Garth Butcher
Encyclopedia
Garth Butcher is a retired professional
ice hockey
defenceman. Butcher was a top prospect as a junior player and was a member of the first Canadian team to win gold at the world junior championship. Butcher played in the National Hockey League
for 14 seasons from 1981–82 to 1994–95, mostly with the Vancouver Canucks
.
teams in his hometown of Regina prior to moving up to the Western Hockey League
late in the 1979–80 season. Regina was co-hosting the 1980 Memorial Cup
, and Butcher joined the WHL's Regina Pats
for 13 regular-season games, 9 playoff games (winning the President's Cup and for the round-robin games at the Memorial Cup tournament. At 16 years of age, he was the Pats' youngest player.
During his next two seasons of junior, he accumulated 178 points and over 500 minutes in penalties
and was selected to the WHL's All-Star team in 1980–81. "His blend of talent and grit made him one of the top prospects" for the 1981 NHL Entry Draft
. The Hockey News draft preview issue ranked Butcher as the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 WHL prospect in a draft that included future Hall of Famers
Dale Hawerchuk
, Grant Fuhr
and Al MacInnis
(who was drafted five spots after Butcher). On draft day, the Vancouver Canucks
selected him 10th overall.
to win a gold medal at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
The tourney was being played in North America (Minnesota
was the host jurisdiction) and it was Canada's first attempt at putting together a true, national, junior team. The team was noted for its defence and allowed a tourney-low 14 goals against in seven games under national team coach Dave King
.
For his part, Butcher scored one goal and three assists
while recording no penalty minutes. Butcher recalls the gold-medal experience as his "greatest thrill" in hockey.
After splitting part of the next season with the Canucks' farm team, the Fredericton Express
, Butcher became a staple of the NHL club's defence. Butcher became known for his defensive prowess and never matched his offensive numbers from junior. His best offensive season was 1987–88 when he recorded a modest 23 points (6 goals and 17 assists).
Goals came so rarely for Butcher at the NHL level that, in the 1988–89 season, his first goal of the season came in the playoffs (the Game 6 winning goal in the near-upset of the Calgary Flames
).
Butcher played an aggressive style and earned a reputation as a classic "needler
" who distracted opponents or provoked them into taking penalties. In 1989, Gerard Gallant
of the Detroit Red Wings
was suspended five games for retaliating and deliberately attempting to injure Butcher.
Butcher was not a prolific fighter
but was still regarded as a tough, capable opponent. His December 26, 1988 fight with Mark Hunter of the Calgary Flames resulted in Hunter missing part of the season due to a concussion.
In his near-decade and 610 games with the Canucks, Butcher amassed a club-record 1,668 penalty minutes, a mark eventually broken by Gino Odjick
. His perseverance and battling attitude earned him the respect of the Canuck fans and team. After his retirement, the Canucks organization placed him in the sixth spot on their list of the 50 Greatest Canucks of all time.
was looking to improve the team's defence for the playoffs. On March 5, 1991, at the trade deadline, Caron traded four players and 1992 fifth-round pick (Brian Loney
) to Vancouver for Butcher and Dan Quinn
, a small but skilled centre. Butcher was the key player for the Blues, with Quinn added due to the Canucks hard negotiating. The Blues traded away Geoff Courtnall
, Robert Dirk
, Sergio Momesso
, Cliff Ronning
– who as a group invigorated the Canucks for a number of years and eventually helped their new team advance to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final
.
The Butcher trade helped the Canucks but cost Butcher's new team dearly. Traded away such depth cost the Blues a second scoring line behind Brett Hull
and Adam Oates
. As a result, the trade was blamed for the Blues defeat at the hands of the Minnesota North Stars
in the second round of the playoffs. (The Stars would make it all the way to the Finals). Quinn was gone from the team shortly after the playoff disappointment. The Butcher trade (together with a later lopsided deal favoring the Canucks) was regarded by media and fans as one of the top 5 heartbreakers for the St. Louis Blues.
