Glen Wesley
Encyclopedia
Glen Edwin Wesley is a retired Canadian ice hockey
defenceman who played 10 seasons for the Hartford Whalers
/Carolina Hurricanes
of the National Hockey League
. He began his career with the Boston Bruins
, and briefly played for the Toronto Maple Leafs
. He is currently the Hurricanes' director of development for defensemen.
from the Portland Winter Hawks, appearing in 202 regular season games over 3+ seasons, scoring 49 goals and 175 assists for 224 points.
Wesley began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins, whom he played for from 1987 to 1994. He earned a berth on the 1988 All-Rookie team. He reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice with the Bruins, in 1988
and 1990
, though the Bruins lost both series.
Prior to the start of the 1994-95 season
, Wesley was traded to the Hartford Whalers for their first-round draft picks in 1995, 1996, and 1997. With the picks, the Bruins drafted Kyle McLaren
(1995), Johnathan Aitken
(1996) and Sergei Samsonov
(1997).
Wesley moved with the Whalers to Carolina in 1997 and quickly became a leader. In 2002
, he reached the Stanley Cup Finals
for a third time. In March 2003, nearing the trade deadline, he was traded from Carolina to Toronto, joining the Maple Leafs for the rest of the 2002–2003 season in an effort for both teams to make the Stanley Cup
playoffs. He re-signed with the Hurricanes at the end of the season. Wesley won his first Stanley Cup on June 19, 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, defeating the Edmonton Oilers
, his childhood favorite team. When he won this, he ended one of the longest streaks for active players who had not yet won a Stanley Cup. Wesley played two more seasons with the Hurricanes before retiring, leaving the Hurricanes as the only player to have played in each of the Hurricanes' first 10 seasons since the team relocated to North Carolina.
On June 5, 2008 Wesley announced his retirement at after his 20th NHL season, and his 10th with the Carolina Hurricanes. He remains in the Hurricanes organization as Director of Defensemen Development. The Hurricanes retired Wesley's No. 2 jersey February 17, 2009, while hosting the Boston Bruins at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC.
Wesley, a resident of the United States
since he was in his early 20s, is now an American citizen. He took the Stanley Cup to Camp Lejeune, to the beach, and to his churches for his day with the Cup. He visited with family and topped it off with a giant sundae from the Cup.
is also a retired NHL defenseman.
Wesley lived in Danvers, Massachusetts
in the early 1990s while a member of the Bruins and Avon, Connecticut
from 1994 until 1997 when the Whalers relocated to North Carolina. The Wesley family now resides in Cary, North Carolina
.
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 who played 10 seasons for the Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
/Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
of 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...
. He began his career with the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, and briefly played for 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...
. He is currently the Hurricanes' director of development for defensemen.
Playing career
Wesley was drafted 3rd overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft1987 NHL Entry Draft
The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1986–87 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those players selected.-Selections...
from the Portland Winter Hawks, appearing in 202 regular season games over 3+ seasons, scoring 49 goals and 175 assists for 224 points.
Wesley began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins, whom he played for from 1987 to 1994. He earned a berth on the 1988 All-Rookie team. He reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice with the Bruins, in 1988
1988 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1988 Stanley Cup Finals was between the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins. The Oilers would win the series 4–0 in five games; game four was abandoned due to a power failure at the Boston Garden with the score tied 3–3 and replayed.-Paths to the Final:...
and 1990
1990 Stanley Cup Finals
In the 1990 Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins four games to one. For the Oilers, it was their fifth Cup win in seven years, and the only one without Wayne Gretzky...
, though the Bruins lost both series.
Prior to the start of the 1994-95 season
1994-95 NHL season
The 1994–95 NHL season was the 78th regular season of the National Hockey League. The teams played a shortened season, due to a lockout of the players by the owners. In addition, the NHL All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to take place January 20–21, 1995 in San Jose, CA, was canceled...
, Wesley was traded to the Hartford Whalers for their first-round draft picks in 1995, 1996, and 1997. With the picks, the Bruins drafted Kyle McLaren
Kyle McLaren
Kyle Edgar McLaren is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.-Playing career:McLaren was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the first round, ninth-overall, during the 1995 NHL Entry Draft...
(1995), Johnathan Aitken
Johnathan Aitken
Johnathan James Aitken is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman.-Playing career:Aitken was drafted 8th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins. He only played three games for them. For the 2000–01 season he went over to the Czech Republic to play for HC Sparta Praha...
