The record for most number of franchises played for by a single player is Mike Sillinger, who played for 12 franchise over a 17 year career than ran from 1991 to 2009. Second place belongs to a player featured in this week's post, J.J. Daigneault, with 10 (he shares the record with seven other players). In all the time I have spend researching for this blog, it seems that the 1990s was a time when players were seemingly traded every few years, with superstars and role players treated in the exact same fashion.
This qualitatively observed trend inspired me to take a deeper dive into which players have racked up the largest number of stops. For the purpose of this list, I'm including only players whose career include every year in the 1990s (so Sillinger is out). Daigneault is covered below, so here are the six other players who fit our criteria and played for nine franchises in their careers (data is taken from hockey-reference.com):
Mathieu Schneider: Montreal (383 games), NY Islanders, Toronto, NY Rangers, Los Angeles, Detroit, Anaheim, Atlanta, Vancouver and Phoenix (8 games). Schneider was traded seven times, a free agent signee three times and claimed in one expansion draft.
Bobby Dollas: Winnipeg, Quebec, Detroit, Anaheim (305 games), Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Ottawa (1 game), Calgary and San Jose. Dollas was traded four times, a free agent signee three times, claimed off waivers once and claimed in one expansion draft.
Tony Hrkac: St. Louis (201 games), Quebec, San Jose, Chicago, Dallas, Edmonton, NY Islanders (7 games), Anaheim and Atlanta. Hrkac was traded six times, a free agent signee five times, claimed off waivers once and claimed in one expansion draft.
Grant Ledyard: New York Rangers, Los Angeles, Washington, Buffalo, Dallas (270 games), Vancouver, Boston, Ottawa (40 games) and Tampa Bay. Ledyard was traded five times and a free agent signee six times.
Bryan Marchment: Winnipeg, Chicago, Hartford, Edmonton, Tampa Bay, San Jose (334 games), Colorado (14 games), Toronto and Calgary. Marchment was traded five times, a free agent signee twice and was once transferred from a team as compensation for a free agent signing (awarded to the Oilers for the Whalers signing Steven Rice).
Kevin Miller: New York Rangers, Detroit, Washington, St. Louis (162 games), San Jose, Pittsburgh, Chicago, NY Islanders and Ottawa (9 games). Miller was traded five times and a free agent signee four times.
The list contains plenty of journeymen, with Schneider arguably the best player amongst the names, having played in two all-star games. The rapid expansion of the NHL in 1990s certainly added some stops to these players' careers; every single player on the list played for at least two 90s expansion franchises.
Card 166 - Jeremy Roenick
Roenick was drafted 8th overall by Chicago in 1988. He would play part of one season with Hull in the QMJHL before making his NHL debut during the 1988-89 season, playing in 20 games, scoring 18 points.
In his true rookie season, Roenick would score 26 goals and 66 points, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting behind Sergei Makarov and Mike Modano. The four seasons from 1990 to 1994 would be the peak of JR Superstar; he would score 40+ goals each season, including two 50 goal seasons, and record 100+ points three times, scoring a career high 107 points in both 1992-93 and 1993-94. In 1991-92 the Hawks would make the Cup finals, with JR scoring 12 goals and 22 points in 18 games. Roenick would lead the league with 13 game-winning goals in the regular season, finishing fifth in Hart Trophy voting and ninth in Selke voting.
In Roenick’s final two seasons with Chicago he would score at a point-per-game pae, appearing in only 33 games in 94-95 and 66 in 95-96. In the 1996 off-season he would be traded to Phoenix for Alex Zhamnov, Craig Mills and a first round pick. He would play five seasons in the desert, scoring between 23-34 goals each season. The Coyotes, however, would not make it past the first round of the playoffs during that time.
In 2001-02 Roenick would sign with the Flyers as a free agent, scoring 30 goals his first season in Philly, the final time in his career he would break that mark. In his third season in Philadelphia, the Flyers would make it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to eventual Cup champion Tampa Bay. Roenick would score 4 goals and 13 points during the run, including the overtime winner in Game 5 of the conference semi-finals to eliminate Toronto.
After the 2004-05 lockout, Roenick would be traded to Los Angeles for a third round pick. He would play one season with the Kings, scoring 22 points in 58 games. The final three seasons of his NHL career would be split between Phoenix (2006-07) and San Jose (2007-09), with Roenick retiring just prior to the start of the 2009-10 season.
In 17 NHL seasons Roenick would play in 1363 games, scoring 513 goals and 1216 points. He ranks fourth all-time among American born NHLers in goals and points, and sixth in assists. He played in nine all-star games (1991-94, 1999, 2000, 2002-2004) and was named to the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. Since 2010 he was worked as a NHL analyst for NBC and has gotten into acting, appearing in several movies and TV shows.
YouTube clip: JR was one of the first NHLers to truly showcase his personality during the 1990s, as is evident through this Top 10 of his best non-playing moments.
