Grant Fuhr

Grant Fuhr Biography

Grant Scott Fuhr (born September 28, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and former goaltending coach for the Arizona Coyotes. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is best remembered for a decade of stellar play for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. He won a total of five Stanley Cups and was a seven time All-Star. On January 27, 2017, in a ceremony during the All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Fuhr was part of the second group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He set a number of firsts for black hockey players in the NHL, including being the first to win the Stanley Cup and being the first inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Early life

Fuhr was born to one black parent and one white parent but was adopted by parents Betty Wheeler and Robert Fuhr and raised in Spruce Grove, Alberta.

In 1979, at the age of seventeen, Fuhr joined the Victoria Cougars of the WHL. After two stellar seasons in Victoria, which included the league championship and a trip to the Memorial Cup in 1981, Fuhr was drafted eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Edmonton Oilers (1981-1991)

Fuhr played ten seasons for the Oilers, where he teamed up first with Andy Moog, then Bill Ranford to form one of the most formidable goaltending tandems in history, winning the Stanley Cup four times in five seasons (1983-84 through '87-88). Moog was given the starting job in the 1983 playoffs, and helped lead the Oilers to their first Stanley Cup Finals, though they were swept by the New York Islanders, who captured their fourth straight Stanley Cup. The next year general manager and head coach Glen Sather chose to go with Fuhr in the 1984 playoffs, though Fuhr was injured in the third game of the Stanley Cup Finals in a rematch against the Islanders when he collided with Pat LaFontaine, so Moog stepped in and led the Oilers to a series win. Thereafter, Fuhr remained the number one goaltender. Fuhr was also involved with the infamous goal where Steve Smith scored on his own net to cost the Oilers the '86 playoffs against the Calgary Flames. Fuhr was the team's starting goaltender on the first four teams, but was injured and did not play in the 1990 playoffs, when the Oilers won for the fifth time.

In 1987, he played in goal for the NHL All-Stars in both games of the Rendez-Vous '87 series against the Soviet National Team. In 1987-88, Fuhr backstopped Canada to a victory at the Canada Cup, playing in all nine games, then played in 75 regular season and 19 playoff games. He won his only Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender that year and finished second in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, behind Mario Lemieux and ahead of teammate Wayne Gretzky. He also played in the National Hockey League All-Star Game in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1989. Grant's playoff success fed into his reputation as the supreme "money" goalie (or "clutch" goaltender) of his era, the person you would want in net with the season on the line, and there was a period of time from 1987 through at least 1989 where Grant was often called "the best goaltender in the World".

He battled shoulder injuries and substance abuse problems at the tail end of his career with Edmonton, and was suspended by the NHL for 59 games of the 1990-91 season. Fuhr had come forward about his drug use after spending two weeks in a counseling center in Florida. He admitted that he used "a substance""?he did not say cocaine"?for some seven years, or most of the period that the Oilers rested at the top of the NHL. Details of Fuhr's drug use were supplied by the player's ex-wife, Corrine, who told the press in Edmonton that she often found cocaine hidden in his clothing and that she fielded numerous threatening telephone calls from drug dealers who had not been paid. These embarrassing details no doubt contributed to the one-year suspension handed down in September 1990 by NHL president John Ziegler, who called Fuhr's conduct "dishonorable and against the welfare of the league." Once Fuhr was re-instated, fans of opposing teams taunted him at games with bags of sugar.

Post-Oilers career (1991-2000)

In 1991, Fuhr was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven-player deal. After a season and a half in Toronto, he was again traded, this time to the Buffalo Sabres.

In Buffalo, he played a role in the Sabres' dramatic first-round playoff victory over the Boston Bruins, helped instill a winning attitude in the organization, and mentored the young Dominik Haek. Fuhr then had a successful 1993-94 season with the Sabres, splitting time in goal with Haek, when Fuhr went down with multiple injuries, Haek stepped into the starting role, and played well enough to hold onto the job. Fuhr and Haek shared the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed, with Haek also winning the Vezina Trophy.

