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Writer's pictureDerek Ochej

The Triple Gold Club

Professional hockey, unlike the other pro sports in the ‘big four’, has the greatest involvement of professional players in its international game (forgetting the recent foregoing of Olympic participation). As a result, hockey players have the chance to enter a unique club known as the Triple Gold club. The club has 32 members (31 players and one coach), all of whom have won a Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold medal and World Championship title in their careers.


The first three members of the club were members of Team Sweden when they won Olympic gold in 1994; Tomas Jonsson (1982 & 1883 Stanley Cups, 1991 Worlds), Mats Naslund (1986 Cup, 1991 Worlds) and Hakan Loob (1987 Worlds, 1989 Cup).


Canada boasts the most members of the club, at nine. The first to enter were Brendan Shanahan, Joe Sakic and Rob Blake as part of the 2002 Olympic gold medal-winning Canadian team. Soviet Union/Russia (7) and Sweden (6) are close behind. Until 2022, Czechia was the only other country with members, Jiri Slegr and Jaromir Jagr. Slegr and Jagr were teammates for Czechia’s gold medal winning teams at the 2002 Olympics and 2005 Worlds, with Slegr winning a Cup in 2002 with the Red Wings and Jagr winning two Cups in the early 1990s with Pittsburgh. Finland added its first member, Valtteri Filppula to the club in 2022, with golds at both the Olympics and Worlds, with Filppula having won a Stanley Cup in 2008 with Detroit.


Mike Babock is the only coach in the club, while no goaltender has yet to earn the distinction. The longest gap between first title and third title for a club member belongs to Viacheslav Fetisov, who won his first international title at the 1978 Worlds and entered the club in 1997 with a Stanley Cup victory with Detroit. The shortest gap is shared by three Swedes, Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson, who were teammates at the 2006 Olympics and Worlds, and in 2008 with the Stanley Cup winning Red Wings.


Card 406 - Gary Nylund















A defenceman, Nylund was drafted third overall by Toronto in 1982 after playing four seasons with Portland in the WHL. In his final season with the Winterhawks, Nylund scored 66 points, recorded 267 penalty minutes and was named to both the WHL first-all star team and the Memorial Cup all-star team.


He jumped to the NHL immediately, playing in 16 games, recording three assists. Nylund’s playing time with the poor Maple Leafs teams of the 1980s increased gradually, capping off with two seasons in the mid-1980s where he finished -42 and -33, leading the league in total goals on-ice against in 1985-86.


Following four seasons with the Leafs, Nylund signed with Chicago for the 1986-87 season, where he scored a career-best seven goals and 27 points in his first season. After another season and a half he was traded to the New York Islanders with Marc Bergevin for Bob Bassen and Steve Konroyd. In his first two seasons on Long Island, Nylund scored in the mid-20s for points and recorded over 100 penalty minutes each season. In 1991-92 his playing time was reduced to seven games, with his final NHL season coming in 1992-93 with 22 games.


In 11 NHL seasons Nylund played in 608 games, scoring 32 goals, 171 points and recording 1235 penalty minutes. In retirement he has had two stints coaching Surrey in the BCHL (2010-2012, 2015-16) while working full-time as a Delta, BC fire fighter. Nylund has since retired from fire fighting, but was awarded the Medal of Bravery in 2003 for rescuing colleagues trapped inside a building.

YouTube clip: fighting Bob McGill during a 1987 game, one of Nylund’s 54 career fights

Card 407 - Yvon Corriveau
















A left winger, Corriveau was drafted 19th overall by Washington in 1985 following his rookie season with Toronto in the OHL. Following the draft he scored 54 goals for the Marlboros in the 1985-86 season, while also playing in his first two NHL games with the Caps.


Corriveau turned pro part way through the 1986-87 season, spending time in the AHL while also playing in 17 NHL games. His second and third pro seasons saw him play in 77 NHL games, scoring 13 goals and 24 points. In March 1990 Corriveau was traded to Hartford for goalie Mike Liut. Split between the Capitals and Whalers, he recorded career-highs in games played (63), goals (13) and points (24).


