Mark Osborne
Encyclopedia
Mark Anatole Osborne is a retired Canadian ice hockey
player. Osborne played in the NHL
primarily as a checking winger between 1981 and 1995. Osborne played in 919 games, tallying 212 goals and 531 points.
of the OHL
for three seasons, between 1979 and 1981. After his second year there, he was selected 46th overall by the Detroit Red Wings
in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft
.
As a rookie in the 1981–82 season he scored an impressive 26 goals and totaled 67 points, which would prove to be the second highest point total of his career, behind his 73 in the 1989–90 season as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
During the 1983 off-season he was traded to the New York Rangers
in the trade that saw popular Ron Duguay
leave the Big Apple
.
In New York, Osborne played three and a half seasons, reaching the semifinals with them in 1986. At the 1987 trade deadline he was shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs
for his first stint there that lasted five and a half seasons. In Toronto he played on a line with Gary Leeman
and Ed Olczyk
called the GEM line. In November 1990, he was sent to the Winnipeg Jets, but returned to the Leafs in a 1992 trade deadline deal for Lucien Deblois
. In his second stint with Toronto he was on an effective checking line with Bill Berg
and Peter Zezel
and helped the Leafs reach the Conference Finals in two consecutive seasons (1993 and 1994), falling short each time of making it to the Stanley Cup Finals
.
Before the shortened 1995 season Osborne signed with the Rangers, for his final NHL season. He would go on to play three more years with the Cleveland Lumberjacks
of the IHL as a player-coach
, before retiring in 1997–98.
of the OHL from October 29, 1999 to August 2000, after serving as an assistant coach the previous season. He followed that by becoming assistant GM of the Mississauga IceDogs
for the 2002–03 season. Mark was a hockey analyst with The Score Television Network.
Mark is currently an analyst for Leafs TV
, a popular media outlet covering the Toronto Maple Leafs.
, and worked at a Christian hockey camp in the off-seasons in London, Ontario
and Moncton, New Brunswick
. His nickname is Ozzie. He is married to actress Madolyn Smith Osborne
.
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...
player. Osborne played in the NHL
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...
primarily as a checking winger between 1981 and 1995. Osborne played in 919 games, tallying 212 goals and 531 points.
Playing career
Osborne played his junior career for the Niagara Falls FlyersNiagara Falls Flyers
----The Niagara Falls Flyers were two junior ice hockey franchises that played in the top tier in the Ontario Hockey Association. The first, a Junior "A" team existed from 1960 until 1972, and the second in Tier I Junior "A" from 1976 until 1982....
of the OHL
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
for three seasons, between 1979 and 1981. After his second year there, he was selected 46th overall by 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...
in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft
1980 NHL Entry Draft
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft. The National Hockey League teams selected 210 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1979–80 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the...
.
As a rookie in the 1981–82 season he scored an impressive 26 goals and totaled 67 points, which would prove to be the second highest point total of his career, behind his 73 in the 1989–90 season as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
During the 1983 off-season he was traded to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
in the trade that saw popular Ron Duguay
Ron Duguay
Ronald Duguay is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach who played 12 seasons in the NHL from 1977 through 1989, and served four seasons as a minor league coach...
leave the Big Apple
Big Apple
"The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph...
.
In New York, Osborne played three and a half seasons, reaching the semifinals with them in 1986. At the 1987 trade deadline he was shipped to 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...
for his first stint there that lasted five and a half seasons. In Toronto he played on a line with Gary Leeman
Gary Leeman
Gary Leeman is a former professional ice hockey player in the NHL.-Playing career:He attended Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Saskatchewan and was a standout defenceman for two seasons with the WHL's Regina Pats where he was voted the league's Top Defenceman and a First Team All-Star.Leeman was...
and Ed Olczyk
Ed Olczyk
Edward Walter "Eddie" Olczyk is an American former head coach for the National Hockey League Pittsburgh Penguins and former center for Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins...
called the GEM line. In November 1990, he was sent to the Winnipeg Jets, but returned to the Leafs in a 1992 trade deadline deal for Lucien Deblois
Lucien DeBlois
Lucien DeBlois is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right wing / centre.-Career:DeBlois was selected in the 1977 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers in the first round, eighth overall. He was chosen over Mike Bossy by Rangers' GM John Ferguson, Sr...
. In his second stint with Toronto he was on an effective checking line with Bill Berg
Bill Berg
William Daniel Berg is a retired Canadian ice hockey player.-Playing career:Playing on both wing and defense, after a minor league apprenticeship with the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League - with whom he won a Calder Cup in 1990 - Berg started his National Hockey League career with...
and Peter Zezel
Peter Zezel
Peter Zezel was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who spent 15 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1984 and 1999. He was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario.-Playing career:...
and helped the Leafs reach the Conference Finals in two consecutive seasons (1993 and 1994), falling short each time of making it to the Stanley Cup Finals
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the professional club championship of ice hockey. Although the Cup itself has existed since 1893, an annual championship series between professional teams was not established until 1913...
.
Before the shortened 1995 season Osborne signed with the Rangers, for his final NHL season. He would go on to play three more years with the Cleveland Lumberjacks
Cleveland Lumberjacks
The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Facts:The Cleveland Lumberjacks were an International Hockey League team based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Facts:...
of the IHL as a player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
, before retiring in 1997–98.
Post playing career
After retiring he worked as general manager of the Toronto St. Michael's MajorsToronto St. Michael's Majors
The Toronto St. Michael's Majors, was a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The hockey program was founded and operated by St. Michael's College School in 1906, and adopted the name "Majors" in 1934, and was commonly referred to as St. Mike's...
of the OHL from October 29, 1999 to August 2000, after serving as an assistant coach the previous season. He followed that by becoming assistant GM of the Mississauga IceDogs
Mississauga IceDogs
The Mississauga IceDogs are a former junior ice hockey team in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Ontario Hockey League from 1998 to 2007. A sale relocated the team to St...
for the 2002–03 season. Mark was a hockey analyst with The Score Television Network.
Mark is currently an analyst for Leafs TV
Leafs TV
Leafs TV is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. It was launched in September 2001. The channel presents programming revolving around the Toronto Maple Leafs National Hockey League club and their American Hockey League affiliate,...
, a popular media outlet covering the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Personal facts
Osborne is a devout ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, and worked at a Christian hockey camp in the off-seasons in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
and Moncton, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. His nickname is Ozzie. He is married to actress Madolyn Smith Osborne
Madolyn Smith Osborne
Madolyn Smith Osborne is an American actress.Madolyn Smith Osborne may be best-known for her roles in the TV miniseries If Tomorrow Comes and the feature film Funny Farm, which co-starred Chevy Chase. In 1984, she appeared in 2010, with Roy Scheider...
.
External links
- http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1980/80046.html
- http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11238
- http://www.insidetoronto.com/sports/article/1023116--former-jet-weighs-in-on-the-nhl-team-s-move-back-to-winnipeg