Joe Sakic

Joe Sakic
File:Sakic3.jpeg
Born	(1969-07-07) July 7, 1969 Burnaby, BC, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Colorado Avalanche
NHL draft	15th overall, 1987 Quebec Nordiques
Playing career	1988–present

Joseph Steve Sakic (born July 7, 1969 in Burnaby, British Columbia) is a professional ice hockey center who has played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. In his 18-year tenure, Sakic has won two Stanley Cups, various NHL trophies and has been voted into 13 NHL All-Star Games. He is regarded as one of the strongest team leaders to ever play in the league, and has been able to motivate his team throughout his entire career to play at a winning level.

Over the course of his career, Sakic has been one of the most productive forwards in the game, having twice scored fifty goals and earning at least 100 points in six different seasons. As of 2007, he is the 9th all-time points leader in the NHL, as well as 14th in all-time goals and 11th in all-time assists. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sakic helped lead Team Canada to its first gold medal in fifty years, and was voted as the tournament's most valuable player. He has represented the team in six other international competitions, including the 1998 and 2006 Winter Olympics. After the the 2000-01 NHL season, Sakic was named the MVP of the NHL by both hockey writers and his fellow players.

One of Sakic's most effective tools on offense is his wrist shot, which is considered by many to be the best in the NHL. He is also known for his skating ability and his playmaking skills. His biggest weakness is his stamina, and he has always needed to overcome his lack of size on the ice.

Early life

Sakic was born and raised in Burnaby to Marijan and Slavica Sakic, ethnic-Croatian immigrants from the former Yugoslavia. He did not learn to speak English until kindergarten, having been raised with Croatian as his mother-tongue. This language barrier would make Joe a demure, quiet individual later in life. Growing up as the child of immigrants, Joe was instilled with a strong work-ethic, a trait which would serve him well in his hockey career. As a smaller player, he was forced to use skill, rather than size to excel, and modeled himself after his idol, Wayne Gretzky. After showing exceptional promise as a young hockey player in Burnaby, there were some calls that Sakic was a new Wayne Gretzky in the making. He scored eighty-three goals and 156 points in only eighty games in Burnaby, and was added to the Lethbridge Broncos of the Western Hockey League for the last part of the 1985-86 season.

In 1986-87, the Broncos relocated to Swift Current, Saskatchewan, becoming the Swift Current Broncos. Joe, playing in his first full season, was named Rookie of the Year of the WHL. He notched sixty goals and seventy-three assists for 133 points. The next year, 1987-88, Joe was the WHL Player of the Year and Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year scoring 160 points (78 goals, 82 assists).

During the 1986-87 WHL season, Sakic was involved in one of the worst tragedies to ever happen in the CHL. The night of December 30, 1986, the Broncos were driving to a game against the Regina Pats. Due to the bad weather, the driver lost control on a patch of black ice outside of Swift Current, and the bus crashed. While Sakic was unharmed, four of his teammates (Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka and Brent Ruff) were killed. This incident had a lasting impact on the young Sakic, who has declined to talk about the crash during his career.

NHL career

Quebec Nordiques

Sakic was drafted 15th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Rather than make the immediate jump to the NHL, Sakic spent a final year in Swift Current, winning the WHL scoring title and being named CHL Player of the Year. He made his NHL debut on October 6, 1988 against the Hartford Whalers, wearing the #19 that he has used since his pee wee hockey days. His first goal came two days later against goaltender Sean Burke of the New Jersey Devils. He finished the season with 62 points in 70 games.

In 1989-90, his second NHL season, Sakic earned the title of captain and scored more than 100 points in the NHL for the first time, with his 102 points good enough to place him ninth overall in the league. He again passed this mark in 1990-91, improving to 109 points and sixth overall, but would slip during 1991-92 to 94 points, partly as a result of missing eleven games. Early on in the season, Sakic first proved himself as the leader of the team. With Eric Lindros holding out against the Nordiques, who were one of the worst teams in league, Sakic commented about the situation: "We only want players here who have the passion to play the game. I'm tired of hearing that name. He's not here and there are a lot of others in this locker room who really care about the game." Lindros would be traded a year later, ending the situation and bringing in a number of quality players, vastly improvng the Nordiques. During these first four seasons with Joe Sakic, the Nordiques franchise always finished in last place in the Northeast Division and finished last in the league three straight years, from 1989 to 1991.

Starting with the 1992-93 NHL season, Joe Sakic became the sole captain of the franchise and under his leadership, the Nordiques made the playoffs for the first time in six years, setting a franchise record for wins and points in the process. He scored 105 points in the regular season and six points in the playoffs. While Sakic managed to reach the 100 point plateau again in 1993-94 with forty-eight goals and 105 points, the Nordiques failed to make the playoffs. After missing part of the 1994-95 season due to a lockout, Sakic had his best finish of his career, placing fourth overall, and the Nordiques managed to win the division title.

