Marty McSorley
Enforcer and two-time Stanley Cup champion with Edmonton.
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Marty McSorley is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played in the NHL from 1983 to 2000. He is notable for his role as an enforcer and teammate of Wayne Gretzky with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, winning two Stanley Cups with Edmonton. His career ended after an assault on Donald Brashear led to a criminal conviction and a lengthy NHL suspension.
Lore & Background
McSorley rose to fame after being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in September 1985, where his physical presence made incumbent enforcer Dave Semenko expendable. He became known as 'Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard' and followed Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 as part of a blockbuster trade. With the Kings, he became a fan favorite for his bruising style but also earned respect for his work ethic, team play, and intelligence off the ice.
He shared the NHL Plus-Minus Award in 1991 and led all defensemen in shorthanded goals in 1992–93. The Kings reached the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, but McSorley was caught with an illegal stick in Game 2, a turning point in the series loss to Montreal. He later played for Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, and returned to Edmonton before finishing with the Boston Bruins.
Reader's Guide
McSorley's legacy is defined by his role as an enforcer and his close association with Wayne Gretzky, serving as a protector on the ice. He was a key part of two Stanley Cup-winning Oilers teams and helped the Kings reach the 1993 Final. However, his career is overshadowed by the February 2000 incident in which he struck Donald Brashear in the head with his stick, causing a severe concussion. The NHL suspended him for the remainder of the season and playoffs, and he was found guilty of assault with a weapon in a criminal trial—the first such trial for an on-ice attack since 1988.
His suspension was extended to one full year, the longest for an on-ice incident in modern NHL history, and he never played another NHL game. After retirement, he coached in the AHL, worked as a TV analyst, and made appearances in films and television. His story illustrates the fine line between the enforcer's role and the consequences of crossing it.
Career statistics and honours
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1980–81 | Hamilton Kilty B's | GHL | 40 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 58 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 234 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 70 | 10 | 41 | 51 | 183 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 1983–84 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 72 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 224 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1984–85 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 58 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 154 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 47 |
| 1984–85 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1985–86 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 59 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 265 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 50 |
| 1985–86 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 41 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 159 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 65 |
| 1986–87 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 60 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 223 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 67 |
| 1988–89 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 66 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 350 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 33 |
| 1989–90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 75 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 322 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| 1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 61 | 7 | 32 | 39 | 221 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 |
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 71 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 268 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| 1992–93 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 399 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 60 |
| 1993–94 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 47 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 139 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1993–94 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 18 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 41 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 59 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 148 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996–97 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 57 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 186 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 56 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 140 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 46 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 101 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1999–2000 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 27 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Grand Rapids Griffins | IHL | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 961 | 108 | 251 | 359 | 3,381 | 115 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 374 | ||
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Marty McSorley (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- He appeared in the films Bad Boys (1995), Con Air (1997), and others.
More in Edmonton Oilers Players
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Marty McSorley (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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