Adam Deadmarsh

Lore & Background

Deadmarsh began his NHL career with the Quebec Nordiques after being drafted 14th overall in 1993. Following the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season, the Nordiques relocated to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. Deadmarsh helped the Avalanche upset the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals and then won the Stanley Cup over the Florida Panthers in 1996. His name was initially misspelled 'Deadmarch' on the Cup, but was later corrected; it was the first time a misspelling on the Stanley Cup had ever been corrected.

On February 21, 2001, Deadmarsh was traded to the Los Angeles Kings along with Aaron Miller, a player to be named later (Jared Aulin), and Colorado's first round pick in the 2001 NHL entry draft (Dave Steckel) for Rob Blake and Steve Reinprecht. The Kings had not won a postseason series since 1993, but Deadmarsh became a playoff hero by vaulting the Kings past the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings in round one of the 2001 Stanley Cup Playoffs, after trailing late in Game 4 by three goals while his team was already down two games to one. Los Angeles went on to lose in the conference semifinals to Deadmarsh's former team, the Avalanche, in seven games.

Deadmarsh missed most of the 2002–03 NHL season and the entire 2003–04 NHL season due to two concussions, and the next season due to the NHL lockout. He unofficially announced his retirement on September 22, 2005, citing the previous concussion as an inability to play further. He was honored on March 20, 2006, before a game between the Avalanche and Kings at Staples Center in Los Angeles for his dedication to both teams.

Reader's Guide

Adam Deadmarsh's significance lies in his role as a key contributor to the Colorado Avalanche's 1996 Stanley Cup championship and his impact on the Los Angeles Kings' playoff resurgence. His name being misspelled on the Stanley Cup and later corrected represents a unique piece of NHL history, as it was the first correction ever made on the Cup. Deadmarsh's playoff heroics against the Detroit Red Wings, particularly with the Kings in 2001, cemented his reputation as a clutch performer; Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman attributed his team's playoff eliminations to Deadmarsh, who was among the Red Wings' most frequent opponents from 1996 to 2001 while a member of the Avalanche.

Internationally, Deadmarsh represented Team USA in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey (winning gold), the 1998 Winter Olympics, and the 2002 Winter Olympics (winning silver). His playing career was cut short by concussions, and the same issue later forced him to step down as an assistant coach with the Avalanche after the 2011–12 season. He later returned to coaching as an assistant with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL from 2017 to 2020. Deadmarsh shares the all-time U.S. record of 21 games played at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and is a second cousin of former NHL player Butch Deadmarsh.