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| 1983 NHL DRAFT PICK |
 |
Joe Kocur
Selected in
fifth round
No. 88 overall by Detroit Red Wings
Born
December 21, 1964
 | Position:
Right Wing
Height: 6-0 Weight: 200
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Saskatoon (WHL)
Birthplace:
Calgary, Alberta (Canada)
Hometown: Kelvington,
Saskatchewan |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1980-81 |
Yorkton | SJHL |
48 | 6 |
9 | 15 |
307 | | 1981-82 |
Yorkton | SJHL |
47 | 20 |
21 | 41 |
199 | | 1982-83 |
Saskatoon | WHL |
62 | 23 |
17 | 40 |
289 |
|
PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Missed part of 1982-83 season with stretched knee
ligaments, an injury suffered in December 1982. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: February 20, 1985 (St. Louis at
Detroit)
Numbers: 26 (Detroit); 26
(N.Y. Rangers); 28 (Vancouver)
Stanley Cup: 1994, 1997, 1998.
Status:
Retired October 10, 2000 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1985-1999 |
Detroit, NYR, Van. | 820 |
80 | 82 |
162 | 2,519 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS |
| Years | Teams |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1985-1998 |
Detroit, NYR, Van. | 118 |
10 | 12 |
22 | 231 |
|
NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Detroit Records: Most penalty minutes in one game (42 at St. Louis on
Nov. 2, 1985), most penalty minutes in one playoff year (71 in 1987)
NHL Penalty-Minutes
Leader: 1985-86 (Detroit) (377 PIM)
Detroit PIM
Leader: 1985-86 (377), 1986-87 (276), 1989-90 (268)
Detroit
Playoffs Penalty-Minutes
Leader: 1987 (71)
Coaching
Career: Named Detroit video technician/coach on Oct. 10, 2000, and
remained in that position until July 17, 2002. ... Named Detroit assistant
coach on July 17, 2002, and remained in that position through 2003-04
season.
Miscellaneous: Missed part of 1985-86 season with sprained thumb, an
injury suffered in fight with Willi Plett during Detroit's Dec. 11, 1985,
game at Minnesota. ... Suspended by NHL for one game (automatic suspension)
in 1985-86 for receiving third game misconduct of season during Detroit's
Dec. 11, 1985, game at Minnesota. ... Suspended by NHL for two games
(automatic suspension) in 1985-86 for receiving fourth game misconduct of
season during Detroit's Jan. 13, 1986, game at Toronto. ... Broke Bryan
Watson's previous Detroit record for penalty minutes in one season when he
recorded his 323rd penalty minute of 1985-86 in just his 50th game of
season. ... Missed part of 1985-86 season with strained right knee, an
injury suffered during Detroit's Jan. 28, 1986, game vs. Washington. While
he was out, he also suffered from food poisoning. ... Missed part of 1985-86
season with sprained ligaments in left knee, an injury suffered during
Detroit's March 26, 1986, game at Chicago. ... Set Detroit single-season
record (since broken) with 377 penalty minutes in 1985-86. ... Missed parts
of 1987-88 season with sore left elbow, an injury suffered during Detroit's
Oct. 8, 1987, season opener at Calgary, with strained sternum and
collarbone, an injury suffered during Detroit's Oct. 17, 1987, game at
Toronto, with separated left shoulder, an injury suffered during Detroit's
Dec. 7, 1987, game at Toronto, with laceration on right hand, an injury
suffered during Detroit's Jan. 6, 1988, game vs. St.
Louis, and with back spasms, an injury suffered during Detroit's March 8,
1988, game vs. Boston. ... Missed remainder of 1988 playoffs with separated
right shoulder, an injury suffered during Game 4 of Detroit's second-round
series at St. Louis on April 25, 1988. ... Missed part of 1988-89 season
with back injury, suffered during Detroit's Nov. 1, 1988, game vs.
