Pierre Turgeon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position Centre
Shoots Left
Height
Weight
ft 1 in (1.85 m)
199 lb (90 kg)
NHL Team
F. Teams
Colorado Avalanche
Buffalo Sabres
New York Islanders
Montreal Canadiens
St. Louis Blues
Dallas Stars
Nationality Flag of Canada Canada
Born August 28, 1969,
Rouyn, Quebec
NHL Draft 1st overall, 1987
Buffalo Sabres
Pro Career 1988 – present

Pierre Turgeon (born 28 August 1969 in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian professional hockey player who plays for the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche. Turgeon has also played for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars. Pierre is the younger brother of former NHL player Sylvain Turgeon.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Turgeon was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres as the 1st overall pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Rick Jeanneret, play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres, coined the phrase "Ooh-la-la Pierre" for Pierre Turgeon.

In 1991, Turgeon, along with Benoit Hogue, Uwe Krupp, and Dave McLlwain, was traded to the New York Islanders for Pat LaFontaine, Randy Wood, Randy Hillier and future considerations. Turgeon's best season as an Islander was the 1992-93 season, where he scored 58 goals and 132 points and helped lead the Islanders to the Wales Conference Finals where they would lose to eventual Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens in five games. Along the way the Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals and upset the two time defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The first round series, which the Islanders won in 6 games, is infamous for an on-ice incident. After scoring a series clinching goal during game six at Nassau Coliseum, Dale Hunter of the Capitals checked Turgeon from behind as he celebrated his goal. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder and missed the ensuing series against the Penguins. Hunter received a then-record 21 game suspension for the hit. Turgeon returned for the semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens, though he was not in peak form as he had not fully recovered. The Islanders bowed out of the playoffs after a hard-fought five game series, two of which went to overtime. After beating the Isles, the Canadiens went on to win the Cup.

During the failed 1994-95 season, General Manager Don Maloney decided to rebuild the team, which included trading Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to the Montreal Canadiens for Kirk Muller, Matthieu Schneider and Craig Darby. He was traded by Montreal to the St. Louis Blues with Rory Fitzpatrick and Craig Conroy for Murray Baron, Shayne Corson, and a fifth round selection in the 1997 Entry Draft on October 29, 1996. He joined the Dallas Stars as a free agent on July 1, 2001, and the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent on August 3, 2005. Turgeon took a year off during the 2004-05 lockout, which may have rejuvenated his career.

As an Islander, Turgeon was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in the 1992-93 NHL season. He participated in the NHL All-Star Game in 1990, 1993, 1994, and 1996.

On 8 November 2005, Turgeon became the 34th player in NHL history to score 500 goals.

[edit] Personal

  • He and his wife, Elisabeth have four children, twins Elizabeth and Alexandra (14), son Dominic (10) and daughter Valerie (8)
  • His first job was helping out at a hockey school.
  • Turgeon represented Canada in the Little League World Series in 1982.

[edit] Career Statistics

                                  Regular Season              
Season  Team                    Lge   GP   G   A    Pts  PIM   
    
1987-88 Buffalo Sabres          NHL   76   14  28   42   34  
1988-89 Buffalo Sabres          NHL   80   34  54   88   26    
1989-90 Buffalo Sabres          NHL   80   40  66   106  29   
1990-91 Buffalo Sabres          NHL   78   32  47   79   26  
1991-92 Buffalo/New York        NHL   77   40  55   95   20  
1992-93 New York Islanders      NHL   83   58  74   132  26    
1993-94 New York Islanders      NHL   69   38  56   94   18    
1995    New York/Montreal       NHL   49   24  23   47   14  
1995-96 Montreal Canadiens      NHL   80   38  58   96   44  
1996-97 Montreal/St. Louis      NHL   78   26  59   85   14  
1997-98 St. Louis Blues         NHL   60   22  46   68   24 
1998-99 St. Louis Blues         NHL   67   31  34   65   36
1999-00 St. Louis Blues         NHL   52   26  40   66   8
2000-01 St. Louis Blues         NHL   79   30  52   82   37
2001-02 Dallas Stars            NHL   66   15  32   47   16
2002-03 Dallas Stars            NHL   65   12  30   42   18
2003-04 Dallas Stars            NHL   76   15  25   40   20
2005-06 Colorado Avalanche      NHL   62   16  30   46   32

                   NHL Totals         1277 511 809  1320 442

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Joe Murphy
NHL First Overall Draft Pick
1987
Succeeded by
Mike Modano
Preceded by
Wayne Gretzky
Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1993
Succeeded by
Wayne Gretzky
Preceded by
Mike Keane
Montreal Canadiens Captains
1995-96
Succeeded by
Vincent Damphousse