Pierre Turgeon

This article is about the ice hockey player. For the Canadian novelist and essayist, see Pierre Turgeon (writer). For the priest, see Pierre-Flavien Turgeon.

Pierre Turgeon
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2023
Turgeon in 2023
Born	(1969-08-28) August 28, 1969 Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Buffalo Sabres New York Islanders Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues Dallas Stars Colorado Avalanche
NHL draft	1st overall, 1987 Buffalo Sabres
Playing career	1987–2007

Pierre Julien Turgeon (TUHR-zhawn, French pronunciation: [tyʁ.ʒɔ̃]; born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Turgeon played in the NHL for the Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Sylvain Turgeon. He is one of 48 players to have scored 500 goals. Turgeon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 13, 2023.

Playing career

Early years

Turgeon was a member of Canada's team that was involved in the "Punch-up in Piestany", a bench-clearing brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union during the final game of the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Piešťany, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) on January 4, 1987. He was the only Canadian who did not initially leave the bench until Canadian head coach Bert Templeton convinced him to go on the ice. Many of his teammates never forgave Turgeon for failing to defend his teammates. In the words of Everett Sanipass: "I'm looking for someone to help (Stéphane) Roy out and I look over at the bench. There's this dog Turgeon, just sitting there, with his head down. He wouldn't get his ass off the bench ... just sitting there when everyone's off the Soviet bench and at least one of our guys is in real trouble getting double-teamed." Regarding not leaving the bench, Turgeon stated in 2017: "that wasn't my job. I didn't have to fight."

Buffalo Sabres

Turgeon was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres as the first overall pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Rick Jeanneret, play-by-play announcer for the Sabres, coined the phrase "Ooh-la-la Pierre" for Turgeon.

Turgeon would quickly make an impact with the Sabres once he arrived. In his rookie season, he contributed a respectable 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) during the 1987–88 season, helping the Sabres reach the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in three years. His production increased to 88 points (34 goals and 54 assists) for the 1988–89 season as he quickly became a fan favourite. In the 1989–90 season, he became a star by scoring 106 points (40 goals and 66 assists) and playing in the 1990 NHL All-Star Game. Turgeon's production dipped a little bit in the 1990–91 season to 79 points (32 goals and 47 assists), but he was still a solid performer.

New York Islanders

On October 25, 1991, after over four years with the Sabres, Turgeon was traded (along with Benoît Hogue, Uwe Krupp and Dave McLlwain) to the New York Islanders in exchange for Pat LaFontaine, Randy Wood, Randy Hillier and future considerations. Turgeon's best season as an Islander was in 1992–93, where he scored 58 goals and 132 points and helped lead the Islanders to the Wales Conference Finals, where they would lose to eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens in five games. En route, the Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals and upset the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins.

The first round series, which the Islanders won in six games, is infamous for an on-ice incident. After scoring a goal to put the Islanders up 5-1 during game six at Nassau Coliseum, Turgeon was checked from behind by Dale Hunter of the Capitals as he celebrated his goal. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder and missed the first six games of the ensuing series against the Penguins. Hunter received a then-record 21-game suspension for the hit. In the semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens, Turgeon tallied five points in four games. The Islanders bowed out of the playoffs after a hard-fought five-game series, two of which went to overtime. After defeating the Islanders, the Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup.

As an Islander, Turgeon was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in the 1992–93 season.

Montreal Canadiens

Following the 1994–95 NHL lockout in which the 1994–95 season was limited to 48 games, Islanders general manager Don Maloney decided to rebuild the team, which included trading Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Kirk Muller, Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby at the trading deadline. Turgeon would be named captain of the Canadiens for the 1995–96 season after the departure of Mike Keane to the Colorado Avalanche in December 1995. During the 1995–96 season, Turgeon would nearly record a 100-point season with 38 goals and 58 assists for 96 points; he would also play in the 1996 NHL All-Star Game.

A Blues jersey worn by Turgeon during the 1999–00 season, including an October 9, 1999 game in Edmonton against the Oilers where Turgeon recorded the 1,000th point of his 13-year NHL career, becoming just the 55th player in league history to reach the milestone.

St. Louis Blues

On October 29, 1996, Turgeon was traded to the St. Louis Blues (along with Rory Fitzpatrick and Craig Conroy) in exchange for Murray Baron, Shayne Corson and a fifth-round pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Turgeon spent the next five seasons producing well with the likes of Brett Hull, Chris Pronger, Al MacInnis and Grant Fuhr as teammates. He averaged more than 70 points per season and scored several key post-season goals during his tenure in St. Louis.

Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche

On July 1, 2001, Turgeon joined the Dallas Stars as a free agent, followed by the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent on August 3, 2005. Turgeon took a year off during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. Upon signing with the Avalanche, Turgeon switched his jersey number to #87 from his customary #77, as the number was retired by Colorado for Ray Bourque.

On November 8, 2005, Turgeon became the 34th player in NHL history to score 500 goals, doing so against the San Jose Sharks.

On September 5, 2007, Turgeon announced his retirement from the NHL.

Post-playing career

Turgeon and Mario Lemieux in a faceoff in 2009

Turgeon was first considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, but was not selected. In 2023, after 13 years of being eligible, Turgeon would be selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, with him being inducted on November 13, 2023. Up until his selection, he was one of only 5 (Peter Bondra, Jeremy Roenick (later elected in 2024), Keith Tkachuk, and Pat Verbeek) eligible players with 500 goals to not be in the Hall of Fame. Also, at the time of his induction, he is the 9th (Dale Hawerchuk, Guy Lafleur, Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Mike Modano, Gilbert Perreault, Denis Potvin, and Mats Sundin) enshrined player to have been a first pick in the NHL draft.

Coaching career

On July 10, 2017, Turgeon was named as the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Kings. On June 8, 2018, the Kings announced that they had accepted Turgeon's resignation to leave the organization due to family reasons.

Personal life

Turgeon and his wife Elisabeth have four children and currently live in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. One of their children, Elizabeth, died in a car accident on December 23, 2010, near Vaughn, New Mexico, at age 18. Turgeon represented Canada in the Little League World Series in 1982. Turgeon's son Dominic was drafted 63rd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. His daughter, Valérie Turgeon, was a forward for Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey team, playing for two seasons.

In popular culture

George W. Strawbridge, Jr., an active shareholder of the Buffalo Sabres and director and member of the team's executive committee for more than 30 years, named one of his thoroughbred racehorses in Pierre Turgeon's honor. Turgeon raced for Strawbridge's racing stable in France where he won several conditions races and, after retiring, is developing into a successful sire. [1] [2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1984–85	Bourassa Angevins	QMAAA		41	49	52	101	26		5	3	8	11	2
1985–86	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		69	47	67	114	31		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Canada	Intl		11	2	4	6	2		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Granby Bisons	QMJHL		58	69	85	154	8		7	9	6	15	15
1987–88	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		76	14	28	42	34		6	4	3	7	4
1988–89	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		80	34	54	88	26		5	3	5	8	2
1989–90	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		80	40	66	106	29		6	2	4	6	2
1990–91	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		78	32	47	79	26		6	3	1	4	6
1991–92	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		8	2	6	8	4		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	New York Islanders	NHL		69	38	49	87	16		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	New York Islanders	NHL		83	58	74	132	26		11	6	7	13	0
1993–94	New York Islanders	NHL		69	38	56	94	18		4	0	1	1	0
1994–95	New York Islanders	NHL		34	13	14	27	10		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		15	11	9	20	4		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	38	58	96	44		6	2	4	6	2
1996–97	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		9	1	10	11	2		—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	St. Louis Blues	NHL		69	25	49	74	12		5	1	1	2	2
1997–98	St. Louis Blues	NHL		60	22	46	68	24		10	4	4	8	2
1998–99	St. Louis Blues	NHL		67	31	34	65	36		13	4	9	13	6
1999–2000	St. Louis Blues	NHL		52	26	40	66	8		7	0	7	7	0
2000–01	St. Louis Blues	NHL		79	30	52	82	37		15	5	10	15	2
2001–02	Dallas Stars	NHL		66	15	32	47	16		—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Dallas Stars	NHL		65	12	30	42	18		5	0	1	1	0
2003–04	Dallas Stars	NHL		76	15	25	40	20		5	1	3	4	2
2005–06	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		62	16	30	46	32		5	0	2	2	6
2006–07	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		17	4	3	7	10		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				1,294	515	812	1,327	452		109	35	62	97	36

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987	Canada	WJC	DSQ		6	3	0	3	2
Junior totals					6	3	0	3	2

Awards and honours

Award	Year
QMJHL
Michel Bergeron Trophy	1986
Mike Bossy Trophy	1987
NHL
All-Star Game	1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy	1993

See also

• List of NHL statistical leaders
• Notable families in the NHL
• List of NHL players with 1,000 points
• List of NHL players with 500 goals
• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Profile at Greatest Hockey Legends