Kevin Stevens

Lore & Background

Stevens grew up in Pembroke, Massachusetts, and played youth hockey for the Hobomock minor team. He attended Silver Lake Regional High School, where he played both hockey and baseball, and accepted a full scholarship to Boston College. After being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1983, his rights were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Anders Håkansson. Stevens graduated from Boston College in 1987, then played for the U.S. National Team at the 1987 World Championships and the 1988 Winter Olympics.

He became a full-time NHL player in the 1989–90 season, recording 70 points and 171 penalty minutes. In the 1991 playoffs, he led the Penguins in goals with 17, tied for third-most in a single postseason in NHL history at the time. During the 1992 playoffs, he scored a hat trick in the first period of a Conference Final game against the Boston Bruins.

In 1993, Stevens suffered a severe facial injury after hitting an opponent's visor and landing face-first on the ice, requiring extensive reconstructive surgery. He returned to have a strong 1993–94 season before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 1995. After brief stints with the Kings and Rangers, Stevens struggled with substance abuse, leading to his entry into the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program in 2000. He later played for the Philadelphia Flyers and returned to the Penguins in 2001, retiring in 2002.

Reader's Guide

Kevin Stevens' significance lies in his role as a dominant power forward during the Penguins' championship era. He was the only Penguin to play in every regular season and playoff game during the back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons. His 1991–92 season, in which he scored 54 goals and 69 assists for 123 points, set records for most points by an American-born player and by a left wing in a single season. He also became one of the first players to record a 50-goal season with 200 penalty minutes.

Stevens' 55-goal season in 1992–93 tied the NHL record for most goals by a U.S.-born player, a mark that stood for 29 years. His playoff performance in 1991, with 17 goals, remains unmatched by any Pittsburgh player for a single postseason. After his playing career, Stevens returned to the Penguins as a scout, winning a third Stanley Cup with the organization in 2009. His later years were marked by legal issues related to prescription drug addiction, which he attributed to injuries sustained during his playing career.