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Pierre Turgeon
Pierre Turgeon
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2023
	Turgeon in 2023
Born	August 28, 1969 (age 55); Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Buffalo Sabres; New York Islanders; Montreal Canadiens; St. Louis Blues; Dallas Stars; Colorado Avalanche
NHL draft	1st overall, 1987; Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	1987–2007

Pierre Julien Turgeon (TUHR-zhawn,^[1] French pronunciation: [tyʁ.ʒɔ̃]; born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Turgeon played in the NHL for the Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Sylvain Turgeon. He is one of 48 players to have scored 500 goals. Turgeon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 13, 2023.^[2]

Playing career

Early years

Turgeon was a member of Canada's team that was involved in the "Punch-up in Piestany", 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. He was the only Canadian who did not initially leave the bench until Canadian head coach Bert Templeton convinced him to go on the ice.^[3] Many of his teammates never forgave Turgeon for failing to defend his teammates. In the words of Everett Sanipass: "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."^[4] Regarding not leaving the bench, Turgeon stated in 2017: "that wasn't my job. I didn't have to fight."^[3]

Buffalo Sabres

Turgeon was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres as the first overall pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Rick Jeanneret, 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 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, Uwe Krupp and Dave McLlwain) to the New York Islanders in exchange for Pat LaFontaine, Randy Wood, Randy Hillier and future considerations.^[5] 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 Finals, where they would lose to eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens in five games. En route, the Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals and upset the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins.

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 of the Capitals as he celebrated his goal. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder and missed the first six games of the ensuing series against the Penguins. Hunter received a then-record 21-game suspension for the hit.^[6] In the semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens, Turgeon tallied five points in four games.^[7] ^[8] 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 decided to rebuild the team, which included trading Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Kirk Muller, Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby at the trading deadline. Turgeon would be named captain of the Canadiens for the 1995–96 season after the departure of Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche 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.

St. Louis Blues

On October 29, 1996, Turgeon was traded to the St. Louis Blues (along with Rory Fitzpatrick and Craig Conroy) in exchange for Murray Baron, Shayne Corson 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, Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis and Grant Fuhr 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 and Colorado Avalanche

On July 1, 2001, Turgeon joined the Dallas Stars as a free agent, followed by the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent on August 3, 2005. Turgeon took a year off during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. 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.

On November 8, 2005, Turgeon became the 34th player in NHL history to score 500 goals, doing so against the San Jose Sharks.

On September 5, 2007, Turgeon announced his retirement from the NHL.^[9]

Post-playing career

Turgeon was first considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, but was not selected. In 2023, after 13 years of being eligible, Turgeon would be selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, with him being inducted on November 13, 2023. Up until his selection, he was one of only 5 (Peter Bondra, Jeremy Roenick (later elected in 2024), Keith Tkachuk, and Pat Verbeek) eligible players with 500 goals to not be in the Hall of Fame. Also, at the time of his induction, he is the 9th (Dale Hawerchuk, Guy Lafleur, Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Mike Modano, Gilbert Perreault, Denis Potvin, and Mats Sundin) enshrined player to have been a first pick in the NHL draft.

Coaching career

On July 10, 2017, Turgeon was named as the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Kings.^[10] On June 8, 2018, the Kings announced that they had accepted Turgeon's resignation to leave the organization due to family reasons.^[11]

Personal life

Turgeon and his wife Elisabeth have four children and currently live in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. One of their children, Elizabeth, died in a car accident on December 23, 2010, near Vaughn, New Mexico, at age 18.^[12] Turgeon represented Canada in the Little League World Series in 1982. Turgeon's son Dominic was drafted 63rd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.^[13] His daughter, Valérie Turgeon, was a forward for Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey team, playing for two seasons.^[14]^[15]