(1996) and Sergei Samsonov
Sergei Samsonov
Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov is a Russian professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent.- Playing career :Samsonov was drafted by the Boston Bruins eighth overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Boston drafted Joe Thornton first overall in the same draft...
(1997).
Wesley moved with the Whalers to Carolina in 1997 and quickly became a leader. In 2002
2001-02 NHL season
The 2001–02 NHL season was the 85th regular season of the National Hockey League. Thirty teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Detroit Red Wings, who won the best of seven series 4–1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.-League business:...
, he reached the Stanley Cup Finals
2002 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2002 Stanley Cup Finals was contested by the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes, making their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Detroit defeated Carolina in five games to win their tenth Stanley Cup championship...
for a third time. In March 2003, nearing the trade deadline, he was traded from Carolina to Toronto, joining the Maple Leafs for the rest of the 2002–2003 season in an effort for both teams to make the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
playoffs. He re-signed with the Hurricanes at the end of the season. Wesley won his first Stanley Cup on June 19, 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, defeating the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, his childhood favorite team. When he won this, he ended one of the longest streaks for active players who had not yet won a Stanley Cup. Wesley played two more seasons with the Hurricanes before retiring, leaving the Hurricanes as the only player to have played in each of the Hurricanes' first 10 seasons since the team relocated to North Carolina.
On June 5, 2008 Wesley announced his retirement at after his 20th NHL season, and his 10th with the Carolina Hurricanes. He remains in the Hurricanes organization as Director of Defensemen Development. The Hurricanes retired Wesley's No. 2 jersey February 17, 2009, while hosting the Boston Bruins at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC.
Wesley, a resident of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since he was in his early 20s, is now an American citizen. He took the Stanley Cup to Camp Lejeune, to the beach, and to his churches for his day with the Cup. He visited with family and topped it off with a giant sundae from the Cup.
Personal life
Wesley and his wife, Barb, have 3 children, Amanda, Josh and Matthew. His older brother BlakeBlake Wesley
Trevor "Blake" Wesley is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played parts of seven seasons in the National Hockey League for the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and Toronto Maple Leafs. His younger brother Glen also played in the NHL.-External links:...
is also a retired NHL defenseman.
Wesley lived in Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
in the early 1990s while a member of the Bruins and Avon, Connecticut
Avon, Connecticut
Avon is a town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. , the town had a population of 18,098.Avon is a suburb of Hartford. Avon Old Farms School, a prestigious boarding school, is located there. In 2005, Avon was named the third-safest town in America by...
from 1994 until 1997 when the Whalers relocated to North Carolina. The Wesley family now resides in Cary, North Carolina
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
.
Awards and achievements
- Named Western Hockey LeagueWestern Hockey LeagueThe 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...
Western Conference Defenceman of the Year 1985–86 and 1986–87 - Named to the NHL All-Rookie TeamNHL All-Rookie TeamThe NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year...
in 1988. - Played in NHL All-Star Game (1989)
- Member of Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
champion Carolina HurricanesCarolina HurricanesThe Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
in 2006. - Had his number 2 retired by the Carolina Hurricanes on February 17, 2009.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A 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... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM 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,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1983–84 | Portland Winter Hawks Portland Winter Hawks The Portland Winterhawks are a major junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League, a member league in the Canadian Hockey League. They play their home games at the Memorial Coliseum, though typically a few games each season are also played in the... |
WHL 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... |
3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 67 | 16 | 52 | 68 | 76 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1985–86 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 69 | 16 | 75 | 91 | 96 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 29 | ||
| 1986–87 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 63 | 16 | 46 | 62 | 72 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 27 | ||
| 1987–88 | Boston Bruins Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the... |
NHL | 79 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 69 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 22 | ||
| 1988–89 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 77 | 19 | 35 | 54 | 61 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 78 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 48 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 36 | ||
| 1990–91 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 80 | 11 | 32 | 43 | 78 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 19 | ||
| 1991–92 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 78 | 9 | 37 | 46 | 54 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 15 | ||
| 1992–93 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 64 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 47 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 81 | 14 | 44 | 58 | 64 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 1994–95 | Hartford Whalers Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97... |
NHL | 48 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 68 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 68 | 8 | 26 | 32 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Carolina Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center... |
NHL | 82 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 74 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 78 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 71 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 77 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 56 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 2002–03 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 63 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | 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... |
NHL | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 74 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 64 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 46 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 2006–07 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 68 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 78 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1457 | 128 | 409 | 537 | 1045 | 169 | 15 | 38 | 53 | 141 | ||||