At the mention of any game sport, an associative connection with any country arises. We habitually consider England the birthplace of football, and the United States gave the world the most popular basketball. So is the case with hockey. The words “hockey” and “Canada” have become synonymous to some extent. It is this North American country that is rightfully considered the birthplace of the game. For any Canadian, hockey is more than sport, it is an integral part of life. By the number of indoor ice rinks per capita, this country occupies a confident first place. If a boy is born in a Canadian family, be sure that he will definitely play hockey. At what level, what period of time is the second question, but there is no doubt that the game will be present in his life.
Like every country, Canadians have their own hockey heroes. The names Gordy Howe, Bobby Hall, Phil Esposito became common nouns in Canada. Each time period in Canada had its own legends. In the years 80-90, one of these heroes was hockey defender Paul Coffey.
Childhood
Paul was born on June 1, 1961 in the small town of Weston, in Ontario. The population barely exceeded 10,000, but nevertheless, according to the good Canadian tradition, there were several hockey venues in the city. On one of them, as part of the school team, the career of one of the strongest defenders in the history of not only Canadian, but also world hockey began.
Characteristically, Coffey's playing career began as a striker. Moreover, at the school level, the effectiveness of the teenager was impressive. Already much later, at the level of student hockey, Paul was transferred to the defense line, where he received worldwide recognition.
Student hockey
After graduating from school, the name of Paul Coffey was already heard by hockey experts. A promising player of his choice could determine the place of further study. But Paul, along with his parents, decides to stay in his hometown of Ontario and continue his studies at the University of Toronto. Along with his studies, Paul continues to play hockey. Coffey finished the first season in the Youth Hockey League with 89 points, which was an excellent result for the debutant. In the second season, the performance of the promising defender only increased - already 102 points scored. It was clear that Coffey’s youth league level had already outgrown, and the invitation to the strongest world league — the NHL — was not far off.
Career in the NHL
And so it happened. In the first round of the 1980 draft, a talented young man was selected under the sixth number by the Canadian club Edmonton Oilers. It was a mutually beneficial agreement. The oil workers were building a new team, and Paul Coffey was the perfect match for the chosen game model of the Canadian club. Already in his first adult season, Coffey confidently staked out a place in the main team. The first season cannot be called bright - there are a total of 32 points scored in the regular championship plus 7 points in the playoff matches. But already the second season at the adult level allowed to more fully reveal the potential. Coffey scored 89 points, which was an excellent result for the defender.
Further, the career of Paul Coffey in the NHL was only increasing. The most successful in terms of performance was the 1984/85 season. Paul Coffey scored 126 points during the regular season and added another 22 points in the playoff series to this indicator. That year was truly a triumph for hockey players, “Edmonton”. The bet on youth in the early eighties has borne fruit. The team, led by the great Wayne Gretzky, managed to realize the dream of his fans and brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown.
After playing in the “Edmonton” 7 seasons, Paul Coffey moved to the “Pittsburgh Penguins”, where he was again lucky with partners. “Penguins” gathered around their star Mario Lemieux a team of like-minded players who are imprisoned for attacking actions. That was exactly what Coffey was. It was not difficult for him to join the “Pittsburgh” and win another Stanley Cup with this club.
Retirement
After playing for the “Penguins from Pittsburgh” five seasons, Paul Coffey moves to the “Los Angeles Kings”. As time has shown, this transition can be called a mistake. After the attacking style of “Pittsburgh” for Coffey, it was difficult to switch to another game model. In addition, the injuries suffered began, which led to the loss of speed qualities. Paul continued to be one of the best defenders of the league, despite the fact that his performance decreased markedly.
This was followed by transfers to Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and, finally, to Boston. (Boston Bruins). Due to numerous injuries, 39-year-old Paul failed to achieve a decent result. Over 18 games, he managed to make just 4 assists. The contract with the Boston Bruins was broken. At the age of forty, Coffey decided to end his professional career.
Titles
Over the 20 years spent in the NHL, Paul Coffey has established himself as a very versatile player. Speaking in a defensive position, where reliability is highly valued when playing in the defense of his own goal, Paul remained an acute attacking player. This is proved by the 1531 points earned - the second indicator in the history of the NHL among defenders. Among his club achievements, four Stanley Cups won, as part of the national team, Coffey won the Canada Cup three times. Paul Coffey is a hockey player who won the James Norris Trophy three times as the best defender of the league three times in the season. For outstanding services, Coffey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
Currently, Paul is training a junior team in his native Ontario and continues to play hockey for veterans. That's how a sports career has developed at one of the best defenders of world hockey.