Joel Otto

Joel Otto
Born	October 29, 1961 (1961-10-29) Elk River, MN, USA
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position	Center
Shot	Right
Played for	Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers
National team	United States
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1984–1998

Joel Stuart Otto (born October 29, 1961) is an American former professional ice hockey center and current assistant coach of the Calgary Hitmen of the major junior Western Hockey League (WHL). He played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers.

Playing career

Otto, pictured playing with the alumni team at the 2011 Heritage Classic, spent the majority of his NHL career with the Flames.

Big and bruising, Otto was particularly effective and probably best known as a shadow for provincial rival Edmonton Oilers center Mark Messier. There were few players who could overmatch Messier's strength and power on the ice, and Otto was probably the most adept during the heyday of the Oilers' franchise in the 1980s. Joel scored the Overtime winner in Game 7 of the Flames' 1989 Division Semi-Final against the Vancouver Canucks. The Flames went on to win the 1989 Stanley Cup. He also played for the Flyers in the 1997 Cup Finals, when they lost to the Detroit Red Wings.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1980–81	HS-MN	23		5	11	16	10	—		—	—	—	—
1981–82	Bemidji State Beavers	NCHA		31	19	33	52	24		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Bemidji State Beavers	NCHA		37	33	28	61	68		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Bemidji State Beavers	NCHA		31	32	43	75	32		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Moncton Golden Flames	AHL		56	27	36	63	89		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Calgary Flames	NHL		17	4	8	12	30		3	2	1	3	10
1985–86	Calgary Flames	NHL		79	25	34	59	188		22	5	10	15	80
1986–87	Calgary Flames	NHL		68	19	31	50	185		2	0	2	2	6
1987–88	Calgary Flames	NHL		62	13	39	52	194		9	3	2	5	24
1988–89	Calgary Flames	NHL		72	23	30	53	213		22	6	13	19	46
1989–90	Calgary Flames	NHL		75	13	20	33	116		6	2	2	4	2
1990–91	Calgary Flames	NHL		76	19	20	39	185		7	1	2	3	8
1991–92	Calgary Flames	NHL		78	13	21	34	161		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Calgary Flames	NHL		75	19	33	52	150		6	4	2	6	4
1993–94	Calgary Flames	NHL		81	11	12	23	92		3	0	1	1	4
1994–95	Calgary Flames	NHL		47	8	13	21	130		7	0	3	3	2
1995–96	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		67	12	29	41	115		12	3	4	7	11
1996–97	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		78	13	19	32	99		18	1	5	6	8
1997–98	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		68	3	4	7	78		5	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				943	195	313	508	1936		122	22	47	74	205

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1985	United States	WC		10	2	1	3	8
1987	United States	CC		5	0	2	2	4
1990	United States	WC		9	2	4	6	2
1991	United States	CC		8	4	0	4	2
1996	United States	WCH		7	1	2	3	6
1998	United States	OG		4	0	0	0	0
Senior int'l totals				43	9	9	18	22

Notes

The song 'Two Minutes for Looking So Good' by Canadian band Belvedere is written about Joel Otto.

External links

• Joel Otto's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Joel Otto at Hockey-Reference.com
• Joel Otto's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Joel Otto's NHL player profile