Mark Messier

Mark "The Moose" Messier was born on January 18, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He began his professional hockey career in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and in 1979 was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2nd round, 48th overall. By his third year in the NHL, Messier was a bonafide star scoring over 100 points and combining with other Oiler greats to create a winning dynasty. He was the playoff MVP when the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1985, one of six cup victories for Messier in his distinguished career. Three more Stanley Cups would grace Messier and Oilers as he anchored the second line, behind all-time great, Wayne Gretzky.

When Gretzky was traded to the LA Kings, Messier emerged as a leader for the Oilers scoring a career high in points and leading them to a Stanley Cup victory in 1990. As the Oilers continued to dump salaries, Messier was traded to the New York Rangers for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice, and Louie Debrusk. The Rangers were looking to inject some badly needed leadership and scoring, nursing a 40 year Stanley Cup drought. Ranger fans would only have to wait a couple of years as Messier led the team to the elusive Stanley Cup Championship in 1994. Messier moved on to the Vancouver Canucks in 1997, a move that did not yield the desired results. Injuries limited Messier's playing time in Vancouver and in 2000 he returned to the New York Rangers. Though he was once the consumate combination of power, skill, and speed; Messier played a productive role with the Rangers. Mark Messier announced his retirement from hockey prior to the 2005-06 season. On January 12, 2006 the New York Rangers held an elaborate ceremony to honour Messier and raised his number "11" into the rafters of Madison Square Gardens. He should be a shoe-in for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Here is a summary of Mark Messier's NHL accomplishments;

Year    Team                 GP   G   A   Pts   Pim
1979-80 Edmonton Oilers      75  12  21    33   120 
1980-81 Edmonton Oilers      72  23  40    63   102 
1981-82 Edmonton Oilers      78  50  38    88   119 
1982-83 Edmonton Oilers      77  48  58   106    72 
1983-84 Edmonton Oilers      73  37  64   101   165
1984-85 Edmonton Oilers      55  23  31    54    57 
1985-86 Edmonton Oilers      63  35  49    84    68 
1986-87 Edmonton Oilers      77  37  70   107    73
1987-88 Edmonton Oilers      77  37  74   111   103
1988-89 Edmonton Oilers      72  33  61    94   130 
1989-90 Edmonton Oilers      79  45  84   129    79 
1990-91 Edmonton Oilers      53  12  52    64    34 
1991-92 New York Rangers     79  35  72   107    76
1992-93 New York Rangers     75  25  66    91    72 
1993-94 New York Rangers     76  26  58    84    76 
1994-95 New York Rangers     46  14  39    53    40 
1995-96 New York Rangers     74  47  52    99   122
1996-97 New York Rangers     71  36  48    84    88 
1997-98 Vancouver Canucks    82  22  38    60    58
1998-99 Vancouver Canucks    59  13  35    48    33
1999-00 Vancouver Canucks    66  17  37    54    30
2000-01 New York Rangers     82  24  43    67    89 
2001-02 New York Rangers     41   7  16    23    32 
2002-03 New York Rangers     78  18  22    40    30
2003-04 New York Rangers     76  18  25    43    42
NHL Totals                 1756 694 1193 1887  1910  



Trophies
Hart Memorial Trophy - 2 (1990, 1992)
Conn Smythe Trophy - 1 (1984)
Lester B. Pearson Trophy - 2 (1990, 1992)


Championships
Stanley Cup - 6 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994)

Team Pages:
Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks

Other Mark Messier Resources