His second season with the Hartford franchise was spent primarily in the AHL, where he won a Calder Cup with Springfield. Corriveau made an impact for the Whalers in the 1992 playoffs, scoring three goals and five points in seven games as the team was eliminated in the Adams Division Semi-Finals by Montreal. That summer Corriveau was traded back to Washington, but was claimed off waivers by San Jose before suiting up again for the Capitals.


Corriveau played 20 games for the Sharks, recording 10 points, before being traded back to Hartford in January 1993 to complete an earlier trade between the two teams. His second stint in Hartford lasted 40 games over two seasons. Corriveau spent the mid-1990s playing in the IHL, winning a Turner Cup in 1997 before leaving for Germany, where he played until his retirement after the 2004-05 season.


In nine NHL seasons, Corriveau played in 280 games, scoring 48 goals and 88 points. Since 2020 he has coached high level youth hockey in Connecticut.


YouTube clip: scoring the overtime winner in Game 6 of 1992 Adams Division Semi-Finals against Montreal, forcing a Game 7 at the Montreal Forum.


Card 408 - Sheldon Kennedy
















A right winger, Kennedy was drafted 80th overall by Detroit in 1988. The year of his drafting, Kennedy scored 53 goals and 117 points for Swift Current in the WHL, leading the team to a Memorial Cup title and being named a tournament all-star. He played one more season for the Broncos, turning pro in 1989-90; that season he played in 20 games for the Red Wings, scoring two goals and nine points.


Kennedy’s following two seasons saw him play primarily in the AHL, winning a Calder Cup with Adirondack in 1992. 1992-93 was his first full NHL season, playing in 68 games, scoring 19 goals and 30 points, all career-highs. During the 1994 off-season Kennedy was traded to Winnipeg, but never suited up for the Jets as he was claimed by Calgary in the waiver draft. He played two seasons with the Flames, most notably recording three goals and five points in the 1995 playoffs as Calgary was upset in the Western Conference Quarter-Finals by San Jose.


In 1996 Kennedy went public regarding the sexual abuse he had endured at the hands of his coach in Swift Current, Graham James. The allegations laid by Kennedy and another former player resulted in James pleading guilty to several criminal charges and spending 3.5 years in prison.


For the 1996-97 season Kennedy signed with Boston, playing 56 games and scoring 18 points in what would be his final NHL season. He did not play in the 1997-98 season, instead roller-blading across Canada to raise money for victims of sexual abuse. He returned to pro hockey in 1998 playing for both Manitoba in the IHL and in Germany before retiring for good.


In eight NHL seasons, Kennedy played in 310 games, scoring 49 goals and 107 points. In retirement he runs Respect Group Inc., which trains people involved in amateur sport in the prevention of bullying and harassment. Kennedy was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014.


YouTube clip: Kennedy’s introduction video from his induction into the Swift Current Broncos Hall of Fame.


Card 409 - David Shaw
















A defenceman, Shaw was drafted 13th overall by Quebec in 1982. Following the draft he played two more seasons with Kitchener in the OHL, winning a Memorial Cup in 1982 and being named to the OHL and Memorial Cup all-star teams in 1984.


Shaw turned pro in 1984-85, appearing in 14 games for the Nordiques while playing mostly in the AHL. The following season was his true rookie campaign, playing in 73 games, scoring seven goals and 26 points. He played one more season with the Nords before being dealt to the New York Rangers with John Ogrodnick for Terry Carkner and Jeff Jackson. In his first season with the Rangers Shaw scored a career-high 32 points. His other career milestone while with the Rangers was being suspended 12 games for slashing Mario Lemieux in the throat.


Shortly after the start of the 1991-92 season Shaw was traded to Edmonton to complete the Mark Messier trade that happened the month prior. Shaw lasted just over two months with the Oilers before being traded to Minnesota for Brian Glynn. His stay in Minnesota was also short-lived, lasting 44 regular season and playoff games before being traded to Boston in September 1992.


