Pierre Julien Turgeon (born August 28, 1969) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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 ...
coach and former player.
Selected
first overall by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, alon ...
in the
1987 NHL Entry Draft
The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was the 25th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, and was the first draft held in the United States. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into p ...
, Turgeon played in the NHL for the Sabres,
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...
,
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
,
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 ...
,
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...
and
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
. He is the younger brother of former NHL player
Sylvain Turgeon
Joseph Sylvain Dorilla Turgeon (born January 17, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 669 games in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Turgeon was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the 1983 NHL Ent ...
. They are the only two brothers in NHL history to be selected in the No. 1 and 2 slots of the draft (in separate years).
Playing career
Early years
Turgeon was a member of Canada's team that was involved in the "
Punch-up in Piestany
The Punch-up in Piestany was a bench-clearing brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union during the final game of the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Piešťany, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) on January 4, 1987. The incident result ...
", a
bench-clearing brawl
A bench-clearing brawl is a form of fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, in which most or all players on both teams leave their dugouts, bullpens, or benches, and charge onto the playing area in order to fight on ...
between
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
during the final game of the
1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''1987 WJHC'') was the 11th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship and was held in Piešťany, Trenčín, Nitra, and Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). Finland captured its f ...
in
Piešťany,
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
(now
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
) on January 4, 1987. He was the only Canadian who did not initially leave the bench until Canadian head coach
Bert Templeton
Robert "Bert" Templeton (May 11, 1940 – December 5, 2003) was a junior ice hockey coach. He worked primarily in the Ontario Hockey League from 1974 to 2003. Templeton compiled a career coaching record of 907-678-148 with major junior teams i ...
convinced him to go on the ice.
Regarding not leaving the bench, Turgeon stated in 2017: "that wasn't my job. I didn't have to fight."
Many of their teammates never forgave Turgeon for failing to defend his teammates. In the words of
Everett Sanipass
Everett Sanipass (born February 13, 1968) is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward. Sanipass was born in Elsipogtog First Nation, New Brunswick. Sanipass is the first Native Canadian to be inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.
Play ...
: "I'm looking for someone to help (Stéphane) Roy out and I look over at the bench. There's this dog Turgeon, just sitting there, with his head down. He wouldn't get his ass off the bench ... just sitting there when everyone's off the Soviet bench and at least one of our guys is in real trouble getting double-teamed."
Buffalo Sabres
Turgeon was drafted by the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, alon ...
as the first overall pick in the
1987 NHL Entry Draft
The 1987 NHL Entry Draft was the 25th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, and was the first draft held in the United States. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into p ...
.
Rick Jeanneret
John Richard Jeanneret (born July 23, 1942)Pergament, Alan (October 5, 2014)‘I feel like an American,’ Jeanneret says, as he gets cancer treatment here ''The Buffalo News''. Retrieved October 5, 2014. “Jeanneret received his first radiatio ...
, play-by-play announcer for the Sabres, coined the phrase ''"Ooh-la-la Pierre"'' for Turgeon.
Turgeon would quickly make an impact with the Sabres once he arrived. In his rookie season, he contributed a respectable 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) during the
1987–88 season, helping the Sabres reach the
Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs (french: Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley) is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league champion and the winner ...
for the first time in three years. His production increased to 88 points (34 goals and 54 assists) for the
1988–89 season as he quickly became a fan favourite. In the
1989–90 season, he became a star by scoring 106 points (40 goals and 66 assists) and playing in the
1990 NHL All-Star Game. Turgeon's production dipped a little bit in the
1990–91 season to 79 points (32 goals and 47 assists), but he was still a solid performer.
New York Islanders
On October 25, 1991, after over four years with the Sabres, Turgeon was traded (along with
Benoît Hogue
Benoît "Benny" Hogue (born October 28, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left wing. He was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, 35th overall, in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
After playing three seaso ...
,
Uwe Krupp
Uwe or UWE may refer to
* Uwe (given name)
* University of the West of England, Bristol
* UML-based web engineering
* University Würzburg's Experimental miniaturized satellites for space research UWE-1 and UWE-2
* Uwe - Wreck in Blankenese
Blank ...
and
Dave McLlwain
David Allan McLlwain (born June 9, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. McLlwain is best known for playing for a record four National Hockey League (NHL) teams (the Winnipeg Jets, the New York Islanders, the Buffalo Sabres ...
