4 1986 NHL 1st Rounders To Play 1,000 Games Or More

Just four players drafted in the first round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft went on to play 1000 or more regular season games in the National Hockey League. In fact, just three others in the entire draft were able to accomplish the feat. The first overall pick was Joe Murphy, going to the Detroit Red Wings out of Michigan State University. Murphy played 779 regular season games over his career.

Vincent Damphousse – Toronto Maple Leafs

Vincent Damphousse was the sixth overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Damphousse was selected from the Laval Titan of the QMJHL. Vinny went on to play nearly 1,400 regular season games in the NHL between 1986-87 to 2003-04 with the Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks. He totalled 1,205 points on 432 goals and 773 assists.

Brian Leetch – New York Rangers

Brian Leetch was selected ninth by the New York Rangers out of the United States High School system. Between 1987-88 and 2005-06, Leetch played in 1,205 games, contributing 1,028 points on 247 goals and 781 assists. The bulk of Brian’s career was spent with the Rangers but his final two saw him dress with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Leetch was the Calder Trophy recipient in 1988-89 as the NHL’s top rookie. Over his career, Brian won the Norris Trophy twice and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1993-94.

Scott Young – Hartford Whalers

Scott Young went eleventh overall to the Hartford Whalers after playing with Boston University. Young played nearly 1,200 games between 1987-88 and 2005-06 with the Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. He scored 342 goals and assisted on 414 for 756 career points.

Leetch and Young were teammates on the 1988 United States Olympic team that competed in Calgary. The team finished seventh in a winter Olympic games that saw the Soviet Union capture gold, Finland get the silver and Sweden take the Bronze.

Tom Fitzgerald – New York Islanders

Tom Fitzgerald was the 17^th pick, taken out of the United States high school program by the New York Islanders. Fitzgerald played three games less than 1,100 between 1988-89 and 2005-06 with the Islanders, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Fitzgerald played with Leetch over his final two seasons with the Maple Leafs and Bruins.

The other three players in the overall draft to reach the 1,000 game plateau include Adam Graves (2^nd round, 22^nd overall – Detroit Red Wings), Teppo Numminen (2^nd round, 29^th overall – Winnipeg Jets) and Lyle Odelein (7^th round, 141^st overall – Montreal Canadiens). 1986 was a draft that saw only two players from the Ontario Hockey League get selected in the first round. In contrast, eleven from the OHL went in the 2012 first round. Six of the draftees were from either the U.S. High School or College system.

Hockey Trivia: NHL Records Not Belonging to Wayne Gretzky

Believe it or not, there are actually some individual NHL records not owned by Wayne Gretzky. Of course, you have to look to categories that Wayne didn’t involve himself in like penalties and defenseman scoring.

Test and expand your knowledge of the NHL’s single season individual records with these four trivia questions.

Q. Who holds the record for the most goals in a single NHL season by a defenseman?

A. No, it’s not Bobby Orr. Paul Coffey broke Orr’s record of 46 goals during the 1985-86 season when he put 48 past opposing goaltenders. Coffey and Orr are the only defensemen to score 40 or more in a single season with Coffey doing it twice and Orr just the once.

The only current blue liner to surpass 30 in a season is Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, scoring 31 in 2008-09. The list of defensemen throughout the history of the NHL scoring 30 or more in a season is slim with just Doug Wilson, Kevin Hatcher, Ray Bourque, Denis Potvin and Phil Housley added to Coffey, Orr and Green.

Q. With 76, what player holds the record for the most goals by a rookie?

A. Teemu Selanne of the Winnipeg Jets broke Mike Bossy’s previous record by a whopping 23 goals in 1992-93. Selanne, Bossy and Joe Nieuwendyk are the only first year NHL players to surpass the 50 goal plateau.

In a weird twist of fate, Selanne did not share the league lead in goal scoring in 1992-93. Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres also scored 76. Mogilny was in his fourth year in the National Hockey League and nearly doubled his previous career high of 39 goals, set the previous year. Mogilny would surpass the 50 goal plateau just once more in his career while Selanne would do it just twice more.

Q. Who holds the record for the most points in a single season by a defenseman?

A. No, it’s not Paul Coffey! Bobby Orr won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading point getter in 1970-71 with 139 points. Orr still remains the only defenseman to win the Art Ross. Coffey came within one point of the record with 138 in 1985-86.

Just five defensemen in NHL history have topped the 100 point plateau. Along with Coffey and Orr, Denis Potvin, Al MacInnis and Bryan Leetch have accomplished the feat. Leetch was the last to do it with 102 points way back in 1991-92, over 20 years ago.

Q. What 1970’s super goon holds the record for the most penalty minutes in a single season?

A. Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz sat out 472 minutes in the penalty box during the 1974-75 season. This number amounts to nearly eight whole hours in the sin bin! Paul Baxter was the next closest challenger with just 409 minutes in 1981-82.

Current member of the Calgary Flames, Brian McGrattan, holds the American Hockey League record with 551 PIM in 2004-05 with the Binghamton Senators. Joel Theriault, a fourth round pick by the Washington Capitals in 1995, holds the CHL record with 573 PIM in 1995-96 in a QMJHL season split between the Halifax Mooseheads and Drummondville Voltigeurs.