Paul Coffey is one of just 20 players in National Hockey
League history to play for nine or more teams during their career. It goes
without saying that Coffey was part of a fair share of big trades, considering
he was one of the best defensemen of all time.
Three players traded for Paul Coffey stand out above the
rest. Each of these three saw instant success with the team that was trading
Paul away. Ironically, each was a second round pick in their NHL Entry Draft.
Despite his nine teams, Coffey never played with any of these three players
during his National Hockey League career.
Craig Simpson
In November of 1987, Coffey was part of a multi-player trade
between the Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins with Paul leaving the
Gretzky gang. Among the players going to Edmonton was Craig Simpson. Simpson
played in the NHL from 1985-86 to 1994-95 with the Penguins, Oilers and Buffalo
Sabres. Originally, he was the second overall pick of the Penguins at the 1985
NHL Entry Draft.
That season, the Oilers went on to meet Boston in the
Stanley Cup finals where they swept the Bruins in four games. Pittsburgh did
not qualify for the post season. Simpson won another Stanley Cup with Edmonton
in 1989-90. Once again, it was the Boston Bruins that fell victim to the
Oilers, this time in five games.
Jimmy Carson
Fast forward to January of 1993. After being reunited with
Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles for a short time, Coffey was traded by the Kings
to the Detroit Red Wings. Headed in the other direction was Jimmy Carson.
Carson played in the NHL from 1986-87 to 1995-96 with the Kings, Oilers, Red
Wings, Vancouver Canucks and Hartford Whalers. He had been the second overall
pick at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Kings.
In the 1992-93 season, the Steve
Yzerman led Red Wings made an early first round exit from the playoffs.
Jimmy Carson and the Kings moved on to the Stanley Cup finals before falling to
the Montreal Canadiens in seven games.
Brendan Shanahan
In October of 1996, the Red Wings sent Paul
Coffey to the Hartford Whalers. Among the players coming in the other
direction was Brendan Shanahan. Shanahan played in the National Hockey League
from 1987-88 to 2008-09 with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Whalers,
Red Wings and New York Rangers. He was the second overall pick at the 1987 NHL
Entry Draft, going to the Devils.
Detroit reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1996-97 and swept
the Philadelphia Flyers to become champions. It was the first time the Red
Wings had won the Stanley Cup since 1954-55. Hartford, however, did not qualify
for post season action. But, Coffey wasn’t with the Whalers at the season’s
end. Paul was traded again in December to those same Philadelphia Flyers and
played in the finals against the team that he started the season with.
