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Grant Fuhr
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2003
Grant Fuhr - Farewell Rexall Place (26190344112) (cropped).jpg
Fuhr in 2016
Born (1962-09-28) September 28, 1962 (age 62)
Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for Edmonton Oilers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Buffalo Sabres
Los Angeles Kings
St. Louis Blues
Calgary Flames
National team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
NHL Draft 8th overall, 1981
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 1981–2000
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
Canada Cup
Gold 1984 Canada
Gold 1987 Canada
World Championships
Silver 1989 Sweden

Grant Scott Fuhr (born September 28, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for many years. He is best known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s, where he helped them win the Stanley Cup five times.

Grant Fuhr was chosen as an NHL All-Star six times. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is a huge honor for hockey players. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players of all time. He also made history as one of the first Black ice hockey players to achieve major milestones in the NHL, like winning the Stanley Cup and being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Early life

Grant Fuhr was born in Canada on September 28, 1962. His birth parents were of Afro-Canadian and First Nation-Canadian heritage. He was adopted by Betty Wheeler and Robert Fuhr and grew up in Spruce Grove, Alberta.

In the mid-1970s, Fuhr played hockey for the Enoch Tomahawks team. When he was seventeen, in 1979, he joined the Victoria Cougars in the WHL. He had two great seasons in Victoria, helping his team win the league championship. In 1981, the Edmonton Oilers drafted him as the eighth overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Edmonton Oilers (1981–1991)

Grant Fuhr played for the Edmonton Oilers for ten seasons. He was part of an amazing goaltending team, first with Andy Moog and then with Bill Ranford. Together, they helped the Oilers win the Stanley Cup four times in five seasons, from 1984 to 1988.

In the 1984 playoffs, Fuhr was the main goalie. He got injured during the Stanley Cup Finals, but the Oilers still won the series. Fuhr was the starting goalie for the first four Stanley Cup wins. He was injured and did not play in the 1990 playoffs, when the Oilers won their fifth Stanley Cup.

In 1987, Fuhr played for the NHL All-Stars against the Soviet National Team. In the 1987-88 season, he helped Team Canada win the Canada Cup. That same year, he won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender. He was also a top player in the voting for the league's Most Valuable Player award. Many people thought Fuhr was "the best goaltender in the world" during this time. He also played in the NHL All-Star Game multiple times.

Fuhr missed some games during the 1990–91 NHL season. He returned to play on February 18, 1991.

Post-Oilers career (1991–2000)

After his time with the Oilers, Grant Fuhr was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1991. He played there for a season and a half before being traded again to the Buffalo Sabres in 1993.

In Buffalo, he played a key role in the Sabres' playoff success. He also helped mentor a younger goalie named Dominik Hašek. In the 1993–94 season, Fuhr and Hašek shared goaltending duties. They were both awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league.

In 1995, Fuhr joined the Los Angeles Kings, where he reunited with his former teammate Wayne Gretzky.

His career really took off again when he signed with the St. Louis Blues in 1995. In the 1995–96 season, he played an incredible 79 games, including 76 in a row, which set NHL records. On November 30, he earned his 300th career win. Fuhr and Gretzky became teammates for a third time when Gretzky joined the Blues in 1996. Fuhr suffered a knee injury during the 1996 playoffs, which affected his play in the following seasons. Despite this, he became one of the winningest goalies in Blues history.

In 1999, Fuhr was traded to the Calgary Flames. He spent one season there, helping to guide the team's younger goalies. On October 22, he achieved his 400th career win. On April 5, 2000, Grant Fuhr announced that he would retire at the end of the 1999–2000 season.

International play

Grant Fuhr was chosen to play for Team Canada in the 1984 Canada Cup. He also played for Canada in the 1987 Canada Cup, where he showed he was one of the best goalies in the game. He played against a strong Soviet Union team in the finals, making many important saves. After the Edmonton Oilers were out of the playoffs in 1989, Grant also played for Team Canada at the 1989 World Ice Hockey Championships, where he won a silver medal.

Post-playing career

After retiring from playing, Grant Fuhr became a goaltending coach. He worked for the Phoenix Coyotes from 2004 to 2009. He also coached for the Calgary Flames in the early 2000s.

In 2015, Fuhr wrote a book about his life called Grant Fuhr: The Story of a Hockey Legend. In 2022, he started working in radio and television for the Coachella Valley Firebirds and became a coach in the 3ICE hockey league.