In Shaw’s first season as a Bruin he scored a career-high 10 goals to go with 24 points. He played two more seasons in Boston before a trade to Tampa Bay in August 1995 for a draft pick. Shaw played three seasons with the Lightning, scoring 25 points in 137 games before one final trade, this time to San Jose in a deal that would see the Lightning land the first overall pick in the 1998 draft, used to select Vincent Lecavalier. Shaw played two seasons in the IHL before retiring after the 2000-01 season.


In 16 NHL seasons, Shaw played in 769 games, scoring 41 goals and 194 points.


YouTube clip: the slashing incident with Mario Lemieux. The event touched off a brawl between the two teams, not helped by the fact both teams had to exit the ice between the players’ benches through the same tunnel.


Card 410 - Viacheslav Fetisov















A defenceman, Fetisov was first drafted by Montreal, 201st overall in the 1978 draft, and was later selected by New Jersey 145th overall in 1983. Having played for CSKA Moscow, aka the Red Army, since the age of 17, Fetisov was captain of the legendary squad from 1983 until he left to join the NHL for the 1989-90 season.


In his first season with the Devils he played in 72 games, scoring what would be a career-high eight goals and 42 points. Over his next four seasons in New Jersey Fetisov would average point totals in the low to mid-20s, and rack up a surprising 158 penalty minutes in 1992-93.


In April 1995 he was traded to Detroit for a third round pick. Joining the Wings saw him united with countrymen Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Vladimir Konstantinov and Igor Larionov, forming the Russian 5. In his first full season with the Red Wings in 1995-96, Fetisov equalled his career-best in points and recorded a +37 rating, third in the NHL behind Konstantinov and Fedorov.


Fetisov capped off his NHL career with back-to-back Stanley Cups wins in 1997 and 1998, also playing in both all-star games in those seasons. He retired following the 1998 Cup win.


In nine NHL seasons, Fetisov played in 546 games, scoring 36 goals and 228 points. Having joined the NHL at age 31, he boasts an international record that is hard to top. This includes being a member of the Triple Gold Club, three Olympics medals (two gold, one silver), three world juniors gold medals, 11 world championship medals (seven gold, one silver, three bronze) and a Canada Cup title. Individually, Fetisov was a world championship all-star nine times and was named tournament best defenceman five times, as well as twice being named the Soviet Union Player of the Year. Unsurprisingly he is a member of both the Hockey Hall of Fame (2001) and IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame (2004).


From 1998 to 2002 he was an assistant coach with the Devils, and was head coach for Russia at the 2002 Olympics. Following the Olympics Fetisov moved on to become the Minister of Sport for Russia, a post he held until 2008. He is still currently a member of the Federal Assembly of Russia, was a key member of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Committee and is chairman of the board for the KHL.


YouTube clip: discussing the pressure of playing for the Red Army team.


Card 411 - Mario Doyon















A defenceman, Doyon was drafted 119th overall by Chicago in 1986. He played two additional seasons with Drummondville, where he led the QMJHL in goals by a defenceman with 23 during the 1987-88 season. Doyon turned pro in 1988-89 with Saginaw in the IHL, also playing in seven games with the Hawks that season.


In March 1990 he was traded to Quebec in the five-player deal that saw the Hawks land Michel Goulet. Doyon played 21 games with the Nordiques the next two seasons, playing 12 games during the 1990-91 season in what were his final NHL games.


Doyon bounced around the AHL and IHL with several franchises over the next three seasons, playing in Italy during the 1994-95 season, winning a league title. He returned to North America in 1995-96 with San Francisco of the IHL, but went back to Europe after one season. Doyon played from 1996 to 2003 in Switzerland and Germany, winning a Swiss league title in 1998 and German title in 2003. He suited up for Indianapolis in the IHL as a player coach in 2003-04, playing a single game with Corpus Christi in 2004-05 before retiring from pro hockey.


In three NHL seasons Doyon played in 28 games, scoring three goals and seven points. From 2010 to 2012 he coached youth hockey in Indiana.


YouTube clip: scoring his first NHL goal during a February 1989 game versus Minnesota. This game is notable as in the second period two other players also scored their first career NHL goals: Dean Kolstad scored his one and only NHL goal, while Jeremy Roenick (wearing #27 and with no name on his jersey) scored the first of his 513 career goals.

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