Card 167 - Johan Garpenlov
The Swedish left winger was drafted 85th overall by Detroit in the 1986 draft. He would play four seasons for Djurgarden in his home country before making his NHL debut in the 1990-91 season. He would record 18 goals and 40 points in his rookie season, including a game against St. Louis where he scored four goals.
The 1991-92 season would see Garpenlov spend part of the season in the minors and then be traded to the expansion San Jose Sharks late in the season for Bob McGill and a draft pick. In his first full season with the Sharks would Garpenlov would record career highs for goals (22) and points (66). 1993-94 would result in 53 points and the Sharks would upset his former team Detroit in the conference quarter-finals before losing to Toronto in seven games; Garpenlov would score 4 goals and 10 points during the playoffs.
Late in the 1994-95 season Garpenlov would be traded to Florida for a draft pick. He would play four full seasons with Florida from 1995 to 1999 including the Cinderella team that would make the Cup finals in 1996. Garpenlov would play all 82 regular season games that season, but the following three would only appear in 53, 39 and 64 games respectively.
In 1999 he would be claimed by Atlanta in the expansion draft, scoring two goals and 16 points in 73 games that season. Garpenlov would play one final season in Sweden in 2000-01, winning a league title, before retiring. In his 10 season NHL career he would play in 609 games, scoring 114 goals and 311 points.
Upon retirement he would become an assistant coach with Djurgarden, staying in that role until 2005. Garpenlov was a scout with Dallas from 2009-11 and since 2016 has coached for Sweden’s men’s international teams, becoming head coach in 2019.
YouTube clip: ringing a shot off the post in Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semi-finals against Toronto. The Sharks had a 3-2 lead in games, with the Leafs going on to win Game 6 in overtime and then Game 7.
Card 168 - Russ Courtnall
A right winger, Courtnall was drafted 7th overall by Toronto in 1983. He would split the season after the draft between the WHL, the Canadian National Team (including a trip to the 84 Olympics in Sarajevo) and 14 games with the Leafs, scoring 12 points.
1984-85 would be his first full season in the NHL, recording 22 points. Courtnall’s statistics would make a leap in 1985-86, scoring 22 goals and 60 points. During his last three seasons in Toronto he would score 20+ goals per season, but it wasn’t enough as early in the 1988-89 season Courtnall was sent to Montreal in exchange for John Kordic and a draft pick.
In his first season with the Habs he would reach the 20 goal plateau again as the team would make the Cup finals, losing to Calgary. In four additional seasons in Montreal Courtnall would eclipse the 20 goal barrier three times, but would miss most of his final season in 1991-92 due to an injury, playing in only 27 games.
In the 1992 off-season Courtnall was dealt to Minnesota straight up for Brian Bellows. His only season in the State of Hockey would see him score a career-high 36 goals. The following season in Dallas he would score a career-high 80 points, and play in his one and only all-star game. Part way through the 1994-95 season he would be dealt to Vancouver for Greg Adams, Dan Kesa and a draft pick, being united with his brother Geoff on the Canucks.
In 1995-96 he would score 26 goals, breaking the 20 goal mark for the final time in his career. After parts of three seasons in Vancouver, Courtnall would be traded late in the 1996-97 season to the New York Rangers with Esa Tikkanen for Sergei Nemchinov and Brian Noonan. He would finish the season with the Rangers, then sign as a free agent with Los Angeles, playing two final seasons with the Kings before retiring after the 1998-99 season.
In a 16-year career Courtnall played in 1029 games, scoring 297 goals and 744 points. He ranks 23rd all-time in career shorthanded goals with 29. Since retirement he has kept a low profile in terms of pro hockey, primarily coaching his son and raising money for a long-term mental health facility in BC.
YouTube clip: Scoring the overtime winner against Buffalo in Game 5 of 1991 Adams Division Semi-final
Card 169 - John MacLean
A right winger, MacLean was drafted sixth overall by New Jersey in 1983. He would play three seasons with his hometown Oshawa Generals in the OHL before joining the Devils partway through the 1983-84 season, scoring one goal in 23 games.
MacLean’s game grew alongside the Devils organization, increasing his goal totals from 13 to 21 to 31 in his next three seasons. In 1987-88 he would score only 23 goals and 39 points, but the Devils franchise would make the playoffs for the first time in history, with MacLean scoring the goal that clinched a playoff spot. The Devils would upset the Islanders and Capitals in the Patrick Division playoffs before losing to Boston in the Prince of Wales Conference finals. MacLean would score 7 goals and 18 points in 20 playoff games.
The three seasons from 1988 to 1991 would be MacLean’s most productive, scoring 40+ goals each season, reaching career highs for goals (45) and points (87) during that time. He would miss all of 1991-92 with a knee injury but return to record seasons of 24 and 37 goals the following two years.
