Mark Messier

 

Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Nickname(s)	Moose, The Captain Mess, The Messiah
Height Weight	ft  in ( m) 205 lb (93 kg)
Pro Clubs	WHA  Indianapolis Racers  Cincinnati Stingers NHL  Edmonton Oilers  New York Rangers  Vancouver Canucks
Nationality	Canada
Born	January 18 1961 (1961--) (age 46), Edmonton, AB, CAN
NHL Draft	48th overall, 1979 Edmonton Oilers
Pro Career	1978 – 2004
Hall of Fame, 2007

Mark John Douglas Messier (born January 18, 1961, in Edmonton, Alberta) is a former ice hockey centreman of the National Hockey League. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL (1979-2004) with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks. He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association's Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers. At the time of his retirement, he was the last former WHA player still active in professional hockey, as well as the last active player who had played in the NHL in the 1970's.

Playing career

Indianapolis Racers (1978)

Mark Messier played Tier II Alberta Jr. Hockey with the St. Albert Saints. In 54 games, Messier had 74 points and 194 Penalty Minutes. ^[1] Messier also played a few games with the Portland Winter Hawks. Mark’s father Doug once played junior hockey with Pat Stapleton, the coach of the Indianapolis Racers. Doug called him and got Mark a contract to play hockey in Indianapolis for $30,000. ^[1] Mark signed the 5-game tryout contract at the age of 17. He failed to register a point and was released just before the Racers folded.

Cincinnati Stingers (1978-79)

Shortly after being released by Indianapolis, Mark was signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Stingers. While with the Cincinnati Stingers, Messier was on a line with Robbie Ftorek. ^[2] Ftorek was one of the top scorers in the league but Messier managed to get only one goal. He would play 47 games for the Stingers tallying only one goal and ten assists. While in Cincinnati, Messier was teammates with future Hall of Famer Mike Gartner, future NHL coach Barry Melrose, and future NHL referee Paul Stewart.

Edmonton Oilers (1979-1991)

Messier was drafted in the 3rd round, 48th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Messier was renowned as a fierce, tough competitor whose intense leadership in the locker room was as important as the goals he scored on the ice. He holds the distinction of being the only player ever to captain two different franchises to Stanley Cup championships, winning six championships in total.

Though Messier ranks second in all-time scoring with 1,887 points (694 goals and 1,193 assists) in the regular season, his greatness will always be measured in terms of playoff achievements. In Game 3 of the 1984 Finals, for example, with his Oilers trailing the four-time defending champion New York Islanders by a goal, it was Messier's goal that sparked a comeback by the Oilers. By the end of the series, Messier had earned the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the playoffs.

New York Rangers (1991-1997)

Messier was already known as a hockey superstar, but the birth of the Messier legend came as a New York Ranger in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the rival New Jersey Devils. Down 3-2 in the best of seven series, Messier confronted the New York media and publicly guaranteed a Game 6 victory. In a feat comparable in New York sports history to Babe Ruth's called shot and Joe Namath's Super Bowl III guarantee, he backed up his promise by scoring a natural hat trick in the third period which helped the Rangers erase a two-goal deficit. The Rangers went on to win the series and the Stanley Cup (with Messier scoring the Cup winning goal in game 7) — their first in 54 years.

The 1994 Stanley Cup would be the high watermark of the second half of Messier's career. In 1995-96, Messier came as close as he had since 1991-92 to breaking the 100-point plateau when, at the age of 35, he recorded a 99-point season. With Wayne Gretzky joining the Rangers in 1996-97, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals. The Rangers were defeated in the conference finals by the Philadelphia Flyers that year. An 84-point year during the 1996-97 regular season encouraged the Vancouver Canucks to sign the 36-year old to a high-priced free agent contract, ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky being together again on the same team after just one season.

Vancouver Canucks (1997-2000)

It was a high-profile move, with Messier returning to Canada after six years with the Rangers, but the honeymoon did not last. Before playing the season, Messier was given the team captaincy, taken from Trevor Linden. Shortly after acquiring Messier, Trevor Linden was traded by Mike Keenan to the New York Islanders. Sixty points in 1997-98 was his worst mark in a full year since his first NHL season; his next two seasons were shortened by injury. His demand that the #11 the team unofficially retired in honour of Wayne Maki be given to him hurt his image as well.^[3] He finished with 158 points over three years, and, having become unpopular with Canucks fans, left at the end of the 1999-2000 season.

Back on Broadway: New York Rangers (2000-2004)

After his tenure with the Canucks, he returned to New York to try to lead the Rangers back to glory. The Rangers held a press conference where they symbolically buried a hatchet, and Messier made an ill-fated "guarantee" of a playoff berth.^[4] Messier was also given back the team captaincy upon his return to the Rangers, handed over to him personally by Brian Leetch.

