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.