Jeff Parker (ice hockey)

Jeff Parker
Born September 7, 1964
Saint Paul, MN, USA
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Buffalo Sabres
Hartford Whalers
NHL Draft 111th overall, 1982
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 1986–1991

Jeffrey Lee Parker (born September 7, 1964 in Saint Paul, Minnesota and raised in White Bear Lake, Minnesota) is a former professional ice hockey right wing. He was drafted in the sixth round, 111th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He played 137 games in the National Hockey League with the Sabres and four with the Hartford Whalers.

Parker was involved in two high-profile trades over the course of his career. Following his only complete NHL season, on the day of the 1990 entry draft the Sabres traded Parker to the Winnipeg Jets along with Phil Housley and Scott Arniel for Dale Hawerchuk and an exchange of draft picks seemingly in Buffalo's favour (which became Brad May and Keith Tkachuk).


In an interview shortly after the trade, Parker stated "I'm pretty happy with the trade, I'm looking forward to coming to Winnipeg because the Jets look like a team that's moving up the ladder." [1]

Parker reported to Winnipeg Jets training camp in Saskatoon, SK on September 7, 1990 in poor physical condition and ranked low in the fitness tests taken on the first day of camp.[2] He played 5 pre-season games with the Jets, scoring two goals and earning one assist.[3] He and Simon Wheeldon were the last two players cut by the Jets that camp and on October 2, 1990 was assigned to the Moncton Hawks, the Jets farm team in the American Hockey League.[4]

Devastated about being assigned to the minors, Parker sat out most of the 1990-91 season until he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent in February, 1991, only to be traded to Hartford along with John Cullen and Zarley Zalapski for Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings. Parker only played four games for the Whalers before suffering a career-ending knee injury.


In his 141-game NHL career, Parker scored sixteen goals and added nineteen assists.

Awards and honors

Award Year
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 1986 [5]

References

  1. ↑ Winnipeg Free Press, June 22, 1990, page 53
  2. ↑ Winnipeg Free Press, September 12, 1990, page 50
  3. ↑ Winnipeg Free Press, October 4, 1990, page 45
  4. ↑ Winnipeg Free Press, October 3, 1990, page 47
  5. ↑ "NCAA Frozen Four Records". NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.


External links