Personal life

Grant Fuhr married Lisa Cavanaugh in 2014. He has four children from previous marriages and a step-daughter. Fuhr also enjoys playing golf and often competes in a tournament for sports and entertainment celebrities.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1979–80 Victoria Cougars WHL 43 30 12 0 2488 130 3 3.14 .911 8 5 3 465 22 0 2.84
1980–81 Victoria Cougars WHL 59 48 9 1 3448 160 4 2.78 .908 15 12 3 899 45 1 3.00
1980–81 Victoria Cougars M-Cup 4 1 3 239 18 0 4.52
1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 48 28 5 14 2847 157 0 3.31 .899 5 2 3 309 26 0 5.05 .852
1982–83 Edmonton Oilers NHL 32 13 12 5 1803 129 0 4.29 .868 1 0 0 11 0 0 0.00 1.000
1982–83 Moncton Alpines AHL 10 4 5 1 604 40 0 3.97
1983–84 Edmonton Oilers NHL 45 30 10 4 2625 171 1 3.91 .883 16 11 4 882 44 1 3.00 .910
1984–85 Edmonton Oilers NHL 46 26 8 7 2559 165 1 3.87 .884 18 15 3 1057 55 0 3.12 .895
1985–86 Edmonton Oilers NHL 40 29 8 0 2184 143 0 3.93 .890 9 5 4 540 28 0 3.12 .897
1986–87 Edmonton Oilers NHL 44 22 13 3 2388 137 0 3.44 .881 19 14 5 1143 47 0 2.47 .908
1987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 75 40 24 9 4304 246 4 3.43 .881 19 16 2 1136 55 0 2.91 .883
1988–89 Edmonton Oilers NHL 59 23 26 6 3341 213 1 3.83 .875 7 3 4 417 24 1 3.45 .894
1989–90 Edmonton Oilers NHL 21 9 7 3 1081 70 1 3.89 .868
1989–90 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 2 2 0 0 120 6 0 3.00 .919
1990–91 Edmonton Oilers NHL 13 6 4 3 778 39 1 3.01 .897 18 8 7 1019 51 0 3.00 .895
1990–91 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 4 2 2 0 240 17 0 4.25 .870
1991–92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 25 33 5 3774 230 2 3.66 .881
1992–93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 29 13 9 4 1665 87 1 3.14 .895
1992–93 Buffalo Sabres NHL 29 11 15 2 1694 98 0 3.47 .891 8 3 4 474 27 1 3.42 .875
1993–94 Buffalo Sabres NHL 32 13 12 3 1726 106 2 3.68 .883
1993–94 Rochester Americans AHL 5 3 0 2 310 10 0 1.94 .935
1994–95 Buffalo Sabres NHL 3 1 2 0 180 12 0 4.00 .859
1994–95 Los Angeles Kings NHL 14 1 7 3 698 47 0 4.04 .876
1995–96 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 30 28 16 4365 209 3 2.87 .903 2 1 0 69 1 0 0.87 .978
1996–97 St. Louis Blues NHL 73 33 27 11 4261 193 3 2.72 .901 6 2 4 357 13 2 2.18 .929
1997–98 St. Louis Blues NHL 58 29 21 6 3274 138 3 2.53 .883 10 6 4 615 28 0 2.73 .906
1998–99 St. Louis Blues NHL 39 16 11 8 2193 89 2 2.44 .892 13 6 6 780 31 1 2.35 .898
1999–2000 Calgary Flames NHL 23 5 13 2 1205 77 0 3.83 .856
1999–2000 Saint John Flames AHL 2 0 2 0 99 10 0 6.05 .839
NHL totals 868 403 295 114 48,945 2,756 25 3.38 .887 150 92 50 8,808 430 6 2.93 .898

International

Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1984 Canada CC 2 1 0 1 120 6 0 3.00
1987 Canada CC 9 6 1 2 575 32 0 3.34
1989 Canada WC 5 1 3 1 298 18 1 3.62
Senior totals 16 8 4 4 993 56 1 3.38

Awards and honours

Award Year(s)
Junior
President's Cup champion 1981
WHL First All-Star Team 1980, 1981
NHL
All-Star Game 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989
First All-Star Team 1988
Second All-Star Team 1982
Stanley Cup champion 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990
Vezina Trophy 1988
William M. Jennings Trophy
Shared with Dominik Hašek
1994
International
CC All-Star Team 1987

Hall of Fame induction

Grant Fuhr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 2, 2003. This is a special honor for players who have had amazing careers.

Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest hockey players ever, has often said that he thinks Fuhr is the best goaltender in NHL history.

Records

  • Holds the NHL record for most assists and points by a goaltender in regular season and playoffs combined – 61.
  • Holds the NHL record for the longest undefeated streak by a goaltender in his first NHL season – 23 games in 1981–82.
  • Holds the NHL record for most assists in a single season by a goaltender – 14 in 1983–84.
  • Holds the NHL record for most games played by a goaltender in a single season – 79 in 1995–96.
  • Holds the NHL record for most consecutive appearances in a single season by a goaltender – 76 games in 1996.

See also

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