In May 1993, while still a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Fuhr was denied membership in the neighbouring Transit Valley Country Club. At the time, rumours floated that the denial was based on race, as several of Fuhr's white teammates had been granted membership. Club officials denied they rejected Fuhr based on his race; rather, his application contained "incorrect and incomplete" information. Various acts of vandalism at the club occurred after news of Fuhr's rejection surfaced, including an incident where vandals burned a swastika onto one of the greens. In light of the negative publicity, the club reversed its position and offered Fuhr not only a membership, but an apology as well. Fuhr rejected the membership and joined nearby Lancaster Country Club. The club also temporarily suspended its membership committee and had an anti-bias policy written into its by-laws.

With Hasek now ensconced in the Sabres' net, Fuhr was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings, again playing with Gretzky. Out of shape and possibly past his prime, his career saw a resurgence when he signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues before the 1995-96 campaign. He played 79 games that season, 76 consecutively, both NHL records. The 1996 playoff run for Fuhr ended prematurely as Maple Leafs forward Nick Kypreos ran into him in the crease in the first round, causing him to tear several knee ligaments. Jon Casey had to play the rest of the playoffs. They beat Toronto in the first round, but lost to Detroit in the next. Even though over the next three years he became one of the three winningest goaltenders in Blues history (along with Mike Liut and Curtis Joseph), he never fully recovered from his injury. After the Blues signed Roman Turek as their new number one goaltender in 1999, Fuhr was traded to the Calgary Flames. He spent one season there being a mentor for Calgary's young goalies, including Fred Brathwaite, and on October 22, 1999, he earned his 400th career win versus the Florida Panthers. Before the 2000-01 season, he announced his retirement.

Fuhr was hired to be the Phoenix Coyotes goaltending coach on July 22, 2004. Fuhr held the position until the end of the 2008-09 season, when he was replaced by Sean Burke. He held a similar post with the Calgary Flames in the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 seasons.

Hall of Fame induction

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Fuhr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 2, 2003.

Wayne Gretzky has said on many occasions that he believes Fuhr is the greatest goaltender in NHL history. This is mentioned in an interview with Wayne Gretzky conducted by John Davidson as part of the 2003 DVD "Ultimate Gretzky".

Fuhr was also inducted in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

International play

Fuhr was named to the 1984 Canada Cup team but saw limited action during the tournament. Fuhr was again selected to represent Canada for the 1987 Canada Cup. It was here that he cemented his reputation as one of the best goaltenders in the game. Playing against a tough Soviet Union squad, Fuhr turned away shot after shot during the three-game final. He also played for Canada at the 1989 World Championships where he won a silver medal.

Awards

NHL

Award	Year(s)
All-Star Game	1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989
First All-Star Team	1988
Second All-Star Team	1982
Stanley Cup	1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990
Vezina Trophy	1988
William M. Jennings Trophy Shared with Dominik Haek	1994

International

Award	Year(s)
CC All-Star Team	1987

In 1998, he was ranked number 70 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
His #31 was retired by the Edmonton Oilers on October 9, 2003.
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.
Inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Records

Holds NHL record for longest undefeated streak by a goaltender in his first NHL season - 23 in 1981-82.
Holds NHL record for most assists in a single season by a goaltender - 14 in 1983-84.
Shares NHL record for most wins in a single season postseason - 16 in 1988.
Holds NHL record for most games played by a goaltender in a single season - 79 in 1995-96.
Holds NHL record for most consecutive appearances in a single season by a goaltender - 76 in 1996.