Butcher was expected to provide leadership. He was named team captain
, but a broken left foot cost him the end of the 1991–92 NHL season and the start of the playoffs. After the Blues were eliminated, Butcher was selected to the national team for the 1992 Ice Hockey World Championships
. He played three games and scored a goal. The team placed eighth.
Butcher played in the NHL All-Star Game
in 1993, but as an injury replacement for Jeff Brown. The same year, Butcher scored a rare goal, the game-winner, against the Toronto Maple Leafs
in Game 3 of the 1993 Norris Division
Finals.
Midway through the 1993–94 NHL season, on January 23, 1994 Butcher was one of three St. Louis players traded to the Quebec Nordiques
for star defenceman Steve Duchesne
. In 1994, Butcher was moved from Quebec to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the multi-player blockbuster trade of Mats Sundin
for Wendel Clark
.
Butcher was released by Toronto on October 2, 1995. He was unable to catch on with another team and chose to retire at age 32.
Butcher played in 897 career NHL games, scoring 48 goals and 158 assists for 206 points, as well as adding 2,302 penalty minutes for the Canucks, Blues, Nordiques, and Maple Leafs.
. A woman at the bar accused Butcher of sexual assault
after an after-work sexual encounter in 2002. In court, Butcher testified that the sex was consensual, and he was acquitted by a jury in 2004.
Butcher lives in Bellingham, Washington
and is Director of Hockey Operations for the Bellingham Sportsplex
. He is also active in coaching for the Whatcom Warriors Amateur Hockey Association.
Butcher married the sister of former NHL players Doug Morrison
and Mark Morrison
. Butcher has five children; his son, Matt, is a hockey prospect who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks and plays at Northern Michigan University
.
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman. Butcher was a top prospect as a junior player and was a member of the first Canadian team to win gold at the world junior championship. Butcher played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
for 14 seasons from 1981–82 to 1994–95, mostly with the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
.
Junior career
Butcher played with Saskatchewan Junior Hockey LeagueSaskatchewan Junior Hockey League
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under Hockey Canada, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of age or younger, the SJHL's 12 teams play in two divisions: the Bauer and Sherwood conferences...
teams in his hometown of Regina prior to moving up to the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
late in the 1979–80 season. Regina was co-hosting the 1980 Memorial Cup
1980 Memorial Cup
The 1980 Memorial Cup occurred May 4-May 11 at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba and at the Regina Agridome in Regina, Saskatchewan. Participating teams were the winners of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League which were the...
, and Butcher joined the WHL's Regina Pats
Regina Pats
The Regina Pats are a junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League. The Pats are based out of Regina, Saskatchewan and the Brandt Centre is their home arena.-History:...
for 13 regular-season games, 9 playoff games (winning the President's Cup and for the round-robin games at the Memorial Cup tournament. At 16 years of age, he was the Pats' youngest player.
During his next two seasons of junior, he accumulated 178 points and over 500 minutes in penalties
Penalty (ice hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...
and was selected to the WHL's All-Star team in 1980–81. "His blend of talent and grit made him one of the top prospects" for the 1981 NHL Entry Draft
1981 NHL Entry Draft
The 1981 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 211 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1980–81 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players...
. The Hockey News draft preview issue ranked Butcher as the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 WHL prospect in a draft that included future Hall of Famers
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001...
, Grant Fuhr
Grant Fuhr
Grant Scott Fuhr is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and currently the goaltending coach for the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame...
and Al MacInnis
Al MacInnis
Allan MacInnis is a Canadian former ice hockey defenceman who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues. A first round selection of the Flames in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he went on to become a 13-time All-Star...
(who was drafted five spots after Butcher). On draft day, the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
selected him 10th overall.
