Carey Wilson (ice hockey)
Canadian centre who scored an Olympic hat trick and played for five NHL teams.
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Carey John Wilson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who spent ten seasons in the National Hockey League. He stands out for having played in the Canadian Hockey League, NCAA, top-tier European hockey, and for Canada’s national team before ever stepping onto an NHL rink. In the opening game of the 1984 Winter Olympics, he scored a hat trick in a 4–2 win over the United States.
Wilson began his playing career with five games for the Calgary Wranglers of the Western Hockey League in 1978–79, then spent two seasons at Dartmouth College. The Chicago Blackhawks selected him 67th overall in the 1980 NHL entry draft.
In 1982, he was part of the first Canadian World Junior team to win a gold medal. After college, he played two seasons with HIFK in Finland’s SM-liiga, followed by the 1983–84 season with the Canadian National Team, which led to his Olympic appearance. He had been traded by the Blackhawks to the Calgary Flames in 1982 for Denis Cyr, and joined the Flames after the Olympics.
Wilson made an immediate impression in the NHL, scoring on his first shot during his second shift in his first game, beating Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Bob Froese. He finished that season with the Flames and posted 72 points the following year, earning Rookie of the Month honours for October 1984. He remained a steady contributor for Calgary until he was traded to the Hartford Whalers midway through the 1987–88 season. Less than a year later, he was moved again, this time to the New York Rangers.
He finished the 1988–89 season strongly, recording 55 points in 41 games for the Rangers. After one more season in New York, he was traded back to the Whalers. He played only 45 games for Hartford in 1990–91 before being traded back to the Flames, where he played a few more seasons until a knee injury forced his retirement in 1992–93. He came out of retirement in 1996–97 to play seven games for the Manitoba Moose of the IHL, his only stint in the minor leagues.
Wilson is the son of Jerry Wilson, who played three NHL games for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1950s and later served as team doctor for the Winnipeg Jets. His twin brother, Geoff Wilson, also played hockey and joined him on HIFK in Finland’s SM-liiga during the 1982–83 season.
Personal life
In the early 1970s, Wilson lived in Sweden while his father worked as a medical researcher.
Lore & Background
Wilson began his playing career with five games for the Calgary Wranglers of the Western Hockey League in 1978–79, then played two seasons at Dartmouth College. He was drafted 67th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1980. In 1982 he was a member of the first Canadian World Junior team to win a gold medal.
After college, he played two seasons for HIFK in Finland's SM-liiga, winning the Matti Keinonen trophy for best plus/minus rating in 1982–83. He then played the 1983–84 season for the Canadian National Team, which led to his participation in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, where he scored a hat trick in a 4–2 victory over the United States in the opening game. After the Olympics he joined the Calgary Flames, having been traded by the Blackhawks for Denis Cyr in 1982.
Wilson made an immediate NHL impact, scoring on his first shot in his second shift in his first game, against Bob Froese of the Philadelphia Flyers. He finished that season with the Flames and the next season scored 72 points, winning Rookie of the Month for October 1984. He was traded to the Hartford Whalers in the middle of the 1987–88 season, then less than a year later to the New York Rangers. With the Rangers he scored 55 points in 41 games in 1988–89.
After one more season with the Rangers, he was traded back to the Whalers, playing 45 games in 1990–91 before being traded back to the Flames. He retired in 1992–93 due to a knee injury. He came out of retirement in 1996–97 to play seven games for the Manitoba Moose of the IHL, his only minor league experience.
Reader's Guide
Carey Wilson's career is marked by an unusual path that crossed multiple levels of hockey before he ever played an NHL game. His journey through the WHL, NCAA, Finland's SM-liiga, and the Canadian National Team—culminating in an Olympic hat trick—set him apart from most players of his era. His immediate NHL success, scoring on his first shot in his second shift, demonstrated his readiness despite the late start. Wilson's career was defined by frequent trades: he played for the Calgary Flames, Hartford Whalers, and New York Rangers, often in short stints, yet he consistently produced offensively, notably a 55-point half-season with the Rangers.
His knee injury cut his career short, but he later returned briefly in the IHL. Off the ice, Wilson was a pre-med student at Dartmouth who completed his degree during off-seasons, and after retirement he founded the Carey Wilson Development Program and a hockey school in Winnipeg. His son Colin played 11 NHL seasons and was a first-round draft pick. Wilson is an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1978–79 | Calgary Chinooks | AJHL | 60 | 30 | 34 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1978–79 | Calgary Wranglers | WHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 31 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 24 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | HIFK | SM-l | 29 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 58 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 1982–83 | HIFK | SM-l | 36 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 62 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 1983–84 | Canadian National Team | Intl | 66 | 24 | 26 | 50 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983–84 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 1984–85 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 74 | 24 | 48 | 72 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985–86 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 76 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1986–87 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 80 | 20 | 36 | 56 | 42 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 1987–88 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 34 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 36 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 1988–89 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 34 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988–89 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 45 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 1989–90 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 57 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1990–91 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 45 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990–91 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1991–92 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 42 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Manitoba Moose | IHL | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 552 | 169 | 258 | 427 | 314 | 52 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 14 | ||
International
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Carey Wilson (ice hockey) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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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: Carey Wilson (ice hockey) (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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