eleven assists for twenty-one points, while recording sixty-seven penalty minutes. Valk's career year came in 1993-94, when he recorded forty-five points in seventy-eight games for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, after being selected in the NHL's expansion draft.

Valk combined hard work and determination with pure grit to develop an "in your face" style, honing his game as a defensive specialist. Arguably his best work came in the late 1990s, when he was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Valk became a player coach Pat Quinn depended on, fighting off opponents in crucial situations while always posing an offensive threat.

Career highlights for Valk include the 1998-1999 playoffs, when he scored a key overtime goal to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the NHL playoffs. As well, the spring of 1999 saw Valk elected President of Northern Secondary School in Toronto, a feat never accomplished by an individual not enrolled at the school. Clearly, this was a testament to Valk's importance and influence in the Toronto community.

After a brief stint in 2003 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Valk retired to pursue an interest in broadcasting, and to spend time with his young family. Today, Valk owns and operates a Porsche dealership out of North Vancouver, British Columbia, and was recently featured in a Canadian Business Magazine article on athletes who have gone on to be successful after their careers.

NHL Totals: 777 GP, 100 Goals, 156 Assists, 256 Points, 747 PIM Playoff Totals: 61 GP, 6 Goals, 7 Assists, 13 Points, 79 PIM

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