Paul Coffey

Lore & Background

Coffey was drafted sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980 NHL entry draft. In the 1981–82 season he scored 89 points and was named a second-team NHL All-Star. In the Oilers' first Stanley Cup-winning season, 1983–84, he became only the second defenceman in NHL history to score 40 goals in a season, and added 86 assists to finish second in point scoring. He won his first James Norris Memorial Trophy in 1984–85 while posting 37 goals and 121 points. On December 26, 1984, in a game against the Calgary Flames, Coffey became the last defenceman in the 20th century to score four goals in one game. Coffey went on to post a historic post-season in the 1985 playoffs, setting records for most goals (12), assists (25), and points (37) in one playoff year by a defenceman on the way to another Stanley Cup. In the 1985–86 season, where he was awarded his second Norris Trophy, Coffey scored 48 goals, which broke Bobby Orr's record for regular season goals by a defenceman (46 goals in 1974–75), and Coffey's 138 regular season points was second only to Orr (139 points in 1970–71) among defencemen. Coffey helped Edmonton to a third Cup in 1986–87, but his tenure with the Oilers ended during the following season. Coffey had two years remaining on a contract that paid him a reported $320,000 a year, but held out at the beginning of the 1987–88 season, wanting the contract renegotiated to pay him $800,000 a year. Team owner Peter Pocklington refused to do so, and offended Coffey by suggesting he lacked courage when playing; Coffey vowed never to put on an Edmonton uniform again and demanded a trade. On November 24, 1987, the Oilers traded Coffey, along with Dave Hunter and

In Their Own Story

The arena hums with the low buzz of the crowd before the puck drop. The lights slice through the haze above the ice, catching the purple and gold of the jerseys as the Kings line up for face-off. On the left point, a lanky frame in #28 settles his stick, shoulders loose, eyes already tracking the winger cutting from the deep zone. The puck drops. A quick tap to the center, a one-timer back. Coffey doesn't look. He simply angles his stick, and the puck sails between two defensemen like it was meant to be there all along. The crowd erupts. He skates back, unhurried, as if he's just finished a warmup. The scoreboard reads 2–1, third period, and the Kings' faithful know that as long as #28 is on the ice, the game is not over.

Reader's Guide

Coffey played for the Los Angeles Kings only during the 1992–93 season, after being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He appeared in just 10 games for the Kings before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings. In Los Angeles, he was reunited with former Oilers teammates Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri for parts of two seasons.

Did You Know?

• Coffey was drafted sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 1980, not first overall.
• He won the Norris Trophy in 1984–85, 1985–86, and 1994–95.
• Coffey was traded to the Los Angeles Kings from the Pittsburgh Penguins, not from the Buffalo Sabres.
• His tenure with the Kings lasted only the 1992–93 season, not five seasons from 1988–89 through 1992–93.