Grant Fuhr

Did You Know?

• Fuhr married Lisa Cavanaugh in the Cayman Islands on September 14, 2014.
• He was a regular competitor at the American Century Championship golf tournament.
• Fuhr summarized his goaltending philosophy as: 'The minute you think about what you’re doing as a goalie, you’re lost.'

Early life

Grant Fuhr came into the world on September 28, 1962, in Spruce Grove, Alberta, born to a Black Canadian father and a mother from the Enoch Cree Nation. He never met his birth parents. Within three weeks, he was adopted by Betty Wheeler and Robert Fuhr and raised in Spruce Grove. During the mid-1970s, he suited up for the Enoch Tomahawks. At 16, in 1979, he began playing for the Victoria Cougars in the Western Hockey League. After two standout seasons there, which featured a league title and a Memorial Cup berth in 1981, the Edmonton Oilers selected him eighth overall in the 1981 NHL entry draft on June 10.

Playing career

Fuhr was selected eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL entry draft, attracted by his .907 save percentage with the Victoria Cougars. He lost his debut on October 14 against the Winnipeg Jets, then went unbeaten in his next 23 games, a rookie record. In 48 games he posted a 28–5–14 record. In the 1982 playoffs, the Oilers were upset by the Los Angeles Kings, with Fuhr allowing 26 goals in five games.

Fuhr played ten seasons for the Oilers, forming goaltending tandems with Andy Moog and later Bill Ranford. In Game 3, Fuhr collided with Pat LaFontaine and was injured; Moog played the next two games as the Oilers won the Final, making Fuhr the first Black player engraved on the Stanley Cup. Fuhr remained the starter thereafter. In the 1986 playoffs, teammate Steve Smith accidentally sent a pass off Fuhr's skate for an own goal in Game 7 against the Calgary Flames, eliminating the defending champions.

International play

Fuhr was named to the 1984 Canada Cup team but saw limited action due to injury. He was selected again for the 1987 Canada Cup, where he played a key role against the Soviet Union in the three-game final. After the Oilers were eliminated in the first round of the 1989 playoffs, Fuhr played for Team Canada at the 1989 World Championships, winning a silver medal.

Post-playing career

Fuhr served as goaltending coach for the Calgary Flames in the 2000–2001 and 2001–2002 seasons. On July 22, 2004, he was hired as goaltending coach for the Phoenix Coyotes, a position he held until the end of the 2008–09 season. In 2015, he collaborated on his biography with Bruce Dowbiggin. In 2022, he began broadcasting for the Coachella Valley Firebirds and joined the 3ICE summer league as a coach.