Paul Coffey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Coffey |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2004 | |||
Coffey in 2007
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| Born | June 1, 1961 Weston, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Edmonton Oilers Pittsburgh Penguins Los Angeles Kings Detroit Red Wings Hartford Whalers Philadelphia Flyers Chicago Blackhawks Carolina Hurricanes Boston Bruins |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 6th overall, 1980 Edmonton Oilers |
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| Playing career | 1980–2001 | ||
Paul Patrick Coffey (born June 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a defenceman, which is a player who helps protect their team's goal. Paul played for nine teams over 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was known for his incredible speed and his ability to score goals. Coffey is second all-time among NHL defencemen in goals, assists, and points. Only Ray Bourque has more points than him.
Paul Coffey won the James Norris Memorial Trophy three times. This award goes to the NHL's best defenceman. He was also chosen for eight All-Star teams. He holds the record for the most goals by a defenceman in one season, with 48 goals in the 1985–86 season. He is the only defenceman to score 40 goals more than once. He also scored over 100 points in a season five times. Only Bobby Orr has done this more often. Coffey holds or shares 33 NHL records!
During his NHL career, he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins. He won the Stanley Cup four times. Three of those wins were with Edmonton, and one was with Pittsburgh.
Coffey was born in Weston, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Malton, Ontario. In 2016, the city of Mississauga honored him by renaming Malton Arena to Paul Coffey Arena and Wildwood Park to Paul Coffey Park. In 2017, Paul Coffey was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
Contents
Paul Coffey's Hockey Journey
In his younger years, Paul Coffey played in the 1974 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. He played with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga.
Joining the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers picked Paul Coffey sixth overall in the 1980 NHL entry draft. He really started to shine in the 1981–82 season. He scored 89 points and was named a second-team NHL All-Star.
In the 1983–84 season, the Oilers won their first Stanley Cup. Coffey became only the second defenceman in NHL history to score 40 goals in a season. He also had 86 assists that year.
Winning the Norris Trophy
Paul won his first James Norris Memorial Trophy in 1984–85. He scored 37 goals and 121 points that season. On December 26, 1984, Coffey made history. He became the last defenceman in the 20th century to score four goals in one game.
In the 1985 Playoffs, Coffey had an amazing performance. He set records for most goals (12), assists (25), and points (37) by a defenceman in one playoff year. This helped the Oilers win another Stanley Cup. He won the Norris Trophy again in 1985–86. That year, he broke Bobby Orr's record for goals in a season by a defenceman, scoring 48 goals. His 138 points that year were second only to Orr among defencemen.
Moving to Pittsburgh
Coffey helped Edmonton win a third Stanley Cup in 1986–87. After some contract disagreements, he was traded. On November 24, 1987, the Oilers traded Coffey to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In Pittsburgh, Coffey changed his jersey number from 7 to 77. He wore 77 for most of his career. On December 22, 1990, Coffey became the second defenceman to reach 1,000 career points. He did it in a record-breaking 770 games. Coffey won his fourth Stanley Cup in 1990–91 with Pittsburgh. In 1992, Coffey passed Denis Potvin to become the all-time leader in goals, assists, and points for a defenceman. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Kings. There, he played again with former Oilers teammates Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri.
Time with the Red Wings and Other Teams
After a short time with Los Angeles, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. He played there for three and a half seasons. In the 1994–95 NHL season, which was shorter due to a lockout, Coffey led his team in scoring. He also won the Norris Trophy for the third time. In the 1995 playoffs, he helped Detroit reach the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Red Wings lost to the New Jersey Devils.
The next year, Coffey helped the Red Wings win an amazing 62 regular season games. But they were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. After some disagreements with coach Scotty Bowman, Coffey was traded to the Hartford Whalers.
Coffey played only 20 games for the Whalers before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. He played for Philadelphia for a season and a half. He reached the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, his seventh Finals appearance. This time, he played against his old team, Detroit. Coffey got a concussion in Game 2 and could not play for the rest of the series.
After a very short time (10 games) with the Chicago Blackhawks, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. He played there for one and a half seasons. He played his final season in 2000–01 with the Boston Bruins.
Retirement and Legacy
During Coffey's last NHL season, Ray Bourque passed his career goal, assist, and point records. Both Bourque and Coffey retired after the 2000–01 season. Coffey finished his career with 396 goals, 1135 assists, and 1531 points. He is still second only to Bourque in all-time scoring by a defenceman. However, Coffey scored more points per game than Bourque. He played 203 fewer games but was only 48 points behind.
Paul Coffey was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, in his first year of eligibility. The Edmonton Oilers retired his uniform number 7 in 2005 to honor him.
Paul Coffey's Life After Playing Hockey
Paul Coffey used to own a car dealership in Bolton, Ontario. He and his wife have three children.
In November 2023, Coffey returned to the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach.
Awards and Honors
Paul Coffey received many awards and honors during his career:
- Named to the OHA second All-Star team – 1980
- Won the James Norris Memorial Trophy – 1985, 1986, 1995
- Named to the NHL first All-Star team – 1985, 1986, 1989, 1995
- Named to the NHL second All-Star team – 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990
- Played in the NHL All-Star Game 14 times: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
- 4-time Stanley Cup champion – 1984, 1985, 1987 (with Edmonton), 1991 (with Pittsburgh)
- Won Canada Cup with Team Canada – 1984, 1987, 1991
- Named to the Canada Cup All-Star team – 1984
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004
- In 1998, he was ranked number 28 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players
- As of 2024, he is 14th all-time in career points.