International gold
The next season, Butcher led all WHL defencemen with 92 points. Butcher was also a member of the first Canadian junior teamCanadian national men's hockey team
The Canadian national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and participates in international competitions. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior...
to win a gold medal at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
The tourney was being played in North America (Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
was the host jurisdiction) and it was Canada's first attempt at putting together a true, national, junior team. The team was noted for its defence and allowed a tourney-low 14 goals against in seven games under national team coach Dave King
Dave King (ice hockey)
W. David King is a Canadian hockey coach who has been head coach in the National Hockey League, the Russian Super League, the Winter Olympics, and the IIHF world junior championships. He was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan....
.
For his part, Butcher scored one goal and three assists
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
while recording no penalty minutes. Butcher recalls the gold-medal experience as his "greatest thrill" in hockey.
Vancouver Canucks
Shortly after the international tourney, he was called up to the NHL to join the Canucks for five regular-season games (debuting January 7, 1982) and one play-off game in the team's run to the Stanley Cup final.After splitting part of the next season with the Canucks' farm team, the Fredericton Express
Fredericton Express
The Fredericton Express were a professional ice hockey team based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. They played in the American Hockey League between 1981 and 1988. The Express were affiliated with the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...
, Butcher became a staple of the NHL club's defence. Butcher became known for his defensive prowess and never matched his offensive numbers from junior. His best offensive season was 1987–88 when he recorded a modest 23 points (6 goals and 17 assists).
Goals came so rarely for Butcher at the NHL level that, in the 1988–89 season, his first goal of the season came in the playoffs (the Game 6 winning goal in the near-upset of the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
).
Butcher played an aggressive style and earned a reputation as a classic "needler
Pest (hockey)
In ice hockey, a pest is a characterization of player who attempts to antagonize opponent players either by physical play or verbally.Pests employ legal, illegal, or borderline tactics to accomplish their goals. Some common tactics include trash talk or slashing and hooking while referees are not...
" who distracted opponents or provoked them into taking penalties. In 1989, Gerard Gallant
Gerard Gallant
Gerard "Turk" Gallant is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former NHL player.Gallant was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, sixth round, one-hundred seventh overall....
of the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
was suspended five games for retaliating and deliberately attempting to injure Butcher.
Butcher was not a prolific fighter
Fighting in ice hockey
Fighting in ice hockey is an established tradition of the sport in North America, with a long history involving many levels of amateur and professional play and including some notable individual fights. Although a definite source of criticism, it is a considerable draw for the sport, and some fans...
but was still regarded as a tough, capable opponent. His December 26, 1988 fight with Mark Hunter of the Calgary Flames resulted in Hunter missing part of the season due to a concussion.
In his near-decade and 610 games with the Canucks, Butcher amassed a club-record 1,668 penalty minutes, a mark eventually broken by Gino Odjick
Gino Odjick
Wayne Gino "Chief, The Enforcer" Odjick was born on 7 September 1970 in an Algonquin Native Reserve named Chum Sa Bay at Maniwaki, Quebec. He was a professional hockey player in the National Hockey League from 1990–91 to 2001–02....
. His perseverance and battling attitude earned him the respect of the Canuck fans and team. After his retirement, the Canucks organization placed him in the sixth spot on their list of the 50 Greatest Canucks of all time.
St. Louis Blues
Late in the 1990–91 season, the St. Louis Blues were in first place overall and GM Ron CaronRon Caron
Ronald "Ron" Caron is a Canadian former executive in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues.-Hockey career:...
was looking to improve the team's defence for the playoffs. On March 5, 1991, at the trade deadline, Caron traded four players and 1992 fifth-round pick (Brian Loney
Brian Loney
Brian D. Loney is a retired professional ice hockey player who played twelve games in the National Hockey League. He would play with the Vancouver Canucks.- External links :...