Transactions

Traded to Toronto by Edmonton with Glenn Anderson and Craig Berube for Vincent Damphousse, Peter Ing, Scott Thornton and Luke Richardson, September 19, 1991.
Traded to Buffalo by Toronto with Toronto's 5th round choice (Kevin Popp) in 1995 Entry Draft for Dave Andreychuk, Daren Puppa and Buffalo's 1st round choice (Kenny Jnsson) in 1993 Entry Draft, February 2, 1993.
Traded to Los Angeles by Buffalo with Philippe Boucher and Denis Tsygurov for Alexei Zhitnik, Robb Stauber, Charlie Huddy and Los Angeles' 5th round choice (Marian Menhart) in 1995 Entry Draft, February 14, 1995.
Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, July 14, 1995.
Traded to Calgary by St. Louis for Calgary's 3rd round choice (Justin Papineau) in 2000 Entry Draft, September 4, 1999.
Officially announced retirement, September 6, 2000.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season									Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%	GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1979-80	Victoria Cougars	WHL	43	30	12	0	2488	130	3	3.14	.911	8	5	3	465	22	0	2.84	"?
1980-81	Victoria Cougars	WHL	59	48	9	1	3448	160	4	2.78	.908	15	12	3	899	45	1	3.00	"?
1980-81	Victoria Cougars	M-Cup	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	4	1	3	239	18	0	4.52	"?
1981-82	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	48	28	5	14	2847	157	0	3.31	.899	5	2	3	309	26	0	5.05	.852
1982-83	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	32	13	12	5	1803	129	0	4.29	.868	1	0	0	11	0	0	0.00	1.000
1982-83	Moncton Alpines	AHL	10	4	5	1	604	40	0	3.97	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1983-84	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	45	30	10	4	2625	171	1	3.91	.883	16	11	4	882	44	1	3.00	.910
1984-85	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	46	26	8	7	2559	165	1	3.87	.884	18	15	3	1057	55	0	3.12	.895
1985-86	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	40	29	8	0	2184	143	0	3.93	.890	9	5	4	540	28	0	3.12	.897
1986-87	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	44	22	13	3	2388	137	0	3.44	.881	19	14	5	1143	47	0	2.47	.908
1987-88	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	75	40	24	9	4304	246	4	3.43	.881	19	16	2	1136	55	0	2.91	.883
1988-89	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	59	23	26	6	3341	213	1	3.83	.875	7	3	4	417	24	1	3.45	.894
1989-90	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	21	9	7	3	1081	70	1	3.89	.868	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1989-90	Cape Breton Oilers	AHL	2	2	0	0	120	6	0	3.00	.919	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1990-91	Edmonton Oilers	NHL	13	6	4	3	778	39	1	3.01	.897	18	8	7	1019	51	0	3.00	.895
1990-91	Cape Breton Oilers	AHL	4	2	2	0	240	17	0	4.25	.870	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1991-92	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	65	25	33	5	3774	230	2	3.66	.881	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1992-93	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	29	13	9	4	1665	87	1	3.14	.895	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1992-93	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	29	11	15	2	1694	98	0	3.47	.891	8	3	4	474	27	1	3.42	.875
1993-94	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	32	13	12	3	1726	106	2	3.68	.883	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1993-94	Rochester Americans	AHL	5	3	0	2	310	10	0	1.94	.935	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1994-95	Buffalo Sabres	NHL	3	1	2	0	180	12	0	4.00	.859	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1994-95	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	14	1	7	3	698	47	0	4.04	.876	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1995-96	St. Louis Blues	NHL	79	30	28	16	4365	209	3	2.87	.903	2	1	0	69	1	0	0.87	.978
1996-97	St. Louis Blues	NHL	73	33	27	11	4261	193	3	2.72	.901	6	2	4	357	13	2	2.18	.929
1997-98	St. Louis Blues	NHL	58	29	21	6	3274	138	3	2.53	.883	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1998-99	St. Louis Blues	NHL	39	16	11	8	2193	89	2	2.44	.892	13	6	6	780	31	1	2.35	.898
1999-2000	Calgary Flames	NHL	23	5	13	2	1205	77	0	3.83	.856	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
1999-2000	Saint John Flames	AHL	2	0	2	0	99	10	0	6.05	.839	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?	"?
NHL totals			868	403	295	114	48,945	2756	25	3.38	.887	150	92	50	8808	430	6	2.93	.898

International

Year	Team	Event	GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
1984	Canada	CC	2	1	0	1	120	6	0	3.00
1987	Canada	CC	9	6	1	2	575	32	0	3.34
1989	Canada	WC	5	1	3	1	298	18	1	3.62
Senior totals			16	8	4	4	993	56	1	3.38

Personal life

Fuhr was married to Lisa Cavanaugh in the Grand Cayman Islands on September 14, 2014. He has four children from previous marriages, Janine Fuhr, Rochelle King, RJ Fuhr, Kendyl Fuhr and step-daughter Rochelle Oyas-Corral.

RJ plays for the Westside Wooly Mammoths of the United Shore Professional Baseball League.

Fuhr was a regular competitor at the American Century Championship, an annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities. The tournament, is played at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course along the edge of Lake Tahoe.