Washington. He did not return to action until Detroit's Nov. 18, 1988, game
vs. Boston. ... Missed part of 1988-89 season with left knee injury,
suffered during Detroit's Nov. 18, 1988, game vs. Boston. ... Missed part of
1988-89 season with re-aggravation of back injury, suffered during Detroit's
Jan. 30, 1989, game vs. Quebec. He did not return to action until Detroit's
Feb. 15, 1989, game vs. Minnesota. ... Missed parts of 1988-89 season with
back injury, suffered during Detroit's March 7, 1989, game at Minnesota, and
with the flu, an illness contracted in mid-March 1989. ... Missed remainder
of 1988-89 regular season and start of 1989 playoffs with right hand injury,
suffered during Detroit's March 29, 1989, game vs. N.Y. Rangers. ... Missed
parts of 1989-90 season with back injury, suffered during Detroit's Oct. 14,
1989, game vs. Buffalo, with right hand injury, suffered during Detroit's
Jan. 12, 1990, game at Winnipeg, with strained groin, an injury suffered
during Detroit's Feb. 3, 1990, game at St. Louis, with bruised right foot,
an injury suffered when he was hit by teammate Gerard Gallant's shot during
Detroit's Feb. 16, 1990, game vs. Philadelphia, and with strained ligaments
in left knee, an injury suffered during Detroit's March 24, 1990, game vs.
Chicago. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season with right hand injury, suffered
in fight with Rob Ray during Detroit's Dec. 1, 1990, game at Buffalo. ...
Played on line with Jan Erixon and Bernie Nicholls for N.Y. Rangers in
1990-91. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season with pulled chest muscle, an injury suffered
when he was checked by Randy Velischek during N.Y. Rangers' March 7, 1991,
game at Quebec. It was his first game in a Rangers uniform. ... Had off-season surgery on right
middle knuckle on May 10, 1991. ... Missed start of 1991-92 season while
serving suspension and with hip flexor injury, suffered during N.Y. Rangers
training camp in October 1991. He did not make his 1991-92 regular-season
debut until N.Y. Rangers' Oct. 12, 1991, game at Hartford. ... Missed part
of 1991-92 season with separated left shoulder, an injury suffered during N.Y.
Rangers' Jan. 28, 1992, game at San Jose. He did not return to action until
N.Y. Rangers' March 1, 1992, game at Hartford. ... Missed part of 1991-92
season with slightly sprained right knee, an injury suffered during N.Y.
Rangers' practice on March 4, 1992, game vs. New Jersey. He did not return to action until N.Y.
Rangers' March 20, 1992, game at Detroit. ... Missed parts of 1992-93 season
with sprained leg, an injury suffered during N.Y. Rangers' Nov. 21, 1992,
game at Winnipeg, with back injury, suffered during N.Y. Rangers' Feb. 10,
1993, game vs. Pittsburgh and re-aggravated during N.Y. Rangers' Feb. 20,
1993, game at San Jose, and with pulled groin, an injury suffered during
N.Y. Rangers' April 9, 1993, game vs. Pittsburgh. ... Missed parts of
1993-94 season with bruised hand, an injury suffered in fight with Stu
Grimson during N.Y. Rangers' Jan. 28, 1994, game at Anaheim and
re-aggravated during N.Y. Rangers' Feb. 9, 1994, game at Montreal, and with
back spasms, an injury suffered during N.Y. Rangers' April 4, 1994, game vs.
Florida. ... Missed part of 1994 playoffs with sprained left knee, an injury
suffered during Game 2 of N.Y. Rangers' first-round series vs. N.Y.
Islanders on April 18, 1994. ... Missed part of 1995-96 season with back
spasms, an injury suffered during Vancouver's April 1, 1996, game vs.
Edmonton. ... Missed part of 1996-97 season with hip flexor injury, suffered
during Detroit's Jan. 9, 1997, game at Phoenix, with the flu, an illness
contracted in late March 1997, and with strained lower back, an injury
suffered during Detroit's April 8, 1997, game at Calgary. ... Missed part of
1997-98 season with shoulder injury, suffered during Detroit's Oct. 1, 1997,
season-opener at Calgary, with hand injury, suffered during Detroit's Oct.
31, 1997, game vs. Los Angeles, with bruised knee, an injury suffered during
Detroit's Nov. 19, 1997, game vs. N.Y. Islanders, with unspecified injury,
suffered during Detroit's Jan. 2, 1998, game vs. San Jose, and with
unspecified injury, suffered during Detroit's March 18, 1998, game at
Toronto. ... Scored first goal of the Stanley Cup Finals series vs.
