Paul Coffey

Second all-time among NHL defencemen in career points, three-time Norris Trophy winner, and four-time Stanley Cup champion.

Paul Patrick Coffey (born June 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for nine teams over 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1980 to 2000. Coffey ranks second all-time among NHL defencemen in goals, assists, and points, behind only Ray Bourque. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman three times and was voted to eight end-of-season All-Star teams (four first-team and four second-team).

He holds the record for the most goals by a defenceman in one season, 48 in 1985–86, and is the only defenceman to have scored 40 goals more than once, also doing it in 1983–84. He is also one of two defencemen to score 100 points in a season more than once, as he did it five times; Bobby Orr did it six times. Coffey holds or shares 33 NHL records in the regular season and playoffs. During his NHL career, he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins. He is a four-time Stanley Cup champion, winning three times with Edmonton and a fourth with Pittsburgh.

Quick Facts

Hall of Fame: 2004
Born: 1 June 1961
Birthplace: Weston, Ontario, Canada
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
Draft: 6th overall
Drafted by: Edmonton Oilers

Lore & Background

Coffey was born in Weston, Ontario, and grew up in Malton, Ontario. The city of Mississauga renamed Malton Arena to Paul Coffey Arena and Wildwood Park to Paul Coffey Park in a ceremony on September 23, 2016. In 2017, Coffey was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history. In his youth, Coffey played in the 1974 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga.

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 the deciding game seven of that year's Stanley Cup Final against the Philadelphia Flyers would be his last in an Oiler uniform. 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 Wayne Van Dorp, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Craig Simpson, Dave Hannan, Moe Mantha, and Chris Joseph.

Reader's Guide

As the Penguins' Rod Buskas was already wearing uniform number 7, Coffey agreed to change his uniform number from 7 to 77. Coffey would wear 77 for most of the rest of his career until his final season in Boston, where he wore 74. Coffey played four and a half seasons with Pittsburgh. On December 22, 1990, Coffey became the second defenceman after Denis Potvin to record 1,000 points, doing so in a record-breaking 770 games.

In 1990–91, Coffey helped Pittsburgh to win their first Stanley Cup, which was also his fourth Cup, defeating the Minnesota North Stars in six games. During the 1991-92 season, the Penguins were coached by Scotty Bowman, who had stepped in after head coach Bob Johnson took a leave of absence for cancer treatment. Coffey passed Denis Potvin to become the career leader in goals, assists, and points by a defenceman, with Coffey leading these categories until the final season of his career.

After 54 games, with Pittsburgh struggling despite being the defending Cup champions, Coffey's large salary made him expendable so he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. In Los Angeles, he was reunited with former Oilers teammates Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri for parts of two seasons. Having played just 10 games with the Kings in the 1992-93 season, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he played for three and a half seasons. Coffey was reunited with Scotty Bowman, who became the head coach of the Red Wings for 1993-94.

In the lock-out shortened 1994–95 NHL season, Coffey led his team in scoring for the only time in his entire career and was awarded the Norris Trophy for the third time, as the Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy for their first-place regular season finish. In the 1995 playoffs, he led all defencemen in scoring while helping Detroit to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Red Wings, however, were swept by the New Jersey Devils in four games. Coffey would then help the Red Wings to 62 regular season wins the following year as they clinched their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy, but they were upset by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.

During Game 1 of that series, Coffey scored two goals but also accidentally scored on his own net after Colorado's Stephane Yelle attempted to pass the puck into the slot, but it instead ended up on Coffey's stick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Paul Coffey in Penguins history?

Paul Coffey was a Hall of Fame defenseman who joined the Penguins from Edmonton in late 1987 and played until 1992. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest offensive defensemen in NHL history.

Why did he wear jersey number 77?

Coffey switched his jersey to 77 because Rod Buskas was already assigned number 7 when he arrived in Pittsburgh. He continued wearing this number for most of the remainder of his professional career.

What record did he set while here?

In December 1990, Coffey became the second defenseman ever to reach 1,000 points in a record-breaking 770 games. This milestone cemented his legacy as a scoring leader from the blue line.

Did he win a championship with Pittsburgh?

Yes, his time in Pittsburgh culminated with winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup against the Minnesota North Stars in the 1990–91 season. This victory was the highlight of his four and a half seasons with the team.