- Inducted into the Penguins Hall of Fame on November 15, 2007
- Awarded the Order of Sport, inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame – 2015
- Inducted into Legends Row: Mississauga Walk of Fame in 2016.
NHL Records Held by Paul Coffey
Paul Coffey holds many records in the NHL, showing how amazing he was as a defenceman.
Regular Season Records
- Most goals by a defenceman in one season – 48 in 1985–86
- Most shorthanded goals in one season by a defenceman – 9 in 1985–86
- Most assists in one game by a defenceman – 6 on March 14, 1986
- Most points in one game by a defenceman – 8 on March 14, 1986 (2 goals, 6 assists; shared with Tom Bladon)
- Most seasons leading the league in scoring by a defenceman – 8
- Fastest defenceman in NHL history to score 1,000 points – 770 games
- Fastest defenceman to score 100 points in a single season – 59 games (shared with Bobby Orr)
- Longest point-scoring streak by a defenceman – 28 games in 1985–86 (55 points during the streak)
- Most 40-goal seasons by a defenceman – 2
- Most 50-assist seasons by a defenceman – 14
- Most 60-assist seasons by a defenceman – 11
- Most 70-assist seasons by a defenceman – 6 (shared with Bobby Orr)
- Most 80-point seasons by a defenceman – 8
- Highest goals per game average by a defenceman in one season – 0.608
- Highest career assist per game average by a defenceman – 0.806 (for players with at least 750 games)
- Highest career points per game average by a defenceman – 1.087 (for players with at least 750 games)
- Only defenceman in NHL history to be selected first-team All-Star playing for three different teams
- Most penalty minutes by a 1,000-point defenceman – 1,802
- Most different teams played on by a 1,000-point scorer – 9 (tied with Jaromír Jágr)
Playoff Records
- Most career goals by a defenceman in NHL playoff history – 59
- Most career points by a defenceman in NHL playoff history – 196
- Most goals by a defenceman in one playoff year – 12 in 1985
- Most assists by a defenceman in one playoff year – 25 in 1985 (this record was broken by Evan Bouchard in 2024)
- Most points by a defenceman in one playoff year – 37 in 1985
- Most points by a defenceman in one playoff series – 11 in 1985
- Most assists by a defenceman in a five-game series – 8 in 1985
- Most assists in one period – 3 in 1985
- Most career short-handed goals by a defenceman in NHL playoff history – 6
- Most short-handed goals by a defenceman in one playoff year – 2 in 1983 and 1996
- Highest Plus/Minus by a defenceman in one playoff year – +26 in 1985
- Highest goals per game average in one playoff year by a defenceman – 0.667 in 1985 (for players with at least 10 playoff games)
- Highest assists per game average in one playoff year by a defenceman – 1.389 in 1985 (for players with at least 5 playoff games)
- Highest points per game average in one playoff year by a defenceman – 2.056 in 1985
- Highest career goals per game average in playoffs by a defenceman – 0.304 (for players with at least 75 games)
- Highest career assists per game average in playoffs by a defenceman – 0.706 (for players with at least 100 games)
- Highest career points per game average in playoffs by a defenceman – 1.010 (for players with at least 100 games)
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
Figures in boldface italics are NHL records for defencemen.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1977–78 | North York Rangers | OPJHL | 50 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Kingston Canadians | OMJHL | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OMJHL | 68 | 17 | 72 | 89 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | OMJHL | 23 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Kitchener Rangers | OMJHL | 52 | 19 | 52 | 71 | 130 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 74 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 130 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 22 | ||
| 1981–82 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 29 | 60 | 89 | 106 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1982–83 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 29 | 67 | 96 | 87 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | ||
| 1983–84 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 40 | 86 | 126 | 104 | 19 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 21 | ||
| 1984–85 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 80 | 37 | 84 | 121 | 97 | 18 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 44 | ||
| 1985–86 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 48 | 90 | 138 | 120 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 30 | ||
| 1986–87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 59 | 17 | 50 | 67 | 49 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 30 | ||
| 1987–88 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 46 | 15 | 52 | 67 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 75 | 30 | 83 | 113 | 195 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 31 | ||
| 1989–90 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 80 | 29 | 74 | 103 | 95 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 76 | 24 | 69 | 93 | 128 | 12 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 1991–92 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 54 | 10 | 54 | 64 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1992–93 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 50 | 8 | 49 | 57 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 30 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 27 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 1993–94 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 14 | 63 | 77 | 106 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1994–95 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 45 | 14 | 44 | 58 | 72 | 18 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 10 | ||
| 1995–96 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 76 | 14 | 60 | 74 | 90 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 30 | ||
| 1996–97 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 20 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 37 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 57 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 44 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 69 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 18 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,409 | 396 | 1,135 | 1,531 | 1,802 | 194 | 59 | 137 | 196 | 264 | ||||
International Play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Canada Cup | ||
| Gold | 1991 Canada | |
| Gold | 1987 Canada | |
| Gold | 1984 Canada | |
| World Cup | ||
| Silver | 1996 Canada | |
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Canada | CC | 8 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | |
| 1987 | Canada | CC | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1990 | Canada | WC | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | |
| 1991 | Canada | CC | 8 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1996 | Canada | WCH | 8 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 12 | |
| Senior totals | 43 | 7 | 31 | 38 | 34 | |||
See also
In Spanish: Paul Coffey para niños
- Hockey Hall of Fame
- James Norris Memorial Trophy
- List of NHL statistical leaders
- List of NHL players with 1,000 points
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
