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Grant Fuhr
Grant fuhr
Born September 28, 1962 (1962-09-28) (age 61)
Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Right
Played for Edmonton Oilers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Buffalo Sabres
Los Angeles Kings
St. Louis Blues
Calgary Flames
National team Flag of Canada Canada
NHL Draft 8th overall, 1981
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 1981–2000
Hall of Fame, 2003

Grant Fuhr (born Grant Scott Fuhr on September 28, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) and former goaltending coach for the Phoenix Coyotes.

In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Grant is best remembered for a decade of stellar play for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. He won a total of five Stanley Cups and was a seven time All-Star.

Playing Career[]

In 1979 (when he was 17 years old), Grant joined the Victoria Cougars of the WHL.

After two stellar seasons in Victoria, which included the league championship and a trip to the Memorial Cup in 1981, he was drafted eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Grant played ten seasons for the Oilers where he teamed up first with Andy Moog & then Bill Ranford to form one of the most formidable goaltending tandems in history, winning the Stanley Cup four times in five seasons (1983-84 through 1987-88).

He was also involved with the infamous goal where Steve Smith scored on his own net to cost the Oilers the '86 playoffs against the Calgary Flames.

Grant was the team's starting goaltender on the first four teams, but he was injured and did not play in the 1990 playoffs when the Oilers won for the fifth time. He played in the National Hockey League All-Star Game in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 & 1989.

In 1987, Grant played in goal for the NHL All-Stars in both games of the Rendez-Vous '87 series against the Soviet National Team.

In 1987-88, he backstopped Canada to a victory at the Canada Cup, playing in all nine games, then played in 75 regular season and 19 playoff games.

Grant won his only Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender that year and finished second in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, behind Mario Lemieux and ahead of teammate Wayne Gretzky.

Grant's playoff success fed into his reputation as the supreme "money" goalie (or "clutch" goaltender) of his era, the person you would want in net with the season on the line and there was a period of time from 1987 through at least 1989 where he was often called "the best goaltender in the world".

Grant battled shoulder injuries and substance abuse problems at the tail end of his career with Edmonton and he was suspended by the NHL for 59 games of the 1990–91 season.

Post-Playing Career[]

In 1990, Grant came forward about his drug use after spending two weeks in a counseling center in Florida.

He admitted that he used "a substance" (he did not say cocaine) for some seven years or most of the period that the Oilers rested at the top of the NHL. The details of his drug use were supplied by the player's ex-wife.

The embarrassing details no doubt contributed to the one-year suspension handed down in September 1990 by NHL president John Ziegler, who called his conduct "dishonorable and against the welfare of the league."

Once Grant was re-instated, fans of opposing teams taunted him at games with bags of sugar.

In May of 1993 (while still a member of the Buffalo Sabres), Grant was denied membership in the neighbouring Transit Valley Country Club.

At the time, rumours floated that the denial was based on race as several of Grant's white teammates had been granted membership. Club officials denied they rejected him based on his race; rather, his application contained "incorrect and incomplete" information.

Various acts of vandalism at the club occurred after news of Grant's rejection surfaced, including an incident where vandals burned a swastika onto one of the greens.

In light of the negative publicity, the club reversed its position and offered Grant not only a membership, but an apology as well. He rejected the membership and joined nearby Lancaster Country Club. The club also temporarily suspended its membership committee and had an anti-bias policy written into its by-laws.

On July 22, 2004, Grant was hired to be the Phoenix Coyotes goaltending coach. He held the position until the end of the 2008-09 season when he was replaced by Sean Burke. He held a similar post with the Calgary Flames in the 2000–2001 and the 2001–2002 seasons.

Hall of Fame Induction[]

On November 2, 2003, Grant was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He was also inducted in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Career Statistics[]

Regular season[]

Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1979–80 Victoria Cougars WHL 43 30 12 0 2488 130 3 3.14 .911
1980–81 Victoria Cougars WHL 59 48 9 1 3448 160 4 2.78 .908
1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 48 28 5 14 2847 157 0 3.31 .899
1982–83 Edmonton Oilers NHL 32 13 12 5 1803 129 0 4.29 .868
1982–83 Moncton Alpines AHL 10 4 5 1 604 40 0 3.97
1983–84 Edmonton Oilers NHL 45 30 10 4 2625 171 1 3.91 .883
1984–85 Edmonton Oilers NHL 46 26 8 7 2559 165 1 3.87 .884
1985–86 Edmonton Oilers NHL 40 29 8 0 2184 143 0 3.93 .890
1986–87 Edmonton Oilers NHL 44 22 13 3 2388 137 0 3.44 .881
1987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 75 40 24 9 4304 246 4 3.43 .881
1988–89 Edmonton Oilers NHL 59 23 26 6 3341 213 1 3.83 .875
1989–90 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 2 2 0 0 120 6 0 3.00 .919
1989–90 Edmonton Oilers NHL 21 9 7 3 1081 70 1 3.89 .868
1990–91 Cape Breton Oilers AHL 4 2 2 0 240 17 0 4.25 .870
1990–91 Edmonton Oilers NHL 13 6 4 3 778 39 1 3.01 .897
1991–92 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 65 25 33 5 3774 230 2 3.66 .881
1992–93 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 29 13 9 4 1665 87 1 3.14 .895
1992–93 Buffalo Sabres NHL 29 11 15 2 1694 98 0 3.47 .891
1993–94 Rochester Americans AHL 5 3 0 2 310 10 0 1.94 .935
1993–94 Buffalo Sabres NHL 32 13 12 3 1726 106 2 3.68 .883
1994–95 Buffalo Sabres NHL 3 1 2 0 180 12 0 4.00 .859
1994–95 Los Angeles Kings NHL 14 1 7 3 698 47 0 4.04 .876
1995–96 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 30 28 16 4365 209 3 2.87 .903
1996–97 St. Louis Blues NHL 73 33 27 11 4261 193 3 2.72 .901
1997–98 St. Louis Blues NHL 58 29 21 6 3274 138 3 2.53 .883
1998–99 St. Louis Blues NHL 39 16 11 8 2193 89 2 2.44 .892
1999–00 Saint John Flames AHL 2 0 2 0 99 10 0 6.05 .839
1999–00 Calgary Flames NHL 23 5 13 2 1205 77 0 3.83 .856
NHL totals 868 403 295 114 48,945 2,756 25 3.38 .887