) to Vancouver for Butcher and Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn
Daniel Peter Quinn is a Canadian professional golfer and former professional ice hockey player. Quinn played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, a small but skilled centre. Butcher was the key player for the Blues, with Quinn added due to the Canucks hard negotiating. The Blues traded away Geoff Courtnall
Geoff Courtnall
Geoffrey Lawton Courtnall is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League from 1983 to 2000. He was the head coach of the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL as well as the University of Victoria Vikes of the BCIHL.Courtnall was born in Victoria, British Columbia,...
, Robert Dirk
Robert Dirk
Robert Dirk is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League between 1987 and 1996.-Playing career:...
, Sergio Momesso
Sergio Momesso
Sergio F. Momesso is a retired professional ice hockey player who spent 13 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1983 and 1997.-Playing career:...
, Cliff Ronning
Cliff Ronning
Clifford John Ronning is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 7th round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, 134th overall...
– who as a group invigorated the Canucks for a number of years and eventually helped their new team advance to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final
1993–94 Vancouver Canucks season
The 1993–94 Vancouver Canucks season was the Canucks' 24th NHL season. Vancouver finished the season second in their division and qualified for the playoffs as the number seven seed. In the post season the Canucks pulled several upsets and reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in...
.
The Butcher trade helped the Canucks but cost Butcher's new team dearly. Traded away such depth cost the Blues a second scoring line behind Brett Hull
Brett Hull
Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...
and Adam Oates
Adam Oates
Adam Oates is a retired professional ice hockey and lacrosse player and is currently an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils.-Playing career:Oates' break came when Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute offered him a scholarship...
. As a result, the trade was blamed for the Blues defeat at the hands of the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
in the second round of the playoffs. (The Stars would make it all the way to the Finals). Quinn was gone from the team shortly after the playoff disappointment. The Butcher trade (together with a later lopsided deal favoring the Canucks) was regarded by media and fans as one of the top 5 heartbreakers for the St. Louis Blues.
Butcher was expected to provide leadership. He was named team captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
, but a broken left foot cost him the end of the 1991–92 NHL season and the start of the playoffs. After the Blues were eliminated, Butcher was selected to the national team for the 1992 Ice Hockey World Championships
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
. He played three games and scored a goal. The team placed eighth.
Butcher played in the NHL All-Star Game
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...
in 1993, but as an injury replacement for Jeff Brown. The same year, Butcher scored a rare goal, the game-winner, against the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in Game 3 of the 1993 Norris Division
Norris Division
The NHL's Norris Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. The division moved to the Clarence Campbell Conference in 1981, with the Detroit Red Wings being the only member to remain from the previous season. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. The...
Finals.
Towards retirement
As Butcher aged, he became a less important player but still figured in trades for star players.Midway through the 1993–94 NHL season, on January 23, 1994 Butcher was one of three St. Louis players traded to the Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
for star defenceman Steve Duchesne
Steve Duchesne
Steve Duchesne is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL with several teams from 1986 until 2002...
. In 1994, Butcher was moved from Quebec to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the multi-player blockbuster trade of Mats Sundin
Mats Sundin
Mats Johan Sundin is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player. Originally drafted first overall in 1989, Sundin played his first four seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994, where he played the majority of his career, serving 11...
for Wendel Clark
Wendel Clark
Wendel L. Clark is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He is perhaps best known for being a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League , captaining the team from 1991 to 1994...
.
Butcher was released by Toronto on October 2, 1995. He was unable to catch on with another team and chose to retire at age 32.
Butcher played in 897 career NHL games, scoring 48 goals and 158 assists for 206 points, as well as adding 2,302 penalty minutes for the Canucks, Blues, Nordiques, and Maple Leafs.
Off-ice activities
During his career with the Canucks, Butcher worked as a car salesman and leasing agent in Vancouver during the off-seasons. Butcher eventually owned and operated several businesses, including a bar in Mississauga, OntarioMississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
. A woman at the bar accused Butcher of sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
after an after-work sexual encounter in 2002. In court, Butcher testified that the sex was consensual, and he was acquitted by a jury in 2004.
