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] |