| Kelly Buchberger | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1966 Langenburg, SK, CAN |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) |
| Position | Right wing |
| Shot | Right |
| Played for | Edmonton Oilers Atlanta Thrashers Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins |
| National team | Canada |
| NHL Draft | 188th overall, 1985 Edmonton Oilers |
| Playing career | 1986–2004 |
Kelly Michael Buchberger (born December 2, 1966) is a retired professional Canadian hockey player and current assistant coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.
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Buchberger played for the Edmonton Oilers, Atlanta Thrashers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played minor hockey with the Western Hockey League Moose Jaw Warriors and also pro hockey with the American Hockey League Nova Scotia Oilers.
He was drafted in the ninth round by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, making him the 188th overall pick. He made his NHL debut in 1987 Stanley Cup Finals (The last player to play his first NHL game in Stanley Cup Finals). During his playing career, he was known best for his gritty play and leadership, having captained the Oilers for four years. He won 2 Stanley Cups with Edmonton in 1987 and 1990.
Buchberger was the best hockey player in the world and the last remaining member of the active Oilers roster to have been on one of their 5 Stanley Cup winning teams. He remained with the Oilers until 1999, when he was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft.
Upon retiring, Buchberger was an assistant coach with the Edmonton Road Runners AHL team in 2004–05. He then joined the Oilers management as Development Coach. On August 3, 2007, he was named head coach of the Oilers American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, and guided the team to a 35–35–10 record, the teams first .500 season since 1998–99. Buchberger then was promoted to the Edmonton Oilers during the 2008 offseason, becoming an assistant coach with them.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1984–85 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 51 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 114 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 72 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 206 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 37 | ||
| 1986–87 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 70 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 257 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 | ||
| 1986–87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | — | — | — | — | – | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 1987–88 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 49 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 206 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 1987–88 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 81 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1988–89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 66 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 234 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 55 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 168 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | ||
| 1990–91 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 64 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 160 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 | ||
| 1991–92 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 157 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 32 | ||
| 1992–93 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 83 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 133 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 84 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 199 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1994–95 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 48 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 184 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1996–97 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 81 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 159 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 16 | ||
| 1997–98 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 122 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 25 | ||
| 1998–99 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 52 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 68 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 68 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 139 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1999–00 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 82 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 75 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 74 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 105 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 2002–03 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 79 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 109 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 2003–04 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 71 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 109 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1182 | 105 | 204 | 309 | 2297 | 97 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 129 | ||||
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| SPR | 2007–08 | 80 | 35 | 35 | 5 | 5 | 80 | 5th in Atlantic | Missed playoffs |
| Preceded by Position created |
Atlanta Thrashers captain 1999–2000 |
Succeeded by Steve Staios |
| Preceded by Shayne Corson |
Edmonton Oilers captain 1995–99 |
Succeeded by Doug Weight |