Paul Coffey

Paul Coffey, born in 1961, Canadian ice hockey player, who played on four Stanley Cup championship teams. He was a three-time winner of the Norris Trophy for outstanding defenseman of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Coffey was born in Weston, Ontario, near Toronto, and attended a local hockey academy. He played with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey Association before joining the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL in 1980. Following the example of NHL great Bobby Orr, Coffey became an offensive-minded defenseman. Coffey’s defensive skills and the offensive skills of his teammates, center Wayne Gretzky and forward Mark Messier, led the Oilers to three Stanley Cups (1984, 1985, 1987). In 1985 and 1986 Coffey was awarded the Norris Trophy for his outstanding defense.

Traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1987, Coffey teamed with center Mario Lemieux to lead the team to the Stanley Cup in 1991. He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1992 and to the Detroit Red Wings during the 1992-93 season. He won his third Norris Trophy with the Red Wings in 1995. After the 1995 season Coffey was traded to the Hartford Whalers, and later to the Philadelphia Flyers. During the 1996-97 season, he helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where the team was swept by the Red Wings, 4 games to 0.

Coffey set many NHL career records for a defenseman, including most goals, most assists, and most points. In 1995 he became the first defenseman to record 1,000 career assists. He has also played on several NHL All-Star teams. Coffey was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.