Paul Coffey

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Lore & Background

Coffey's tenure with the Oilers began when he was drafted sixth overall in 1980. In his second season, 1981–82, he scored 89 points and earned a second-team All-Star nod. During Edmonton's first Stanley Cup run in 1983–84, Coffey became only the second defenceman ever to score 40 goals in a season, adding 86 assists to finish second in team scoring behind Wayne Gretzky and ahead of Jari Kurri. He won his first Norris Trophy in 1984–85 with 37 goals and 121 points. A historic moment occurred on December 26, 1984, when he scored four goals in a single game against the Vancouver Canucks. The 1985 playoffs saw Coffey set records for most goals (12), assists (25), and points (37) by a defenceman in one postseason, leading the Oilers to another Cup.

In Their Own Story

The relationship between Coffey and the Oilers ended abruptly after their third Cup win in 1986–87. With two years remaining on his contract paying $320,000 annually, Coffey held out for a renegotiation to $800,000 a year. Team owner Peter Pocklington refused and offended Coffey by suggesting he lacked courage. Coffey vowed never to wear an Oilers uniform again. On November 24, 1987, the trade that followed sent Coffey, Dave Hunter, and Wayne Van Dorp to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Craig Simpson, Dave Hannan, Moe Mantha, and Chris Joseph. In Pittsburgh, Coffey changed his number from 7 to 77 because Rod Buskas already wore 7. On December 22, 1990, he became the second defenceman after Denis Potvin to record 1,000 points, achieving the milestone in a record-breaking 770 games.

Reader's Guide

Paul Coffey played for the Edmonton Oilers from his draft in 1980 until his trade on November 24, 1987. He was a second-team All-Star in 1981–82 and won his first Norris Trophy in 1984–85. His offensive output was historic: he scored 40 goals in both 1983–84 and 1985–86, the latter season seeing him break Bobby Orr's single-season defenceman goal record with 48. He also posted 138 points that year, second only to Orr's 1970–71 total among defencemen. Coffey was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility, and the Edmonton Oilers retired his uniform number 7 in 2005.

Did You Know?

• Coffey holds the record for most goals by a defenceman in one season with 48, set in 1985–86.
• He is the only defenceman to score 40 goals more than once (1983–84 and 1985–86).
• On December 26, 1984, Coffey scored four goals in a single game, though he was not the last defenceman of the 20th century to do so—players like Al Iafrate and Gary Suter later matched the feat.
• Coffey was traded seven times during his career; four of the teams that traded him away reached the Stanley Cup Finals in that or the subsequent season.
• The city of Mississauga renamed Malton Arena and Wildwood Park in his honor on September 23, 2016.