Messier's 67-point season as a 40-year old in 2000-01 was a mark better than any he established in his Vancouver years, showing that he could still be a valuable presence, but the Rangers missed the playoffs for the fourth year running. After missing half of 2001-02 due to an arm injury, Messier recorded only 23 points, and finished up next year with a 40-point campaign. On June 30, 2003, the Rangers traded Messier to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations. However, the Rangers resigned Messier again as an unrestricted free agent on September 3.

The 2003-04 season had been widely expected to be Messier's last. On November 4, 2003 against the Dallas Stars, Messier scored a pair of goals to vault past Gordie Howe into second on the all-time point scoring list. Eleven days later, Messier was the only active player to play in the legends game at Edmonton's Heritage Classic, suiting up with the Oiler alumni and making many light-hearted comments about being Edmonton's "ringer."^{[citation needed]} During his last game at Madison Square Garden, Messier received applause every time he touched the puck and, after the game, received a standing ovation while he skated around the Garden and bowed to every section of the stands.^[5] At the age of 43, most media outlets believed Messier had decided to quit. The NHL lockout eliminated the next season. All speculation ended on September 12, 2005, when he announced his retirement on ESPN radio.^[6] He is generally considered one of the greatest hockey players and greatest sports leaders of all time.

Post Retirement (2005-Present)

Messier retired eleven games behind Howe's NHL record 1,767 regular season games played. Messier holds the record for most NHL regular season and playoff season games played at 1,992. Messier is one of a handful of players to have played 25 NHL seasons, doing so over four decades.

On January 12, 2006 during a very emotional ceremony that featured most of the 1994 Stanley Cup team, the New York Rangers retired his number 11 in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. Fans unable to attend the game put their tickets back on the market, with front row seats being resold up to the price of $30,000. The ceremony lasted 75 minutes, making it the longest of its kind in the history of professional sports.During the game, the Rangers defeated the Oilers. [1] His is the 4th number retired by the Rangers. His number was retired by the Edmonton Oilers on February 27, 2007 against the Phoenix Coyotes, coached by former teammate Wayne Gretzky.^[7]

In February 2007, Messier publicly expressed interest in returning to the NHL, in the form of General Manager for the Rangers, however current GM Glen Sather responded by saying he has no plans of stepping down from his position.^[8] With the departure of Assistant GM Don Maloney from the Rangers organization in May 2007, Messier's name has been attached to possible replacements,^[9] however in July 2007 Jim Schoenfeld was announced as Maloney's replacement.

Off the ice

Messier attended St. Francis Xavier high school in Edmonton as he played junior hockey where his father Doug was his coach and mentor for his early years, where he played with the Spruce Grove Mets. Mark's brother Paul Messier was drafted by the Colorado Rockies 41st overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft, but he only played nine games with the club in 1978-79 before embarking on a long career in the German Bundesliga. His cousins Mitch and Joby also skated for NHL clubs. Joby was even briefly Mark's teammate on the Rangers.

Messier's son Lyon, who was born on August 16, 1987 is developing into a solid young hockey player and is currently a defenceman for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. Lyon's mother is former model Leslie Young. His current girlfriend and soon to-be wife, Kim Clark, gave birth to Mark's second son, Douglas Paul, on July 15, 2003, and daughter Jacqueline Jean in August, 2005.

Messier was featured in a Lays chips campaign that aired in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The commercials originally featured Messier being challenged to a bet by a local hockey fan, who bets that Messier cannot eat just one potato chip, in reference to the Lays slogan "bet you can't eat just one." Messier loses the bet, and ends up playing in a local 'beer league' hockey game, which he easily dominates. Later variations would have Messier himself making the same bet.

Almost thirty years after having played with the Saints, Messier is a legend in the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert, Alberta. One of the rinks in the local Campbell Arena bears Messier's name.

More recently, Messier has found time to do some work as a hockey analyst. He's occasionally seen on The NHL on Versus as a studio analyst, was an in-game analyst for The NHL All-Star Game on Versus, and has been a guest commentator on The NHL on NBC.

In Edmonton, a section of St. Albert Trail between St. Albert and the City of Edmonton, has been renamed to Mark Messier Trail as of February 26, 2007.

Awards & achievements

• 1983-84 - Stanley Cup Champion
• 1984-85 - Stanley Cup Champion
• 1986-87 - Stanley Cup Champion
• 1987-88 - Stanley Cup Champion
• 1989-90 - Stanley Cup Champion
• 1993-94 - Stanley Cup Champion
• 1989-90 - Hart Memorial Trophy Winner
• 1991-92 - Hart Memorial Trophy Winner
• 1983-84 - Conn Smythe Trophy Winner
• 1989-90 - Lester B. Pearson Award Winner
• 1991-92 - Lester B. Pearson Award Winner
• 1981-82 - First-Team All-Star Left Wing
• 1982-83 - First-Team All-Star Left Wing
• 1989-90 - First-Team All-Star Centre
• 1991-92 - First-Team All-Star Centre
• 1983-84 - Second-Team All-Star Left Wing
• Played in fifteen NHL All-Star Games in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2004
• Played for the Edmonton Oilers Heritage Classic alumni team while a member of the New York Rangers.
• The only professional athlete to have captained two different championship teams (Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers)
• In 1998, he was ranked number 12 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• On November 13, 2006, the National Hockey League created the Mark Messier Trophy, a monthly leadership award.
• His 1,887 points in the regular season are the most of any player without winning a single scoring title.
• He was the last active player that had played in the 1970s.
• He was selected as an inductee to the hockey hall of fame in June 2007 with the induction ceremony taking place November 2007.

