Grant Fuhr
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Grant S. Fuhr (born September 28, 1962), is a former goaltender in the National Hockey League. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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[edit] Background and early career
Born of biracial parents, Fuhr was adopted as a baby and raised in Spruce Grove, Alberta. At the age of seventeen, in 1979, Fuhr joined the Victoria Cougars of the WHL. After two stellar seasons in Victoria, Fuhr was drafted 8th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL entry draft. (He had also been drafted by the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball as a catcher.) He played for the Oilers for ten seasons, winning five Stanley Cups. In 1987, he won 40 games and made the All-Star game. In 1988, Fuhr won his only Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender. He battled substance abuse problems at the tail end of his career with Edmonton, and was suspended by the NHL.
[edit] International play
Fuhr was named to the 1984 Canada Cup team but saw limited action during the tournament. Grant was again selected to represent Canada for the 1987 Canada Cup. It was here that he cemented his reputation as one of the best goaltenders in the game. Playing against a tough Soviet Union squad, Fuhr turned away shot after shot during the three-game final.
[edit] Career summary
- He was a 2nd Team All-Star in 1982, 1st Team All-Star in 1988.
- In addition, he won the Vezina Trophy in 1988 and the William M. Jennings Trophy in 1994. He had a record of 403 wins, 295 losses and 114 ties as a goalie, with a 3.38 goals against average and 25 shutouts.
- All-Star Game - 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986(MVP), 1988, 1989
- He doubled for Marlon Wayans in the 1998 comedy Senseless for the scenes when Wayans played goalie under the influence of an experimental drug.
- In 1998, he was ranked number 70 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
[edit] Transactions
- Traded to Toronto by Edmonton with Glenn Anderson and Craig Berube for Vincent Damphousse, Peter Ing, Scott Thornton and Luke Richardson, September 19, 1991.
- Traded to Buffalo by Toronto with Toronto's 5th round choice (Kevin Popp) in 1995 Entry Draft for Dave Andreychuk, Daren Puppa and Buffalo's 1st round choice (Kenny Jonsson) in 1993 Entry Draft, February 2, 1993.
- Traded to Los Angeles by Buffalo with Philippe Boucher and Denis Tsygurov for Alexei Zhitnik, Robb Stauber, Charlie Huddy and Los Angeles' 5th round choice (Marian Menhart) in 1995 Entry Draft, February 14, 1995.
- Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, July 14, 1995.
- Traded to Calgary by St. Louis for Calgary's 3rd round choice (Justin Papineau) in 2000 Entry Draft, September 4, 1999.
- Officially announced retirement, September 6, 2000.
[edit] External links
[edit] Hall of Fame induction
Grant Fuhr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 2, 2003. In the press at the time, it was frequently noted that Fuhr was the first black person inducted into the hall. Fuhr himself found the insistence on his race surprising for two reasons. First, Fuhr never experienced any racism during his formative years in Spruce Grove, Alberta (near Edmonton, Alberta) or within the NHL. Second, Fuhr was adopted and raised by a white Canadian family.
Arguably, the focus on race took away from a ceremony remembering one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of hockey. Wayne Gretzky has said on many occasions that he believes Fuhr is the greatest goaltender in NHL history.[citation needed]
[edit] Coyotes' goalie coach
Wayne Gretzky hired Fuhr to be the Phoenix Coyotes goaltending coach on July 22, 2004. Fuhr maintains this position presently. He held a similar post with the Calgary Flames in the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 seasons.
| Preceded by Ron Hextall |
Winner of the Vezina Trophy 1988 |
Succeeded by Patrick Roy |
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1962 births | Black Canadians | Buffalo Sabres players | Calgary Flames players | Canadian adoptees | Canadian ice hockey goaltenders | Cape Breton Oilers players | Edmonton Oilers players | Hockey Hall of Fame | Ice hockey personnel from Alberta | Living people | Los Angeles Kings players | Moncton Alpines players | National Hockey League first round draft picks | National Hockey League players with retired numbers | People from Spruce Grove, Alberta | Phoenix Coyotes coaches | Rochester Americans players | Saint John Flames players | St. Louis Blues players | Stanley Cup champions | Toronto Maple Leafs players | Vezina Trophy winners | Victoria Cougars alumni
