Craig Simpson (born February 15, 1967) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres. He is currently a broadcaster, involved in Hockey Night in Canada telecasts.
Playing career[]
Simpson played collegiate hockey for the Michigan State Spartans of the NCAA from 1983–84 to 1984–85.
He was drafted in the first round, second overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Midway through his third NHL season, he was traded as part of a package to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Paul Coffey. Simpson blossomed in Edmonton, playing on a line with future Hall of Famers Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson. He scored a career high 56 regular season goals (combined between Pittsburgh and Edmonton) during the 1987–88 season, and 13 more in the playoffs. He won 2 Stanley Cups with the Oilers, in 1988 and 1990. He would be dealt to the Buffalo Sabres prior to the 1993-94 season.
Simpson suffered a serious back injury in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 1, 1993. Though he continued to play, the injury would eventually end his playing career at age 28. He retired as a player in 1996, finishing with 497 career NHL points. He holds the record for best career shooting percentage (minimum 800 shots) with 23.66%. He also holds the record for best career playoff shooting percentage (minimum 80 shots) with 33.65%, well ahead of second place Ken Linseman (23.21%).
Broadcasting career[]
After retiring as a player, Simpson joined FOX television as a hockey color commentator. In 1998, Simpson joined CTV Sportsnet as a color commentator. After the 2004–05 season, he take a job as a color commentator for CBC Television, alongside former Sportsnet partner Jim Hughson. Beginning in the 2008-09 season, Hughson and Simpson are the lead Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team and call the Stanley Cup Finals. When Rogers Media gained the NHL rights in 2014, the pair shifted to the company, with Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, and Scott Oake re-joining Sportsnet.
Simpson is also the former colour commentator for the EA Sports NHL franchise, along with play-by-play partner Jim Hughson.
On March 22, 2008, he and Jim Hughson called the NHL game between Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche at 1 p.m. MDT. They then boarded a chartered plane to Calgary where the pair then announced the third game of the Hockey Night in Canada triple-header between the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild at 8 p.m. MDT. This is believed to be a first in the National Hockey League.
He work as color commentator for NHL Radio, a partnership between the NHL and Westwood One. He has called the Stanley Cup playoffs on radio for many years.
Battle of the Blades[]
In 2009, Simpson participated in the first season of CBC's "Battle of the Blades", a made-for-TV figure-skating competition that paired eight former NHL stars with female figure skaters. Simpson and his partner, Jamie Salé, won the competition on Monday November 16, 2009. On November 7, 2013, Simpson was inducted into the London (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal life[]
Simpson is the son of Canadian Olympic athlete Marion Simpson. He is also the younger brother of former CHL Player of the Year Dave Simpson and younger brother of Rogers Sportsnet reporter Christine Simpson.
On June 21, 2012, Simpson married Canadian figure skater Jamie Salé, whom he had "known for years from the Edmonton skating scene" before they were paired as partners in late 2009 for the first season of the CBC show Battle of the Blades, which they won. Simpson and Salé have one daughter, Samantha Rae Simpson, born on July 7, 2013. Through this marriage, Simpson is also a stepfather to Salé's son Jesse Pelletier (born September 30, 2007), from her first marriage to skating partner David Pelletier.[5] He also has three children from a previous marriage,[6] including son Dillon, who was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the 4th round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and is currently a defenseman for the Bakersfield Condors.
Awards and honors[]
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-CCHA First Team | 1984-85 | [10] |
| AHCA West First-Team All-American | 1984–85 | [11] |
| CCHA All-Tournament Team | 1985 | [12] |
| Stanley Cup Edmonton Oilers | 1988 | |
| Stanley Cup Edmonton Oilers | 1990 |
Career statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1983–84 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA | 46 | 14 | 43 | 57 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA | 42 | 31 | 53 | 84 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 76 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 72 | 26 | 25 | 51 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 21 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Edmonton Oilers* | NHL | 59 | 43 | 21 | 64 | 43 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 26 | ||
| 1988–89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 66 | 35 | 41 | 76 | 80 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1989–90 | Edmonton Oilers* | NHL | 80 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 180 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 8 | ||
| 1990–91 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 75 | 30 | 27 | 57 | 66 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 12 | ||
| 1991–92 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 80 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1992–93 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 60 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 22 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 24 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 634 | 247 | 250 | 497 | 659 | 67 | 36 | 32 | 68 | 56 | ||||
*Stanley Cup champion