Butcher lives in Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
and is Director of Hockey Operations for the Bellingham Sportsplex
Bellingham Sportsplex
The Bellingham Sportsplex is a multi-use sports facility located in Bellingham, Washington. The Sportsplex contains two turf fields, primarily used for indoor soccer, and an ice rink, used by local amateur ice hockey teams, figure skating lessons and performances, and most importantly home games...
. He is also active in coaching for the Whatcom Warriors Amateur Hockey Association.
Butcher married the sister of former NHL players Doug Morrison
Doug Morrison
Doug Morrison is a professional ice hockey player who played 23 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Boston Bruins. Scored seven goals and three assists.- References :...
and Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison (ice hockey b. 1963)
Mark Morrison is a professional ice hockey player who played 10 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and is the current assistant coach of the St. John's AHL team.-Playing career:...
. Butcher has five children; his son, Matt, is a hockey prospect who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks and plays at Northern Michigan University
Northern Michigan University
Northern Michigan University is a four-year college public university established in 1899 located in Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With a population of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Northern Michigan University is the Upper Peninsula's largest...
.
Awards and achievements
- 1982: national team selection for World Junior Championships (gold medal)
- 1992: national team selection for World Championships (eighth place)
- 1993: NHL All-Star Game: (injury replacement for Jeff Brown)
Vancouver Canucks
- 1986–87: Hume Award (Unsung Hero) and Most Valuable Teammate
- 1988–89: Tracker Award (Most Aggressive)
- Most assists by a defenceman in one game (4 vs. Toronto on Nov. 29, 1990)
- Season lead in penalty minutes: 1984–85 (152), 1985–86 (188), 1986–87 (207), 1987–88 (285), 1988–89 (227)
- Left Vancouver in 1991 with franchise record (since broken) for career penalty minutes (1,668)
Career statistics
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 Regina Pats WHL 13 0 4 4 20 9 0 0 0 45
1979-80 Regina Pat Blues SJHL 0 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
1980-81 Regina Pats WHL 69 9 77 86 230 11 5 17 22 60
1981-82 Vancouver Canucks NHL 5 0 0 0 9 1 0 0 0 0
1981-82 Regina Pats WHL 65 24 68 92 318 19 3 17 20 95
1982-83 Vancouver Canucks NHL 55 1 13 14 104 3 1 0 1 2
1982-83 Kamloops Junior Oilers WHL 5 4 2 6 4 6 4 8 12 16
1983-84 Vancouver Canucks NHL 28 2 0 2 34 -- -- -- -- --
1983-84 Fredericton Express AHL 25 4 13 17 43 6 0 2 2 19
1984-85 Vancouver Canucks NHL 75 3 9 12 152 -- -- -- -- --
1984-85 Fredericton Express AHL 3 1 0 1 11 -- -- -- -- --
1985-86 Vancouver Canucks NHL 70 4 7 11 188 3 0 0 0 0
1986-87 Vancouver Canucks NHL 70 5 15 20 207 -- -- -- -- --
1987-88 Vancouver Canucks NHL 80 6 17 23 285 -- -- -- -- --
1988-89 Vancouver Canucks NHL 78 0 20 20 227 7 1 1 2 22
1989-90 Vancouver Canucks NHL 80 6 14 20 205 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 St. Louis Blues NHL 13 0 4 4 32 13 2 1 3 54
1990-91 Vancouver Canucks NHL 69 6 12 18 257 -- -- -- -- --
1991-92 St. Louis Blues NHL 68 5 15 20 189 5 1 2 3 16
1992-93 St. Louis Blues NHL 84 5 10 15 211 11 1 1 2 20
1993-94 St. Louis Blues NHL 43 1 6 7 76 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 Quebec Nordiques NHL 34 3 9 12 67 -- -- -- -- --
1994-95 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 45 1 7 8 59 7 0 0 0 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Totals 897 48 158 206 2302 50 6 5 11 122