Washington on June 9, 1998. ... Missed part of 1998-99 season with groin
injury, suffered during Detroit's Oct. 31, 1998, game at Dallas. ... Missed
part of 1998-99 season with strained lower abdominal muscle, an injury
suffered during Detroit's Jan. 6, 1999, game vs. Ottawa. He did not return
to action until Detroit's Feb. 11, 1999 game vs. Edmonton. During that game,
he re-aggravated the injury and did not return to action until Detroit's
March 31, 1999, game vs. Los Angeles. ... Missed remainder of 1998-99
regular season, entire 1999 playoffs and entire 1999-00 season while recovering from
career-ending lower abdominal muscle strain, suffered during his final NHL
game with Detroit on April 4, 1999, at Dallas. The career-ending injury,
which was technically a hernia, had
required surgery in May 1999, and Kocur was never able to make a comeback.
... Suspended by NHL for two games during 2002-03 season for throwing a
chair onto the ice during a heated argument with Blues coach Joel
Quenneville late in the third period of Detroit's March 29, 2003, game at
St. Louis.
Back-to-Back Suspensions:
Kocur served a rare eight-game suspension that actually encompassed
punishment for two separate incidents during the 1990-91 season. It all
started when the NHL suspended him four games for hitting Chicago goaltender
Ed Belfour over the head with his stick at the end of the first period of N.Y. Rangers' March 10, 1991, game at Chicago.
Referee Paul Stewart gave Kocur a match penalty for attempting to injure
Belfour, prompting an automatic NHL hearing and review. On March 15, the NHL
declared Kocur suspended four games. The suspension could not begin until March
26, 1991, however, because before he had a chance to serve the suspension,
while playing under a one-week grace period, Kocur speared Ulf Samuelsson in
the Rangers' March 17, 1991, game
vs. Pittsburgh. He received his third stick-related game misconduct penalty
of the season on the play, prompting an automatic three-game suspension that
had to be served from March 21,
1991, through March 24, 1991. As a result of these combined suspensions, Kocur
missed the final six games of the 1990-91 regular season. Although he was
allowed to play in the 1991 playoffs, he had to serve the last game of his
dual suspension by missing the Rangers' 1991-92 season-opener. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams:
Saskatoon (WHL); Adirondack (AHL); San Antonio (IHL)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
1985-86: Played nine regular-season games for Adirondack team that
went on to win AHL playoff title, but was not with team in postseason.
Miscellaneous: Joined Adirondack
for 1984 AHL playoffs after spending 1983-84 regular season with Saskatoon (WHL).
... Missed part of 1984-85 season with severe laceration on back of right
hand, an injury suffered in fight with Jim Playfair during one of
Adirondack's AHL games vs. Nova Scotia in January 1985. The cut required 20
stitches to close. ... Played parts of 1996-97 season in a recreational
league in Waterford Township, Mich., and later with San Antonio (IHL) while looking to catch on with NHL team as an unrestricted free agent. ... Worked at Barry Melrose's hockey school during
off-seasons of his early NHL playing days. ... Ran his own hockey school
during off-seasons of his later playing days. ... An outstanding golfer, he had
a scratch handicap throughout his NHL playing days. ... Invested in a sports
bar, Joe and Lewie's Penalty Box Sports Tavern and Eatery, in Fenton,
Mich., during 2003-04 season. ... Named honorary captain for PlanetUSA team
at 2004 AHL All-Star Game in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Personal: Full name is Joseph
George Kocur. ... Also known as Joey Kocur during his playing days. ...
First cousin of former minor-leaguer Kory Kocur. ... Distant cousin of former NHL player Wendel Clark. ...
Distant cousin of former NHL player Barry Melrose. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE:
Detroit traded Kocur and Per Djoos to N.Y. Rangers for Kevin Miller, Jim
Cummins and Dennis Vial on March 5, 1991. Nearly six years later, Detroit
got Kocur back when he signed with the Red Wings as a Group III unrestricted
free agent on December 27, 1996. |
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|
SNAPSHOT '83 | | Total Selected: |
242 | | Forwards: |
134 | | Defense: |
86 | | Goaltenders: |
22 | | Major Junior: |
122 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
19/5 | | College Players: |
15 | | High School: |
47 |
| Canadian: |
148 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
0 | | USA Citizens: |
60 | | U.S.-Born: |
60 |
| European: |
34 |
| Reached NHL: |
113 |
| Stanley Cup: |
21 | | Hall of Fame: |
4 |
| All-Star Game: |
20 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
34 |
| Picks Traded: |
41 |
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