The Devils would win their first Stanley Cup in 1994-95, with MacLean scoring 5 goals and 18 points during the playoffs. 1996-97 would be his last full season with the Devils, scoring 29 goals, the tenth season he had scored 20+ goals. In December 1997 MacLean would be traded to San Jose with Ken Sutton for Doug Bodger and Dody Wood. He would complete the season with the Sharks, and return to the east coast, signing as a free agent with the New York Rangers the following season.
His first season with the Rangers would see MacLean score 28 goals and 55 points. In February 2001 he would be traded to Dallas, playing 48 games with the Stars over his final two NHL seasons, spending some time in the minors as well.
Upon retirement in June 2002 MacLean had played 18 NHL seasons, appearing in 1194 games, scoring 413 goals and 842 points. He played in the 1989 and 1991 all-star games and was an assistant captain with the Devils from 1989 to 1998. Most impressively, MacLean once scored three hat tricks in a span of five games during the 1988 season.
After retirement he became an assistant coach with the Devils from 2002 to 2009. He was head coach of their AHL affiliate in Lowell in 2009-2010 and the following season was hired as the Devils head coach, lasting all of 33 games before being fired. Since then he has been an assistant coach in Carolina (2011-2014) and Arizona (2017 to present).
YouTube clip: scoring the overtime goal against Chicago in 1988 that would clinch the Devils’ first playoff berth in franchise history.
Card 170 - J.J. Daigneault
Defenceman Daigneault was drafted 10th overall by Vancouver in the 1984 draft. His draft season would be split between the QMJHL and the Canadian National Team, including playing at the 1984 Olympics. He would make his NHL debut in 1984-85, scoring 4 goals and 27 points. In his second pro season, Daigneault would score a career-high 28 points.
Prior to the 1986-87 season Daigneault would be traded to Philadelphia for Dave Richter, Rich Sutter and a draft pick. In two seasons as a Flyer he would play only 28 regular season games, spending most of his time in the minors. Early in the 1988-89 season Daigneault would be traded to his hometown Montreal Canadiens, spending the entirety of that season in the minors as well.
In 1990-91 he would return to the NHL on a full-time basis, and would win a Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1993, scoring a career high eight goals during the regular season. Daigneault’s seven seasons in Montreal would be the longest stop of his career. During the 1995-96 he would be traded to St. Louis for goalie Pat Jablonski and after 37 games with the Blues would be traded to Pittsburgh. Daigneault would score a career-high 28 points that season, however.
From 1997 to 2001 Daigneault would be traded three times and claimed in an expansion draft. During this time he played for Anaheim (63 games), the New York Islanders (18 games), Nashville (35 games) and Phoenix (88 games). For the 2000-01 season he would sign with the expansion Minnesota Wild, playing one game with the team, spending most of the season in the IHL. Daigneault would play one season as a player/coach in Switzerland before retiring in 2002.
Over 16 seasons with 10 different teams, Daigneault played in 899 games, scoring 53 goals and 250 points. He served as an assistant captain with Montreal, Anaheim and Nashville.
From 2005 to 2012 Daigneault worked as an assistant coach with three different AHL teams and from 2012 to 2018 was an assistant with the Habs. Since 2019 he has been head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL.
YouTube clip: scoring the game winning goal in Game 6 of the 1987 Stanley Cup final, helping the Flyers survive to Game 7 (they would lose 3-1 to the Oilers).
Card 171 - Sylvain Lefebvre
Defensemen Lefebvre signed as a free agent with Montreal in 1986 after three seasons with Laval in the QMJHL. He would play two seasons in the AHL, being named a second-team all-star in 1988-89. Lefebvre would make his NHL debut in 1989-90, scoring three goals and 10 points.
In 1990-91 Lefebvre would record a career-high five goals and 23 points. After three seasons with the Habs he would be dealt to the Maple Leafs prior to the 1992-93 season for a draft pick. Two seasons with the Leafs would see Lefebvre record a +33 rating in 1993-94, good for tenth overall in the league. In June 1994 he would be traded to Quebec as part of the Mats Sundin/Wendel Clark trade.
After one seasons in Quebec, Lefebvre would move to Colorado along with the franchise. The Avs would win the Cup in 1996, their first season in their new locale, with Lefebvre recording five assists during those playoffs. He would play in Colorado until the 1999-00 season, signing a free agent deal with the New York Rangers. In December 2002 Lefebvre would suffer a severe finger injury from a blocked shot that would cause him to miss a significant amount of time in 01-02 and 02-03, playing in only 76 games over the two seasons.
Lefebvre would play one final pro season in Switzerland, suiting up for 11 games with SC Bern before retiring. He would play 14 NHL seasons and 945 games, scoring 30 goals, 184 points and recording a +108 rating.
In retirement Lefebvre has gotten into the coaching rankings, working as an assistant with Lake Erie in AHL from 2007-09 and then with the Avalanche from 2009-12. He also also had stints as a head coach with Hamilton, St. John’s and Laval from 2012-18 and is currently an assistant with San Diego.
YouTube clip: the infamous fight with Rob Brown that spawned the phrase and Sean McIndoe’s Twitter handle: Down Goes Brown
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