) to the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...
in exchange for
Pat LaFontaine
Patrick Michael LaFontaine (born February 22, 1965) is an American former ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and spent his entire playing career with the league's New York State-based teams.
LaFontaine played for th ...
,
Randy Wood,
Randy Hillier and future considerations. Turgeon's best season as an Islander was in
1992–93, where he scored 58 goals and 132 points and helped lead the Islanders to the
Wales Conference
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 20 ...
Finals, where they would lose to eventual
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
champion
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in five games. En route, the Islanders defeated the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
and upset the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
.
The first round series, which the Islanders won in six games, is infamous for an on-ice incident. After scoring a goal to put the Islanders up 5-1 during game six at
Nassau Coliseum, Turgeon was checked from behind by
Dale Hunter
Dale Robert Hunter (born July 31, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and the former head coach of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and current co-owner, president, and head coach of the London Knights ...
of the Capitals as he celebrated his goal. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder and missed the ensuing series against the Penguins. Hunter received a then-record 21-game suspension for the hit. Turgeon returned for the semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens after missing seven games. The Islanders were widely believed to be favorites to go on to the Stanley Cup that year and meet the Los Angeles Kings Bowed out to a less talented Canadiens team because of his injury.
The Islanders bowed out of the playoffs after a hard-fought five-game series, two of which went to overtime. After defeating the Islanders, the Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup.
As an Islander, Turgeon was awarded the
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in the 1992–93 season.
Montreal Canadiens
Following the
1994–95 NHL lockout in which the
1994–95 season was limited to 48 games, Islanders general manager
Don Maloney
Donald Michael Maloney (born September 5, 1958) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player. He is currently the Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Calgary Flames. He was formerly the general manager of the Phoenix/Arizona Coy ...
decided to rebuild the team, which included trading Turgeon and
Vladimir Malakhov to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for
Kirk Muller,
Mathieu Schneider
Mathieu David Schneider (born June 12, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey player. Considered an offensive defenseman, Schneider played 1,289 games in the National Hockey League with ten different teams, scoring 233 goals and tot ...
and
Craig Darby at the trading deadline. Turgeon would be named
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
of the Canadiens for the
1995–96 season after the departure of
Mike Keane
Michael John Keane (born May 29, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Undrafted, Keane played over 1,100 games in the National Hockey League from 1988 until 2004. He then played five seasons for his hometown Manitoba Moose ...
to the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
in December 1995. During the 1995–96 season, Turgeon would nearly record a 100-point season with 38 goals and 58 assists for 96 points; he would also play in the
1996 NHL All-Star Game.
Years in St. Louis
On October 29, 1996, Turgeon was traded to the
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 ...
(along with
Rory Fitzpatrick
Rory Brian Fitzpatrick (born January 11, 1975) is an American politician and former professional ice hockey defenseman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, ...
and
Craig Conroy
Craig Michael Conroy (born September 4, 1971) is an American former professional ice hockey player and the current assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). A sixth-round selection of the Montreal Canadi ...
) in exchange for
Murray Baron
Murray McElwain Roy Baron (born June 1, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Phoenix Coyotes, and ...
,
Shayne Corson
Shayne Paul Corson (born August 13, 1966) is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars. During hi ...
and a fifth-round pick in the
1997 NHL Entry Draft. Turgeon spent the next five seasons producing well with the likes of
Brett Hull
Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadian–American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Calgary Flames, ...
,
Chris Pronger
Christopher Robert Pronger ( or ; born October 10, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and a former advisor to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Originally selected second overall by the Hartford ...
,
Al MacInnis
Allan MacInnis (born July 11, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames (1981-1994) and St. Louis Blues (1994-2004). A first round selection of ...
and
Grant Fuhr
Grant Scott Fuhr (born September 28, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and former goaltending coach for the Arizona Coyotes, who is best remembered for a decade of stellar play for the Edmonton Oilers i ...
as teammates. He averaged more than 70 points per season and scored several key post-season goals during his tenure in St. Louis.
Dallas Stars/Colorado Avalanche
On July 1, 2001, Turgeon joined the
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...
as a free agent, followed by the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
as a free agent on August 3, 2005. Turgeon took a year off during the
2004–05 NHL lockout
The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play.