Colorado Avalanche

Joe Sakic in 2006

In June of 1995, the Quebec Nordiques announced that they had been sold and were leaving Quebec. At the start of the 1995-96 NHL season, the franchise moved to Denver, Colorado and was renamed the Colorado Avalanche. Sakic led the team to its first Stanley Cup championship, scoring 120 points in 82 regular season games and 34 points in 22 playoff games. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 1996 NHL playoffs.

It was during the 1996 playoffs that Sakic again proved himself to be an effective team leader. Though he had missed the playoffs in five of his first seven years in the NHL, Sakic dominated the entire playoffs, scoring eighteen goals, including six game-winners, and thirty-four points. He was one goal off from the record for goals in a playoff year, and his game-winning goals established a new record. The Avalanche didn't repeat as Stanley Cup champions in 1996-97 partly due to Sakic and teammate Peter Forsberg missing significant time due to injury. Sakic only played in sixty-five games due to a lacerated calf, yet still managed to score 74 points as the Avalanche earned their first President's Trophy and third straight division title.

As a free agent during the summer of 1997, Sakic signed a three year, $21 million offer with the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent. Under the collective bargaining agreement at the time, the Avalanche had one week to match the Rangers' offer or let go of Sakic. Colorado would match the offer, which instigated a salary raise for many NHL players. Injuries would again limit Sakic's playing time in the 1997-98 season. While playing in his first Olympics with Team Canada, Sakic hurt his knee and was forced to miss eighteen games with the Avalanche. In the sixty-four games he did play in, he still scored sixty-three points, enough to earn him his seventh All-Star appearance. He would finally rebound from his injury problems for the 1998-99 season, finishing fifth in the league in scoring with forty-one goals and ninety-six points in only seventy-three games, and led the Avalanche all the way to within one game of the Stanley Cup finals. After the season ended, he was ranked number 94 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

During the 1999-00 season, Sakic reached several career milestones. Injuries limited him to only sixty games, but he still managed to lead the team in scoring with eighty-one points. On December 27, 1999, against the St. Louis Blues, Sakic earned an assist to become just the fifty-sixth player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points. Later in the season, on March 23rd, 2000, he scored a hat trick against the Phoenix Coyotes, becoming the fifty-ninth player to score 400 career goals. It also gave him 1,049 points with the Quebec/Colorado franchise, passing Peter Stastny as the all-time leader on the team. Sakic eclipsed the 100 point mark again in 2000-01, finishing with 118 along with a career best fifty-four goals. He led the Avalanche to their second Stanley Cup championship, and won the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award. After the Avalanche had defeated the New Jersey Devils in the 2001 finals in seven games, Sakic, as captain, received the Cup. Instead of hoisting it high though, he passed it straight to Ray Bourque, a player who had waited a record-breaking twenty-two seasons to win the Stanley Cup.

The 2001-02 season saw Sakic lead the Avalanche in scoring again, finishing sixth in the league with seventy-nine points. On March 9, 2002, he played in his 1,000th career game. The Avalanche once again reached the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual Cup winning Detroit Red Wings. The following year Sakic appeared in only fifty-eight games, and finished with just fifty-eight points, the lowest total of his career. He rebounded the following year, finishing third in the league with eighty-seven points. It also marked the first time since the 1993-94 season that his team did not win the division title, losing out to the Vancouver Canucks.

File:Sakic2.jpeg

Joe Sakic warming up before a game in 2006

Following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, the Avalanche were forced to lose many of their key players in order to stay below the salary cap. Even with the loss of teammates Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote, Sakic still helped the Avalanche get into the playoffs, where they eventually lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the conference semifinals. In June 2006, Sakic signed a one-year, $5.75 million deal to keep him with the Avalanche for the 2006-07 season. Upon the retirement of Steve Yzerman a month later, on July 3, 2006, Sakic became the league leader for points scored among active players.

Sakic had another strong season in the 2006-07. He scored his 600th career goal on February 15, 2007, against the Calgary Flames, becoming the seventeenth player in history to reach the milestone and third that year. On the final day of the regular season, he scored his 100th point, reaching the milestone for the sixth time in his career. At the same time, Sakic became the second-oldest NHL player to score 100 points in a season at age 37, alongside hockey legend Gordie Howe. Despite his efforts though, Sakic and the Avalanche missed the playoffs for the first time in twelve years.