In popular culture

George W. Strawbridge, Jr., 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 racehorses in Pierre Turgeon's honor. Turgeon raced for Strawbridge's racing stable in France where he won several conditions races and, after retiring, is developing into a successful sire. [1] [2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1984–85	Bourassa Angevins	QMAAA	41	49	52	101	26	5	3	8	11	2
1985–86	Granby Bisons	QMJHL	69	47	67	114	31	—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Canada	Intl	11	2	4	6	2	—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Granby Bisons	QMJHL	58	69	85	154	8	7	9	6	15	15
1987–88	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	76	14	28	42	34	6	4	3	7	4
1988–89	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	80	34	54	88	26	5	3	5	8	2
1989–90	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	80	40	66	106	29	6	2	4	6	2
1990–91	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	78	32	47	79	26	6	3	1	4	6
1991–92	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	8	2	6	8	4	—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	New York Islanders	NHL	69	38	49	87	16	—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	New York Islanders	NHL	83	58	74	132	26	11	6	7	13	0
1993–94	New York Islanders	NHL	69	38	56	94	18	4	0	1	1	0
1994–95	New York Islanders	NHL	34	13	14	27	10	—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	15	11	9	20	4	—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	80	38	58	96	44	6	2	4	6	2
1996–97	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	9	1	10	11	2	—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	St. Louis Blues	NHL	69	25	49	74	12	5	1	1	2	2
1997–98	St. Louis Blues	NHL	60	22	46	68	24	10	4	4	8	2
1998–99	St. Louis Blues	NHL	67	31	34	65	36	13	4	9	13	6
1999–2000	St. Louis Blues	NHL	52	26	40	66	8	7	0	7	7	0
2000–01	St. Louis Blues	NHL	79	30	52	82	37	15	5	10	15	2
2001–02	Dallas Stars	NHL	66	15	32	47	16	—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Dallas Stars	NHL	65	12	30	42	18	5	0	1	1	0
2003–04	Dallas Stars	NHL	76	15	25	40	20	5	1	3	4	2
2005–06	Colorado Avalanche	NHL	62	16	30	46	32	5	0	2	2	6
2006–07	Colorado Avalanche	NHL	17	4	3	7	10	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals			1,294	515	812	1,327	452	109	35	62	97	36

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987	Canada	WJC	DSQ		6	3	0	3	2
Junior totals					6	3	0	3	2

Awards and honours

Award	Year
QMJHL
Michel Bergeron Trophy	1986
Mike Bossy Trophy	1987
NHL
All-Star Game	1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy	1993	^[16]

References

^ "2021-22 PronunciationGuide" (PDF). NHL. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
^ NHL.com (November 13, 2023). "Highlights from Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 speeches". NHL.com. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Maki, Alan (December 22, 2017). "The brawl that started it all". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
^ Joyce, Gare (2006). When the Lights Went Out. Random House. ISBN 978-0-385-66275-8.
^ "Sabres deal Turgeon, get LaFontaine". The Buffalo News. October 25, 1991. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
^ LaPointe, Joe (May 5, 1993). "HOCKEY; Hunter's Attack Costs Him the First 21 Games". The New York Times. Pittsburgh. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
^ "Hockey-Reference.com". Retrieved November 13, 2013.
^ Crothers, Time (1993-12-06). "Dale Hunter". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
^ "Pierre Turgeon retires from NHL". cbc.ca. September 5, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
^ "Pierre Turgeon Joins LA Kings as 'Offensive Coordinator' Assistant Coach". NHL.com. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
^ "LA Kings Announce Change to Coaching Staff". NHL.com. July 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
^ "Pierre Turgeon's daughter killed in crash". Vaughan, N.M: The Toronto Star. December 25, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
^ 3rd Round Draft Pick, NHL.com, June 28, 2014.
^ "Val Turgeon". Harvard. Harvard University. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^ "Valérie Turgeon". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
^ "Lady Byng Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
Profile at Greatest Hockey Legends

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Joe Murphy	NHL first overall draft pick 1987	Succeeded by Mike Modano
Preceded by Shawn Anderson	Buffalo Sabres first round draft pick 1987	Succeeded by Joel Savage
Preceded by Wayne Gretzky	Winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy 1993	Succeeded by Wayne Gretzky
Sporting positions
Preceded by Mike Keane	Montreal Canadiens captain 1995–96	Succeeded by Vincent Damphousse