Darren Turcotte (born March 2, 1968) is an American former professional
Ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
player.
Early life
Turcotte's family moved to
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...
where he spent most of his childhood. After his family returned to northern Ontario, he began playing ice hockey at the age of five.
He then played six seasons with the Pinehill Coffee Shop 'AAA' minor hockey team, which at the time was coached by his father Don Turcotte.
In 1984, now playing in the midget division, Darren scored 60 goals and in that same year he led the Pinehill Coffee Shop win the NOHA, Ontario, and Canadian Midget hockey titles.
After his impressive 60 goal season, Darren was drafted to the
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...
(OHL)
North Bay Centennials
The North Bay Centennials were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, who played from 1982–2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario.
History
The North Bay Centennials or "Cents" as they were popularly known, were named afte ...
in the third round. He played four seasons with the Centennials, averaging 60 points a season with 30 goals and 30 assists.
He also made it to the
OHL Cup The Ontario Hockey League Showcase Cup (more commonly known as the OHL Cup) is a tournament hosted by the Ontario Hockey League and operated by the Greater Toronto Hockey League with the purpose of providing an additional scouting opportunity to mi ...
championship final series in 1987, but North Bay lost the series in seven games to the
Oshawa Generals.
Turcotte finished his OHL career with a record of 128 goals and 150 assists for a total of 278 points with 211 regular season games played.
Professional career
Turcotte was drafted in the
1986 NHL Entry Draft
The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was the 24th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 21, 1986, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the revers ...
by the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
in the sixth round, number 114 overall. He made his NHL debut on October 6, 1988, but was sent down to the
Denver Rangers
The Denver Rangers were a professional hockey team based in Denver, Colorado that played for two seasons in the late 1980s. They were a member of the International Hockey League, and an affiliate of the New York Rangers. The team was originall ...
of the
International Hockey League (IHL).
After he scored 49 points in 40 games in the IHL, he was called back up to New York.
In his second game back, he registered his first NHL goal and went on to record his first career
hat trick a couple weeks later.
As a member of the Rangers, he played in the
NHL All-Star game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
in 1991. In Turcotte's NHL career he played for the Rangers (1988-1993),
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
(1993-1995),
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...
(1995-1996),
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
(1996-1997),
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
(1997-1998), and
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
(1998-200). In 2000, Turcotte was forced to end his NHL career in Nashville due to injuries. In his 12-year NHL career, Turcotte recorded 411 points with 195 goals and 216 assists in 635 career games.
Post career
After finishing his career with the Nashville Predators, Turcotte stayed in middle
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and founded the Southern Ice Lightning AAA Midget traveling team in
Brentwood, Tennessee. While in Tennessee, Turcotte began coaching his son Devan's tyke house league team as well as his Elite midget 'AAA' team.
After a few years in Tennessee, Turcotte returned to North Bay where he became the assistant coach for the
Abitibi Eskimos
The Timmins Rock are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Timmins, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL).
History
The Timmins Golden Bears became members of the NOJHL in 1991. The Golden Bears won thei ...
of the
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League
The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) is a Canadian Junior ice hockey league and member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Northern Ontario Hockey Association. The winner of the NOJHL playoffs competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup ...
(NOJHL) in 2005–06.
Shortly after, he became the head coach for the
North Bay Skyhawks
The Hearst Lumberjacks are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Hearst, Ontario, Canada, under new ownership for the 2017–18 season. They are a part of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). As the Powassan Hawks, the team won two Dud ...
for two seasons. During his two seasons with the Skyhawks, Turcotte had a 41-28-1 record.
Turcotte went on to be the assistant coach for the
Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team from 2008-2011. When Nipissing gained a women's ice hockey team in 2012, Turcotte made the switch to coaching women's hockey. He also coached the North Bay Ice Boltz midget AA girls' team, taking them to the finals of a LLFHL championship tournament in 2012 and the Esso Cup national championship in 2013.
Turcotte also coached the
Team USA inline hockey team that won gold at the 2006 World Inline Tournament. Turcotte also went on to create hockey camps and skill development programs in his hometown of North Bay.
On April 27, 2004, Turcotte was the 196th inductee into the North Bay Hockey Hall of Fame
and on May 3, 2013, he received the Judge Harry J. Reynolds Memorial Trophy for his contribution to hockey in North Bay.
Currently, he is the head coach of the
Nipissing Lakers women's ice hockey program.
Personal life
Turcotte is married to Deb Turcotte and together they have three children.
International play
Turcotte represented the United States at the 1987 and 1988
World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...
and senior level at the
1993 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 1993 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 57th such event sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Teams representing 32 countries participated in several levels of competition, with an additional six national tea ...
.
Awards
* Played in
NHL All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
(
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
)
Legacy
In the 2009 book ''100 Ranger Greats'', the authors ranked Turcotte at No. 86 all-time of the
901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first
82 seasons.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turcotte, Darren
1968 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey centers
Canadian ice hockey centres
Colorado Rangers players
Denver Rangers players
Hartford Whalers players
Ice hockey people from North Bay, Ontario
Nashville Predators players
National Hockey League All-Stars
New York Rangers draft picks
New York Rangers players
North Bay Centennials players
San Jose Sharks players
Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players
Ice hockey people from Boston