| Kelly Buchberger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 2, 1966 Langenburg, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) |
| Position | Right wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Played for | Edmonton Oilers Atlanta Thrashers Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins |
| National team |  Canada
|
| NHL Draft | 188th overall, 1985 Edmonton Oilers |
| Playing career | 1986–2004 |
Kelly Buchberger (born Kelly Michael Buchberger on December 2, 1966) is a retired professional Canadian hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) and currently works in player personnel for the Edmonton Oilers.
Playing Career[]
Kelly played minor hockey with the Western Hockey League Moose Jaw Warriors and pro hockey with the American Hockey League Nova Scotia Oilers.
He was drafted in the ninth round by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, making him the 188th overall pick.
Kelly made his NHL debut in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals (the most recent player to play his first NHL game in the Stanley Cup finals).
During his playing career, he was known best for his gritty play and leadership, having captained the Oilers for four years. He won two Stanley Cups with Edmonton in 1987 and 1990.
On June 25, 1999, he was claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft where he played with the team for 68 games and earned 17 points.
On March 13, 2000, Kelly was traded to the Los Angeles Kings along with Nelson Emerson in exchange for Donald Audette and Frantisek Kaberle where he played with the team for 3 seasons.
On July 7, 2002, he signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes where he played in 79 games and earned 12 points.
On July 31, 2003, Kelly signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he played in 71 games and earned only 4 points.
Coaching Career[]
After retiring, Kelly was an assistant coach with the AHL Edmonton Road Runners team in 2004–05. He then joined the Oilers management as a development coach.
On August 3, 2007, he was named head coach of the Oilers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons and guided the team to a 35–35–10 record, the team's first .500 season since 1998–99.
He was then promoted to the Edmonton Oilers during the 2008 offseason, becoming an assistant coach with them.
On June 10, 2014, he was reassigned to the role of player personnel and replaced as assistant coach by Craig Ramsay.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1984–85 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 51 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 114 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 72 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 206 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 37 | ||
| 1986–87 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 70 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 257 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 | ||
| 1986–87 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | — | — | — | — | – | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 1987–88 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 49 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 206 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 1987–88 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 81 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1988–89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 66 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 234 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 55 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 168 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | ||
| 1990–91 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 64 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 160 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 | ||
| 1991–92 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 79 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 157 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 32 | ||
| 1992–93 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 83 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 133 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 84 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 199 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1994–95 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 48 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 184 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1996–97 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 81 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 159 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 16 | ||
| 1997–98 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 82 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 122 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 25 | ||
| 1998–99 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 52 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 68 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 68 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 139 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 1999–00 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 82 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 75 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 74 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 105 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 2002–03 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 79 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 109 | — | — | — | — | – | ||
| 2003–04 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 71 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 109 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1182 | 105 | 204 | 309 | 2297 | 97 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 129 | ||||
Accolades[]
- Stanley Cup Champion (with Edmonton Oilers; 1987 and 1990)