I've come to a newfound appreciation for Peter Stastny. Not only was he a trailblazer in crossing the Iron Curtain to play in the NHL, but he was a high-octane offensive threat for years on the underperforming Nordiques teams on the 1980s. I don't think he gets the credit he deserves due to the high-scoring era he was in, which is a shame.
Goaltenders are my favourite position to research, and this post contains four unique goalies. Terreri, the eternal backup to Martin Brodeur; Tom Barrasso and Bill Ranford, two money goalies who won when it matter; and Peter Ing, a one-time starter with the Maple Leafs, who shares a distinction with Bill Ranford in that they have both lead the league in losses during an individual season.
Card 113 - Peter Stastny
Stastny was one of the first players to defect from behind the Iron Curtain, leaving Czechoslovakia with his brother Anton to play for the Quebec Nordiques for the 1980-81 season. The 24-year-old had been playing as a pro in his home country since the age of 19, and he transitioned easily to the NHL game, scoring 39 goals and 109 points, winning the Calder Trophy.
Over his next three seasons Stastny would continue to light up the NHL, scoring 40+ goals and 70+ assists, including a career-high 93 assists and 139 points in 1981-82. In nine full seasons with the Nords, he would score over 100 points seven times and 40 or more goals five times. In a sign of the scoring depth in the NHL in the 1980s, he would never make an post-season all-star team despite finishing top 10 in NHL scoring, including finishing runner up to Wayne Gretzky in 1982-93. Stastny would, however, play in six all-star games.
In March 1990 he would be traded to New Jersey for defenceman Craig Wolanin. His numbers would decline with the Devils, scoring 60, 62 and 40 points over three seasons. He would sign with St. Louis as a free agent for the 1993-94 season, playing 23 goals over two seasons before retiring at the end of the 1994-95 season.
For his career Stastny would play 977 games in 15 seasons, scoring 450 goals and 1,239 points; he also ranks seventh all-time in points-per-game at 1.27.
Post-retirement Stastny was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 and the IIHF Hall of Fame the following year. He also served as the general manager for Slovakia in international play in the early 2000s. Stastny would transition from hockey to politics, serving from 2004 to 2014 as a member of European Parliament. His sons, Paul and Yan, have both played in the NHL, Paul currently on his second tour with the Winnipeg Jets.
YouTube clip: recalling his recording setting eight point game as a rookie, made even more special as the record is shared with brother Anton, who set the record in the same game.
Card 114 - Jyrki Lumme
The Finnish defenceman was drafted 57th overall in 1986 by the Montreal Canadiens. He made his NHL debut in the 1988-89 season, appearing in 21 games while spending time in the AHL as well.
Lumme would be traded to Vancouver in the 1989-90 season for a second round draft pick. His game would take off with the Canucks, recording four seasons of 44+ points, including a career-high 13 goals and 55 points in 1993-94. The Canucks would make the finals that season, and Lumme would score 13 points in 24 playoff games.
After nine seasons in Vancouver, Lumme would sign as a free agent with Phoenix in 1998-99. He would last three seasons in the desert before an off-season trade to Dallas in 2001; he would play 1.5 months in Dallas before being traded to Toronto for fellow d-man Dave Manson. Lumme would last two seasons with the Leafs, and then cap off his career with two seasons in Finland before retiring at the end of the 2006-07 season
For his career, Lumme would play 985 games, scoring 114 goals and 468 points. He won two Olympic medals (silver in 1988 and bronze in 1998) and is currently a part owner of the Ilves Tampere hockey team in Finland.
YouTube clip: in the 2012 movie Lay the Favourite, Bruce Willis explains that his hamster is named after Jyrki Lumme.
Card 115 - Chris Terreri
Terreri, a goaltender from Providence College, was drafted 85ther overall by New Jersey in 1983. In four years with his hometown college, he would win the NCAA tournament (aka Frozen Four) tournament MVP in 1984-85 and be named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award the following season.
In 1989-90 Terreri would earned a full-time spot on the Devils as Sean Burke’s backup, playing in 35 games, winning 15. The following season he would take over as starter, winning a career-high 24 games and earning some Vezina Trophy votes. Unfortunately a kid named Martin Brodeur would arrive on the scene in 1993-94, and Terreri would be relegated to back up duty after two seasons as a starter. He would play a total of 268 games with the Devils over nine seasons, winning a Stanley Cup in 1995, before being traded to San Jose in November 1995.
Terreri would play a team high 46 games for the Sharks that season, but he would leave San Jose in 1997 as part of the trade that landed the Sharks Ed Belfour from Chicago. He would play less than two seasons with the Hawks before going back to New Jersey in 1998.
In June 2000 Terreri would briefly leave New Jersey when he was selected by Minnesota in the expansion draft; he would be traded back to the Devils almost immediately for a draft pick. 2000-01 would be his last season in New Jersey, as he would be traded to the rival New York Islanders for fellow tender John Vanbiesbrouck. After the end of that season, Terreri would retire to become an assistant coach with the Devils’ AHL team.