In April 2007, Sakic signed on for a 19th NHL season with the Colorado Avalanche, signing a one-year deal for the 2007-08 season. Sakic commented on the deal, saying "at this stage in my career, I prefer to do one-year deals as I evaluate my play year-to-year." Upon signing Sakic to the deal, Avalanche General Manager Francois Giguere said, "Joe is the heart of this organization and his leadership and value to this team and especially our young players is unquestioned." On May 1, the NHL announced that Sakic was named as one of the three finalists of the Lady Byng Trophy, an award "given to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

All-Star Games

Joe Sakic has been voted into the NHL All-Star Game 13 times and played in 12 of them, having scored at least one point in 11 games. He was voted into the 1997 All-Star game but missed it due to an injury. Sakic won the Most Valuable Player award in 2004. He is the all-time assist leader in all-star games with 16 assists and is third place in all-time all-star scoring with 22 points, trailing only Mario Lemieux (23 points) and Wayne Gretzky (25 points). His best record in an All-Star game was in 2007, where he scored 4 assists, but still was not selected for MVP in favour of Daniel Brière.

International play

Main article: Canadian national men's hockey team

Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
	2002 Salt Lake City	Ice hockey

Sakic has had an extensive international hockey career, having represented Canada at seven international competitions. After being drafted by the Nordiques in 1987, he went on and helped Canada win the 1988 World Junior Championship. The next tournament for Sakic was the 1991 World Championships, where Canada won the silver medal as Sakic contributed eleven points in ten games. He tried out for the 1991 Canada Cup Canadian team, but was the first player to be cut, being cited for his weak leg strength.

Sakic's first professional tournament was the 1994 World Championships, where Canada won its first gold medal in the tournament since 1961. Sakic's seven points in eight games were a crucial part of the team's success. During the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, Sakic played only a minor role in Canada's second place finish as he scored one goal and two assists in six games. However the tournament allowed him to showcase that he was indeed a dominant player who had simply been ignored before.

Sakic's first olympic appearance came in 1998 at Nagano, Japan after the event allowed NHL players to compete for the first time. Bothered by a knee injury, he only scored three points in four games, as the Canadian squad failed to meet expectations and finished in fourth. Sakic's second Olympic appearance came in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Led by his strong play, the Canadian team dominated all the way to the gold medal match against Team USA, where Sakic had four points and helped the team win its first gold medal in 50 years. He was later named MVP of the tournament with a cumulative tally of four goals and six assists. Sakic also played a part in Canada's triumph in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, where he scored six points in six games.

On December 21, 2005, Sakic was named captain of Team Canada for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Once again, Team Canada was heavily favored and given high expectations, but they failed to medal, finishing seventh overall. Sakic finished the tournament with three points.

Personal life

Sakic and his wife Debbie have three children: Mitchell and twins Chase and Kamryn. They met at a local high school while he was playing in Swift Current, and they frequently return to the town during the off-season. Sakic is an avid golfer, and competed in the celebrity Pro Am golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in the Summer of 2006. Each summer, he also hosts his own charity golf tournament which benefits the Colorado Food Bank. His favorite course is Augusta National, and he was quoted as saying that he would pick Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and actor Ray Romano out of any three people to shoot with. His favourite sport besides hockey is baseball, and Ichiro Suzuki is his favorite player.

In his hometown of Burnaby, Sakic is a fan favourite, and even has a street named "Joe Sakic Way" in his honour. Throughout British Columbia he is affectionately known as "Burnaby Joe;" in Colorado, he is known simply as "Super Joe." His younger brother Brian was a member of the same Swift Current Broncos during Joe's final season. He was drafted into the NHL, but did not play in the league. He did, however, play for the Flint Generals on the United Hockey League.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1985-86	Burnaby BC Selects	BCAHA		80	83	73	156	96		--	--	--	--	--
1985-86	Lethbridge Broncos	WHL		3	0	0	0	0		--	--	--	--	--
1986-87	Swift Current Broncos	WHL		72	60	73	133	31		--	--	--	--	--
1987-88	Swift Current Broncos	WHL		64	78	82	160	64		10	11	13	24	12
1988-89	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		70	23	39	62	24		--	--	--	--	--
1989-90	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		80	39	63	102	64		--	--	--	--	--
1990-91	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		80	48	61	109	24		--	--	--	--	--
1991-92	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		69	29	65	94	20		--	--	--	--	--
1992-93	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		78	48	57	105	40		6	3	3	6	2
1993-94	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		84	28	64	92	18		--	--	--	--	--
1994-95	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		47	19	43	62	30		6	4	1	5	0
1995-96	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		82	51	69	120	44		22	18	16	34	14
1996-97	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		65	22	52	74	34		17	8	17	25	14
1997-98	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		64	27	36	63	50		6	2	3	5	3
1998-99	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		73	41	55	96	29		19	6	13	19	8
1999-00	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		60	28	53	81	28		17	2	7	9	8
2000-01	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		82	54	64	118	30		21	13	13	26	6
2001-02	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		82	26	53	79	18		21	9	10	19	4
2002-03	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		58	26	32	58	24		7	6	3	9	2
2003-04	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		81	33	54	87	42		11	7	5	12	8
2005-06	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		82	32	55	87	60		9	4	5	9	6
2006-07	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		82	36	64	100	46		--	--	--	--	--
NHL Totals				1319	610	979	1589	610		162	82	96	178	78

