Tom Barrasso
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Thomas Patrick Barrasso (born March 31, 1965 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a former National Hockey League goaltender who played 18 seasons for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues.
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[edit] Playing career
Tom Barrasso grew up in the town of Stow, Massachusetts, playing ice hockey on an outdoor rink. He started playing goalie when he was only 4 years old and by the time he was a teenager, playing in net for Acton-Boxborough high school, Barrasso was considered one of the most promising American goaltending prospects of all time. He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres with the 5th overall pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the highest drafted goalie ever until Roberto Luongo was taken 4th overall in 1997. Skipping a college career, he went straight from high school to the NHL where he exceeded all expectations. Barrasso won the Calder Trophy and Vezina Trophy in his first season, becoming just the third player to win both awards in the same year. He next made his debut for Team USA at the 1984 Canada Cup at only 19 years of age. He also played at the 1986 Ice Hockey World Championship and the 1987 Canada Cup.
In 1988, the Sabres traded Barrasso to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he won two Stanley Cups, in 1991 and 1992. It was his outstanding play in these Cup runs that established him as a "money goalie", someone who could deliver wins when it counted the most. In the following years, Barrasso almost entirely missed two seasons, the 1994-95 NHL season and the 1996-97 NHL season with injuries but came back with good performances in the next years. In 1997 he became the first American goaltender to record 300 NHL wins. A fiercely proud competitor, in his later seasons in Pittsburgh he developed a strained relationship with the local media whom he felt were disrespectful of him and his family.
In March 2000, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators. A notable incident that happened was after the Senators were defeated in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spent the 2000-01 season out of hockey and returned with the Carolina Hurricanes in time for the 2001-02 season. He did however enjoy some late international success, winning Silver at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
In his last few seasons he briefly played for several teams, the Ottawa Senators, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the St. Louis Blues until retiring from ice hockey in 2003. He signed a pro forma contract with Pittsburgh on the day he declared retirement so he could leave hockey as a Penguin.
Tom now lives with his wife Megan, as well as his three daughters, Ashley, Kelsey, and Mallory.
Tom When He Was With The Penguins Image:Tom barraso 1.jpg
[edit] Awards & Achievements
- 1984 - Calder Trophy (Top rookie in NHL)
- 1984 - Vezina Trophy (Top goaltender in NHL)
- 1985 - William M. Jennings Trophy (Team with fewest goals allowed - shared with Bob Sauve)
- 1991 - Stanley Cup Champion (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- 1992 - Stanley Cup Champion (Pittsburgh Penguins)
- 2002 - Olympic ice hockey silver medalist (Team USA)
[edit] Records
- Most NHL wins by a U.S.-born goaltender - 369
- Most NHL assists by a goaltender - 48
- Most NHL points by a goaltender - 48
[edit] International play
Barrasso won an Olympic silver medal for his role on the United States Men's Ice Hockey Team.
[edit] Trivia
Barrasso was the only member of the Pittsburgh Penguins to not allow the makers of the 1995 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Sudden Death to use his name in the film.
Barrasso graduated high school with professional hockey player Jeff Norton in 1983
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Steve Larmer |
Winner of the Calder Trophy 1984 |
Succeeded by Mario Lemieux |
| Preceded by Pete Peeters |
Winner of the Vezina Trophy 1984 |
Succeeded by Pelle Lindbergh |
Categories: 1965 births | American ice hockey players | Buffalo Sabres draft picks | Buffalo Sabres players | Calder Trophy winners | Carolina Hurricanes players | Italian-American sportspeople | Living people | National Hockey League first round draft picks | Olympic competitors for the United States | Ottawa Senators players | Pittsburgh Penguins players | Rochester Americans players | St. Louis Blues players | Stanley Cup champions | Toronto Maple Leafs players | Vezina Trophy winners | Winter Olympics medalists