In 14 seasons, mostly played as a back up, Terreri would post a 151-172-43 record, winning 118 games with the Devils. After retirement he would be the Devils goalie coach until 2017, and he is currently a goalie coach with the Islanders.
YouTube clip: hitting the post on an open net during a 1996 game with the San Jose Sharks.
Card 116 - Tom Barrasso
Drafted straight out of high school, fifth overall by the Sabres in 1983, goaltender Barrasso would make his name known quickly. As an 18-year-old he posted a 26-12-3 record, won the Calder and Vezina trophies and was named to the first all-star team and all-rookie team. To follow that up in his next season he led the league in goals against average (2.67) and shutouts (5), making the second all-star team, winning the Jennings trophy and finishing second in Vezina voting.
Barrasso would continue playing at a high level with Buffalo for five and a half seasons before a trade to Pittsburgh in November 1988, with the Sabres receiving defencemen Doug Bodger and Darrin Shannon. He would be relegated to back up duties for the 1989-90 season, but would take over as starter as the team improved in the early 1990s. Barrasso would win 12 and 16 games in each of the Pens' cup wins in 1991 and 1992. 1992-93 would see him win a career high 43 games, finishing second again in Vezina voting and being named to the second all-star team.
Injuries would take their toll, as he would play 2 games in 1994-95 and 5 games in 1996-97 due to wrist and shoulder injuries. Like he did so many times before, Barrasso bounced back in 1997-98, going 31-14-13 and finishing third in Vezina voting.
After 12 seasons in Pittsburgh, Tommy B would be traded to Ottawa at the 2000 trade deadline in exchange for Ron Tugnutt and Janne Laukkanen. The Sens would lose in the first round of the playoffs to the Leafs, and Barrasso would sign in Carolina for the next season. He would play 34 games for the Hurricanes before a deadline trade to Toronto, playing four games for the Leafs. He would cap his career playing six games with St. Louis before retiring in 2002-03.
In his career he played in 777 games, recording a 369-277-86 record (19th all-time in wins), 3.24 GAA and .892 save percentage. He played in 119 playoff games, winning 61.
After retirement he was an assistant/goalie coach with Carolina from 2007-2012, and also coached in Russia, Italy and most recently the United Kingdom (2018-19).
YouTube clip: a montage of his best plays during his 12 seasons in Pittsburgh,
Card 117 - Bill Ranford
Goaltender Ranford was drafted 52nd overall by Boston in the 1985 entry draft. He would play 45 games for the Bruins from 1985-1987 before being traded to Edmonton in March 1988 alongside Geoff Courtnall for fellow tender Andy Moog.
Ranford would spend one season in the AHL before taking over as the Oilers starter in 1989-90. He would post a 24-16-9 record as the Oilers would win their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years; Ranford would win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, posting a 2.53 goals against average and .912 save percentage in the playoffs.
He would spend nine seasons with the Oilers as the dynasty was slowly dismantled, winning 20+ games four times, but also surrendering the most goals against in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. Ranford would be traded back to Boston in early 1996 for Mariusz Czerkawski, Sean Brown and 1st round pick. His second stay in Boston would be as short-lived as his first, being packaged to Washington in a blockbuster trade in March 1997 alongside Adam Oates and Rick Tocchet for Jim Carey, Anson Carter and Jason Allison.
The last few years of Ranford’s career would see him play short stints with the Capitals (40), Tampa Bay (32) and Detroit (4) before signing back in Edmonton for 1999-2000, playing 16 games before retiring. For his career he would post a 240-279-76 record, 3.41 GAA and .888 SVP. He would also win the tournament MVP at the 1991 Canada Cup, and be named the best goalie and a tournament all-star at the 1994 World Hockey Championships, winning gold in both tourneys.
After retirement Ranford would coach in the WHL and BCHL, and has been in his current gig as goalie coach for the Los Angeles Kings since 2006.
YouTube clip: explaining the reason for his famous puck flip after making a glove save.
Card 118 - Peter Ing
Goaltender Ing was drafted 48th overall by the Leafs in the 1988 draft, and played three games with the Leafs as a 20-year-old in 1989-90. He would take over as starting goalie for the 1990-91 season, posting a 16-29-1 record, 3.84 GAA and .883 SVP, leading the league in losses.
Before the start of the 1991-92 season, Ing would be traded to Edmonton alongside Vince Damphousse, Scott Thornton and Luke Richardson for Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson and Craig Berube. He would play 12 games for the Oilers that season, playing primarily with Cape Breton in the AHL.
1992-93 would see Ing split time between the IHL and Colonial Hockey League before a trade in the summer to Detroit. He would play three games for the Red Wings, his last in the NHL, before playing parts of two seasons in the IHL before retiring.
For his NHL career Ing played in 74 games, posting a 20-37-9 record, 4.05 GAA and .878 save percentage. After retirement he worked in the casino industry and currently owns a hockey training company with fellow ex-NHLer Bryce Salvador, XHockeyProducts. Ing is also the chairman and CEO of the Leafs Alumni Association.
YouTube clip: extended highlights from Ing’s first game back in Toronto as an Oiler.
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