The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...
. Upon signing with the Avalanche, Turgeon switched his jersey number to #87 from his customary #77, as the number was retired by Colorado for
Ray Bourque
Raymond Jean Bourque (born December 28, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memoria ...
.
On November 8, 2005, Turgeon became the 34th player in NHL history to score 500 goals, doing so against the
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 ...
.
On September 5, 2007, Turgeon announced his retirement from the NHL. He is the highest-scoring player in NHL history who is otherwise eligible and has not been elected to the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
.
Coaching career
On July 10, 2017, Turgeon was named as the offensive coordinator of the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...
. On June 8, 2018, the Kings announced that they had accepted Turgeon's resignation to leave the organization due to family reasons.
Turgeon, the racehorse
George W. Strawbridge, Jr.
George W. Strawbridge Jr. (born October 10, 1937) is an American educator, historian, investor, sportsman and philanthropist.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Margaret ("Peggy") Dorrance and the stockbroker Geor ...
, an active shareholder of the Buffalo Sabres and director and member of the team's executive committee for more than 30 years, named one of his
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorses
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
in Pierre Turgeon's honor.
Turgeon raced for Strawbridge's racing stable in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
where he won several
conditions races
Conditions races are horse races in which the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the ...
and, after retiring, is developing into a successful
sire
Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.
The words "sire" a ...
Personal life
Turgeon and his wife Elisabeth have four children and currently live in
Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
The City of Cherry Hills Village is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 6,442 at the 2020 United States Census. Cherry Hills Village is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, C ...
. One of their children, Elizabeth, died in a car accident on December 23, 2010, near
Vaughn, New Mexico, at age 18. Turgeon represented Canada in the
Little League World Series
The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children—typically boys—aged 10 to 12 years old, held in the Eastern United States. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for the Wor ...
in
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
. Turgeon's son
Dominic
Dominic is a name common among Roman Catholics and other Latin-Romans as a male given name. Originally from the late Roman-Italic name "Dominicus", its translation means "Lordly", "Belonging to God" or "of the Master". Variations include: Domini ...
was drafted 63rd overall by the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
in the
2014 NHL Entry Draft. His daughter, Valérie Turgeon, was a forward for
Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey
The Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey team represents Harvard University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women's hockey. Harvard competes as a member of the ECAC Conference and plays its home games at the Bright H ...
team, playing for two seasons.
Awards and honors
*
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
See also
*
List of NHL statistical leaders
__NOTOC__
Skaters
The statistics listed include the 2021–22 NHL regular season and 2022 playoffs.
All-time leaders (skaters)
Active skaters (during 2022–23 NHL season) are listed in boldface.
Regular season: Points
Regular season: Po ...
*
Notable families in the NHL
This is a list of family relations in the National Hockey League. Since the creation of the National Hockey League in 1917, family members have been involved in all aspects of the league. Although most connections are among players, there have bee ...
*
List of NHL players with 1,000 points
The List of National Hockey League (NHL) players with 1,000 points is a list of the individual players who have scored at least 1,000 regular season points during their career in the NHL. A point in the NHL is awarded to a player for scoring a g ...
*
List of NHL players with 500 goals
For ice hockey players in the National Hockey League (NHL), scoring 500 regular season goals is considered a highly significant achievement.
As of the completion of the 2020–21 NHL season — the 103rd regular season of play of the National Hock ...
*
List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
The National Hockey League (NHL) is a major professional ice hockey league which operates in Canada and the United States. Since its inception in , 357 players have played at least 1,000 regular season games, varying in amounts between Patrick ...
References
External links
*
Profile at Greatest Hockey Legends
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turgeon, Pierre
1969 births
Living people
Buffalo Sabres draft picks
Buffalo Sabres players
Canadian ice hockey centres
Colorado Avalanche players
Dallas Stars players
French Quebecers
Granby Bisons players
Ice hockey people from Quebec
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners
Montreal Canadiens players
National Hockey League All-Stars
National Hockey League first-overall draft picks
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
New York Islanders players
Sportspeople from Rouyn-Noranda
St. Louis Blues players
Los Angeles Kings coaches
People from Arapahoe County, Colorado
Canadian ice hockey coaches