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Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987	Canada	--		1	0	0	0	0
1988	Canada	WJC		7	3	1	4	2
1991	Canada	WC		10	6	5	11	0
1994	Canada	WC		8	4	3	7	0
1996	Canada	WCp		8	2	2	4	6
1998	Canada	Oly		4	1	2	3	4
2002	Canada	Oly		6	4	6	10	0
2004	Canada	WCp		6	4	2	6	2
2006	Canada	Oly		6	1	2	3	0
Senior Int'l Totals				32	15	15	30	39

Template:H3

Year	Location		G	A	Pts
1990	Pittsburgh		0	2	2
1991	Chicago		0	1	1
1992	Philadelphia		0	2	2
1993	Montreal		0	3	3
1994	New York		1	2	3
1996	Boston		0	0	0
1997	San Jose		-	-	-
1998	Vancouver		0	2	2
2000	Toronto		1	0	1
2001	Denver		1	0	1
2002	Los Angeles		1	0	1
2004	Saint Paul, Minnesota		3	0	3
2007	Dallas		0	4	4
All-Star Totals			6	16	22

Legacy

Milestones

Sakic recorded his 1000th career point on December 27, 1999 against the St. Louis Blues, and played his 1000th career game on March 9, 2002 against the Los Angeles Kings. Nine months later, on December 11, he scored his 500th career goal against the Vancouver Canucks. On March 12, 2006, he became only the 16th player in NHL history to reach 900 assists, in a game against the Calgary Flames. Seven months later, on October 25, 2006, he became just the 11th player to reach 1500 NHL points, and the 6th to do it with one franchise by recording an assist against the Washington Capitals. Only Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings), Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers), Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins), Raymond Bourque (Boston Bruins) and Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) have also achieved this feat. The next year, on February 15, 2007, Sakic scored his 600th career goal against the Calgary Flames. During the final game of the season, at age 37, he became the second oldest player in NHL history, after Gordie Howe, to record 100 points in a regular season. He is the only captain in Colorado Avalanche history and became the longest active tenured captain after the retirement of Steve Yzerman following the 2005-06 regular season. Alongside Bobby Clarke, Wayne Gretzky, and Mark Messier, Sakic is one of four players to captain his team to a Stanley Cup championship and win the Hart Memorial Trophy in the same year. He is also one of 18 members in the prestigious Triple Gold Club for obtaining an Olympic Gold, a World Championship Gold and the Stanley Cup.

Records

In his 18-year career with the Nordiques and Avalanche, Sakic has obtained nearly all of the franchise scoring records, including most all-time goals (610), assists (979), and points (1579). He also holds the franchise record for most games played (1319) and most minutes played, and is on several notable NHL record lists:

• 1st place — Most points of active players (1589)
• 9th place — Most points
• 11th place — Most assists (979)
• 14th place — Most goals (610)

• 1st place — Most overtime goals (7)
• 2nd place — Most goals in single season (18, in 1995-96)

Awards

• 1987 - WHL East Second All-Star Team
• 1987 - WHL East Player of the Year
• 1987 - WHL East Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
• 1988 - WHL East First All-Star Team
• 1988 - WHL Bob Clarke Trophy (Leading Scorer)
• 1988 - WHL Player of the Year

• 1988 - CHL Player of the Year
• 1996 - Conn Smythe Trophy
• 1998 - M.A.C. (Most Assists with Children) Award winner
• 2001 - Hart Memorial Trophy
• 2001 - Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
• 2001 - Bud Light Plus/Minus Award (shared with Patrik Elias)
• 2001 - Lester B. Pearson Award
• 2001 - NHL First All-Star Team
• 2002 - NHL First All-Star Team
• 2004 - NHL First All-Star Team
• 2004 - NHL All-Star Game MVP
• 2004 - NHL/Sheraton Road Performer Award (player with the most road points)

• 2002 - 2002 Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournament Most Valuable Player
• 2002 - 2002 Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey All-Star Team

See also

• Quebec Nordiques
• Colorado Avalanche
• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of NHL seasons
• List of NHL players with 1000 points
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL players with 500 goals
• List of NHL players with 600 goals

External links

• Joe Sakic career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• CBS SportsLine - Joe Sakic's statistics at CBS SportsLine.com.
• coloradoavalanche.com - Joe Sakic's profile (extensive)
• Sakic's profile on the Hockey Hall of Fame's 'Legends of Hockey' site
• Rocky Mountain News Joe Sakic Article, including several interviews of other players' opinions on Sakic.

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