Playoffs[]

Season Team League GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1979–80 Victoria Cougars WHL 8 5 3 465 22 0 2.84
1980–81 Victoria Cougars WHL 15 12 3 899 45 1 3.00
1980–81 Victoria Cougars M-Cup 4 1 3 239 18 0 4.52
1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 5 2 3 309 26 0 5.05 .852
1982–83 Edmonton Oilers NHL 1 0 0 11 0 0 0.00 1.000
1983–84 Edmonton Oilers NHL 16 11 4 882 44 1 3.00 .910
1984–85 Edmonton Oilers NHL 18 15 3 1057 55 0 3.12 .895
1985–86 Edmonton Oilers NHL 9 5 4 540 28 0 3.12 .897
1986–87 Edmonton Oilers NHL 19 14 5 1143 47 0 2.47 .908
1987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 19 16 2 1136 55 0 2.91 .883
1988–89 Edmonton Oilers NHL 7 3 4 417 24 1 3.45 .894
1990–91 Edmonton Oilers NHL 18 8 7 1019 51 0 3.00 .895
1992–93 Buffalo Sabres NHL 8 3 4 474 27 1 3.42 .875
1995–96 St. Louis Blues NHL 2 1 0 69 1 0 0.87 .978
1996–97 St. Louis Blues NHL 6 2 4 357 13 2 2.18 .929
1998–99 St. Louis Blues NHL 13 6 6 780 31 1 2.35 .898
NHL totals 150 92 50 8808 430 6 2.93 .898

International[]

Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA
1984 Canada CC 2 1 0 1 120 6 0 3.00
1987 Canada CC 9 6 1 2 575 32 0 3.34
1989 Canada WC 5 1 3 1 298 18 1 3.62
Senior totals 16 8 4 4 993 56 1 3.38

International Play[]

Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Canada Canada
Men's ice hockey
Canada Cup
Gold 1984 Canada
Gold 1987 Canada
World Championships
Silver 1989 Sweden

Grant was named to the 1984 Canada Cup team, but he saw limited action during the tournament.

He was again selected to represent Canada for the 1987 Canada Cup. It was here that he cemented his reputation as one of the best goaltenders in the game.

Playing against a tough Soviet Union squad, Grant turned away shot after shot during the three-game final. He also played for Canada at the 1989 World Championships where he won a silver medal.

Accolades[]

NHL Awards

Award Year(s)
All-Star Game 1982, 1984, 1985,
1986, 1988, 1989
First All-Star Team 1988
Second All-Star Team 1982
Stanley Cup 1984, 1985, 1987,
1988, 1990
Vezina Trophy 1988
William M. Jennings Trophy
Shared with Dominik Hasek
1994

International Awards

Award Year(s)
CC All-Star Team 1987
  • In 1998, he was ranked number 70 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
  • His #31 was retired by the Edmonton Oilers on October 9, 2003.
  • Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.
  • Was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Records[]

  • Holds NHL record for longest undefeated streak by a goaltender in his first NHL season: 23 in 1981–82.
  • Holds NHL record for most assists in a single season by a goaltender: 14 in 1983–84.
  • Shares NHL record for most wins in a single season postseason: 16 in 1988.
  • Holds NHL record for most games played by a goaltender in a single season: 79 in 1995 96.
  • Holds NHL record for most consecutive appearances in a single season by a goaltender: 76 in 1996.

Personal Life[]

Grant was born to one black parent and one white parent, but he was adopted by parents Betty Wheeler & Robert Fuhr and raised in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada.

He has four children from his previous marriages: Janine Fuhr, Rochelle King, RJ Fuhr, Kendyl Fuhr & step-daughter Rochelle Oyas-Corral.

On September 14, 2014, he married to Lisa Cavanaugh from Palm Desert, California in the Grand Cayman Islands.

Also, Grant was a regular competitor at the American Century Championship which is the annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities.

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