John Grahame

Did You Know?

• John Grahame is the son of former professional goaltender Ron Grahame, who won the Avco Cup.
• His father was traded for the draft pick used to select John's future teammate Ray Bourque.
• John and his mother Charlotte are the first mother and son to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Playing career

Grahame played for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL before being selected by the Boston Bruins in the 1994 NHL entry draft. He then played three seasons of collegiate hockey with the Lake Superior State Lakers of the CCHA, becoming the only Lakers goaltender to appear in more than 50 NHL games or win the Stanley Cup. Turning professional in 1997–98, he was assigned to the Providence Bruins. In his second professional season, he led Providence to a Calder Cup victory. During the 1999–2000 season, Grahame was called up to Boston to back up Byron Dafoe and finished second in voting for the league's all-rookie team. A broken ankle in the 2000 offseason hindered his recovery, and he remained with Boston for three more seasons before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003. The following season, he had the best year of his career as a backup, allowing starter Nikolai Khabibulin extended rest, and the Lightning won the Stanley Cup. Grahame became Tampa Bay's starting goaltender in 2005–06 but was publicly criticized by head coach John Tortorella after poor starts contributed to a first-round playoff elimination. He signed a two-year, $2.8 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 1, 2006. After starting the 2007–08 season with a 4–6–1 record, he was placed on waivers on January 4, 2008, and the Hurricanes called up Michael Leighton to replace him. Grahame was recalled on January 21. He played one game for the United States Olympic team in the 2006 Winter Olympics and started for the U.S. National Team at the 2007 World Championships. In May 2008, as a free agent, he signed with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.