Transactions

• August 9th, 1979- Edmonton Oilers' third round choice, 48th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft

• October 4th, 1991- Traded by the Edmonton Oilers, along with future considerations, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk.

• July 28th, 1997- Signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks.

• July 13th 2000- Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.

• June 20th, 2003- Traded by the New York Rangers to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for San Jose's 2004's 4th round draft choice.

• September 5, 2003- Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.

• June 12th, 2004- Officially announced retirement.

Career statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1976-77	Spruce Grove Mets	AJHL		57	27	39	66	91		--	--	--	--	--
1977-78	St. Albert Saints	AJHL		54	25	49	74	194		--	--	--	--	--
1977-78	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		--	--	--	--	--		7	4	1	5	2
1978-79	St. Albert Saints	AJHL		17	15	18	33	64		--	--	--	--	--
1978-79	Indianapolis Racers	WHA		5	0	0	0	0		--	--	--	--	--
1978-79	Cincinnati Stingers	WHA		47	1	10	11	58		--	--	--	--	--
1979-80	Houston Apollos	CHL		4	0	3	3	4		--	--	--	--	--
1979-80	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		75	12	21	33	120		3	1	2	3	2
1980-81	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		72	23	40	63	102		9	2	5	7	13
1981-82	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		78	50	38	88	119		5	1	2	3	8
1982-83	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		77	48	58	106	72		15	15	6	21	14
1983-84	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		73	37	64	101	165		19	8	18	26	19
1984-85	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		55	23	31	54	57		18	12	13	25	12
1985-86	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		63	35	49	84	68		10	4	6	10	18
1986-87	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		77	37	70	107	73		21	12	16	28	16
1987-88	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		77	37	74	111	103		19	11	23	34	29
1988-89	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		72	33	61	94	130		7	1	11	12	8
1989-90	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		79	45	84	129	79		22	9	22	31	20
1990-91	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		53	12	52	64	34		18	4	11	15	16
1991-92	New York Rangers	NHL		79	35	72	107	76		11	7	7	14	6
1992-93	New York Rangers	NHL		75	25	66	91	72		--	--	--	--	--
1993-94	New York Rangers	NHL		76	26	58	84	76		23	12	18	30	33
1994-95	New York Rangers	NHL		46	14	39	53	40		10	3	10	13	8
1995-96	New York Rangers	NHL		74	47	52	99	122		11	4	7	11	16
1996-97	New York Rangers	NHL		71	36	48	84	88		15	3	9	12	6
1997-98	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		82	22	38	60	58		--	--	--	--	--
1998-99	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		59	13	35	48	33		--	--	--	--	--
1999-00	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		66	17	37	54	30		--	--	--	--	--
2000-01	New York Rangers	NHL		82	24	43	67	89		--	--	--	--	--
2001-02	New York Rangers	NHL		41	7	16	23	32		--	--	--	--	--
2002-03	New York Rangers	NHL		78	18	22	40	30		--	--	--	--	--
2003-04	New York Rangers	NHL		76	18	25	43	42		--	--	--	--	--
NHL Totals				1756	694	1193	1887	1910		236	109	186	295	244

See also

• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of NHL seasons
• List of NHL players with 1000 points
• List of NHL players with 500 goals
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

References

External links

• Mark Messier's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Page at NYRangers.com
• Hockey-fans.com biography
• Mark Messier's biography at Legends of Hockey

• Legends of the "C"

Awards
Preceded by Billy Smith	Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy 1984	Succeeded by Wayne Gretzky
Preceded by Wayne Gretzky	Winner of the Hart Trophy 1990	Succeeded by Brett Hull
Preceded by Brett Hull	Winner of the Hart Trophy 1992	Succeeded by Mario Lemieux
Sporting positions
Preceded by Wayne Gretzky	Edmonton Oilers captains 1988-91	Succeeded by Kevin Lowe
Preceded by Kelly Kisio	New York Rangers captains 1991-97	Succeeded by Brian Leetch
Preceded by Trevor Linden	Vancouver Canucks captains 1997-2000	Succeeded by Markus Naslund
Preceded by Brian Leetch	New York Rangers captains 2000-05	Succeeded by Jaromir Jagr

Donate to Wikimedia