Jeffrey O'Neill (born February 23, 1976) is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

broadcaster and former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He played 12 seasons with the

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year 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 1 ...

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

and the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. He has earned accolades for his offensive contributions on the ice and represented Canada internationally in various tournaments.

Playing career

Minor hockey

O'Neill grew up in the community of King City, north of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, playing minor hockey for the King City Kings MHA as a youth. He grew up with two older brothers, Don and Ryan, both of whom played hockey. O'Neill played in the 1990

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament () is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, and give an opportunity for international competition to p ...

with the Richmond Hill-Vaughan Kings

minor ice hockey Minor ice hockey or minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body c ...

team from the

Ontario Minor Hockey Association The Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) is a minor ice hockey governing body in Ontario. The OMHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. History The OMHA was founded on November 30, 1940, after a merger of the Onta ...

. As a 14-year-old, he played at the Midget level with his brother Ryan — almost three years younger than some of his peers. At 15, O'Neill signed with the Thornhill Thunderbirds Jr. A club (OHA), whose coach Scott McLennan stated he had the skills to make it to the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; ) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The league is for players ag ...

. O’Neill's number was later retired by the Thunderbirds in 2004. He finished his rookie season second in the Metro Junior Hockey League in scoring. O'Neill was the first overall selection of the

Guelph Storm The Guelph Storm are a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre. History The franchise started as the Toronto Marl ...

in the 1992 OHL Priority Selection, held at

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...

in June 1992. He was named OHL Rookie of the Year that year after scoring 79 points in 65 games with the upstart Storm. His point total of 79 for a 16-year-old was the second highest total by a 16-year-old since

Kirk Muller Kirk Christopher Muller (born February 8, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current assistant coach with the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played in the NHL for 19 seasons from ...

recorded 112 with the

Guelph Platers The Guelph Platers were a junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The team played in the Ontario Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, and Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League. They were originally known as the CMC's un ...

in 1982–83. He also played in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

for the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...

. O'Neill spent three years in the OHL with the Storm before jumping to the NHL with the

in 1995. Also in 1995 he represented Canada at the world junior hockey championships, winning a gold medal.

NHL

O'Neill was drafted in the first round, fifth overall by the Hartford Whalers (now

) in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. After joining the Whalers in 1995, he spent the next two seasons in Hartford before following the franchise to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in 1997. His point production increased after he arrived in Carolina, scoring at least 30 goals per season each year between 2000 and 2003, including a career high 41 goals during the

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. The following year, the Hurricanes went on a Cinderella run to the

Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...

. During that playoff run, O'Neill led his team in playoff goals, including an overtime winner in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against his hometown team, the

. O'Neill has since proclaimed that game in Toronto as the greatest game of his professional career. After eliminating the Maple Leafs, his team would advance to the final series against 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 ...

. They could not prevail however, as the Red Wings were heavily favoured with several future Hall of Famers on the roster and eliminated the Hurricanes in 5 games. The Hurricanes could not repeat their success the next season as they missed the playoffs, but O'Neill recorded his third 30-goal season and was selected to his first

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game () is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many of the League's star players playing against each other. The ga ...

After his brother was killed in a car accident in Toronto in July 2005, O'Neill expressed a desire to play for the Maple Leafs in order to be closer to family. On July 30, 2005, Carolina GM

Jim Rutherford James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and executive. He is the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to his position wi ...

traded O'Neill to the

for a conditional draft pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Re-united with former

coach Paul Maurice, O'Neill enjoyed a resurgence early in the 2006–2007 season playing on the top line with

Mats Sundin Mats Johan Sundin (; born 13 February 1971) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), retiring in 2009. Originally drafted List of NHL first overall draft choice ...

and Alexander Steen, was briefly one of the top scorers. However, despite scoring 20 goals that season, O'Neill was benched for the remaining few games due to inconsistent performances. His poor performance combined with his fear of flying led him to consider retirement at the end of the season. After sitting out the following season, he was invited to the 2008-09 Training Camp by his former team, the

. Following training camp, O'Neill played in two exhibition games with the Hurricanes, but opted to retire before the official start of the season.

Broadcasting career

O'Neill is presently a sports broadcaster and hockey analyst with

The Sports Network The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language discretionary sports specialty channel owned by the Sports Network Inc., a subsidiary of CTV Specialty Television, which is also a joint venture of Bell Media (70%), also owned by BCE ...

, appearing on

broadcasts and

TSN Hockey ''TSN Hockey'' (formerly the ''NHL on TSN'' and ''The NHL Tonight on TSN'') is the blanket title used by TSN's broadcasts of the National Hockey League. After holding the Canadian national cable rights to the NHL from 1985 to 1998 and again from ...

programs. He currently co-hosts '' OverDrive'' on TSN Radio 1050 with host

Bryan Hayes Bryan Hayes (born October 8, 1958) is a Canadian politician. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the federal Conservative Party of Canada in the 2011 election, representing the Sault Ste. Marie riding.Jamie McLennan.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Jeff 1976 births Canadian ice hockey right wingers Canadian sportspeople of Irish descent Carolina Hurricanes players Guelph Storm players Hartford Whalers draft picks Hartford Whalers players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen King City Secondary School alumni Living people National Hockey League All-Stars NHL first-round draft picks Sportspeople from King, Ontario Ice hockey people from Richmond Hill, Ontario Toronto Maple Leafs players