Paul Coffey
Name an accolade Paul Coffey has not earned. Go ahead, try. Three years before he took the NHL by storm, fans of what is now the Ontario Junior Hockey League got a good look at what a unique talent Paul Coffey was. Born June 1, 1961 in the Toronto neighbourhood of Weston, Coffey played for the North York Rangers in what was the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League in 1977-78. The 16-year-old defenceman accumulated 47 points (14 goals/33 assists) in 50 games. Coffey would play the next two seasons of junior with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers using their first pick in the 1980 Entry Draft. In his second season, 1981-82, Paul led all NHL defensemen with 89 points and was chosen for the Second All-Star Team. The blueliner’s 126 points in 1983-84 were second only to teammate Wayne Gretzky in the NHL scoring race that year. The Oilers won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 1984. On his way to helping lead the Oilers to their second straight Cup, Coffey won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman and was selected to the First All-Star Team in 1984-85, a feat he replicated in 1985-86. Coffey finished third in scoring with 138 points, including 48 goals. Prior to the 1986-87 season, Coffey was traded to Pittsburgh. In both 1988-89 and '89-90, Paul cracked the 100-point plateau. He helped the Penguins win their first Stanley Cup in 1990-91. In February 1992, Coffey was moved to the Los Angeles Kings and 1993, he was off to Detroit, where he won another Norris Trophy. He’d also play in Hartford, Philadelphia, Chicago, Carolina and Boston before retiring in 2000 following 21 big-league seasons.
Paul Coffey’s resume:
- Four Stanley Cup championships.
- Two Canada Cup championships.
- 396 goals and 1,135 assists for 1,531 points in 1,409 regular season NHL games.
- 196 points (59 goals/137 assists) in 194 Stanley Cup playoff contests.
- A First or Second All-Star eight times.
- Three Norris Trophies
OJHL fans will remember he was GM and coached the Pickering Panthers in 2014-15. In 2004, Paul Coffey was selected to be an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.