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Mark Freer

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Mark Freer
Born (1968-07-14) July 14, 1968 (age 56)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Philadelphia Flyers
Ottawa Senators
Calgary Flames
National team  Canada
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1988–2003
Medal record
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Sweden

Mark Paul Freer (born July 14, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 124 games in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, and Calgary Flames from 1987 to 1993. He played with three new organizations in three leagues over the course of three consecutive seasons between 1992 and 1994. He won the Turner Cup of the International Hockey League in 1998 and won the bronze medal with Canada men's national ice hockey team at the 1995 World Championships. He retired from hockey in 2003.

Career

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Amateur

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As a youth, he played in the 1981 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Peterborough, Ontario.[1] Freer began playing for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) beginning in the 1985–86 season. In his rookie season, Freer scored 16 goals, 28 assists and 44 points in 65 games.[2] The team finished in first place in the division, but lost to the Belleville Bulls in the playoff semifinals.[3] In the playoffs, Freer three goals and seven points in 14 games.[2] He returned to Peterborough for the 1986–87 season, where he scored 39 goals and 82 points in 65 games. He added two goals and eight points in 12 playoff games.[2] He was invited to the summer camp for the Canada's national junior team, however, he was sent home with an injury.[4] In his final season with the Petes in 1987–88, Freer was expected to lead the Petes' offence alongside winger Jody Hull.[5] He scored 38 goals with 109 points in 63 games. In 12 playoff games, he registered five goals and 17 points.[2]

Professional

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After his first season in the OHL, Freer was invited to the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Philadelphia Flyers training camp in September 1986.[6] He was returned to his junior team on September 20.[7] Prior to the start of the 1986–87 NHL season, Freer was signed by the Glyers as a unrestricted free agent.[8] In January 1987 Freer was recalled by Philadelphia after a series of injuries to the Flyers' forwards.[9] Freer made his NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres on January 28 and registered his first NHL point, assisting on Scott Mellanby's second period goal.[10][11] After playing the one game, he was returned to the Petes.[12] He was recalled again in the following 1987–88 season due to injuries to the Flyers' forward group. He made his NHL season debut on March 6, 1988 in a 4–2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, going scoreless.[13] He was returned to Peterborough after the one game.[14]

In his first professional season in 1988–89, Freer was assigned to Philadelphia's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears.[15] He scored 30 goals in his AHL rookie season, with 79 points in 75 games.[2] After an injury to centre Dave Poulin, Freer was recalled by Philadelphia on November 16 along with left winger Glen Seabrooke.[16] He was a healthy scratch for the November 17 game against the St. Louis Blues[17] but made his NHL season debut against the Quebec Nordiques on November 19.[18] He registered his only point of the season, assisting on Tim Kerr's first period goal in a 7–1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on November 20.[19] He appeared in five games with the Flyers, marking just the one point before being returned to Hershey alongside defenceman Kerry Huffman on December 1.[20] Hershey made the 1989 Calder Cup playoffs, and in 12 games, Freer scored four goals and ten points.[2]

For the 1989–90 season Freer was assigned to Hershey.[21] In 65 games, he scored 28 goals and 64 points.[2] He missed time in October with an injury to his hand.[22] He was recalled by Philadelphia on November 15, 1989 after an injury to Ron Sutter.[23] He made his NHL season debut against the Minnesota North Stars on November 16.[24] He appeared in one more game against the Winnipeg Jets before being returned to Hershey on November 20 alongside defenceman Jiří Látal.[25][26] He spent the entire 1990–91 season with Hershey, scoring 18 goals and 62 points in 77 games. Hershey made the 1991 Calder Cup playoffs, in which Freer added one goal and four points in seven games.[2]

Freer opened the 1991–92 season in the AHL with Hershey.[27] He put up 13 goals and 24 points in 31 games with Hershey.[2] He was recalled by Philadelphia on December 9, 1991, replacing centre Martin Hosták,[28] and made his NHL season debut on December 12 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.[29] He registered his first point of the season in the next game on December 14, assisting on Dan Quinn's game-tying goal in the third period of a 1–1 tie with the Chicago Blackhawks.[30] He scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Tim Cheveldae in a 7–3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on January 21, 1992.[31] He finished the season in Philadelphia, scoring six goals and 13 points in 50 games.[2]

In the 1992 off season, the NHL expanded by two teams, the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Freer was left unprotected by Philadelphia in the 1992 NHL expansion draft and he was selected by Ottawa.[32] He made the team out of training camp, but was a healthy scratch for the first few games.[33] He made his Ottawa debut on October 16, 1992 in a 5–1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Playing on a line with Lonnie Loach and Andrew McBain, he scored the Senators' only goal of the game against Jim Hrivnak.[34] On October 24, he assisted on Chris Luongo's first NHL goal and he suffered a charley horse in a 3–2 overtime loss to the New York Rangers,[35][36] and missed 14 games. He returned to the lineup on November 25 against the New Jersey Devils, centreing a line between Mike Peluso and Andrew McBain.[37] On December 9, Freer registered his first multi-goal game, scoring both of Ottawa's goals against the Hartford Whalers in a 6–2 loss.[38] He marked a three-point game against the Buffalo Sabres on February 8, 1993 in a 4–2 victory, scoring one goal and registering two assists.[39] He played in 63 games for Ottawa, scoring ten goals and 24 points.[2] In the 1993 offseason, the NHL expanded by two teams again, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Florida Panthers. Ottawa was not exempt from the expansion draft, and Freer was among the players left unprotected,[40] but was not selected by either team. Ottawa then offered Freer a termination contract in July[41][a] and by the end of the month, had bought out the contract, making him a free agent.[42]

On August 10, 1993, Freer signed with the Calgary Flames.[43] He was assigned to Calgary's new AHL affiliate, the Saint John Flames, for the 1993–94 season, where he was expected to be a key member of the team's offence.[44] He was named the AHL Flames' first captain.[45] In 77 games with Saint John, he scored 33 goals and 86 points.[2] He was recalled by Calgary and made his NHL season debut on October 17 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.[46] He was recalled on an emergency basis on November 20 after Gary Roberts was suspended and played in his final NHL game against the Dallas Stars in a 4–3 loss that night.[47][48] He was returned to Saint John after the game.[48] Saint John made the 1993 Calder Cup playoffs and Freer added two goals and six points in seven games.[2]

For the third consecutive season, Freer moved to play for a new franchise after taking part in Ottawa's and Saint John's first seasons. He signed a contract with the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League (IHL) on July 19, 1994 for their inaugural season.[49] In his first season with Houston in 1994–95, he scored 38 goals and 80 points in 80 games. He added just one assist in four games in the IHL playoffs.[2] Freer struggled in his second year in Houston in 1995–96,[50] scoring only 22 goals and 53 points in 80 games.[2] In the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons, he continued on a 50-point pace, registering 57 and then 52.[2] In the 1998 off season, Freer re-signed with Houston.[51] In the 1998–99 season, scored 17 goals and 45 points in 79 games.[2] However, in the 1999 IHL playoffs, he dominated, scoring 11 goals and 22 points in 19 games as the Aeros won the Turner Cup. For his playoff efforts, Freer was awarded the Norman R. "Bud" Poile Trophy as the playoffs most valuable player.[52] In the 1999 off season, he re-signed with the Aeros to a two-year contract.[53] He played one more season in Houston in 1999–2000, scoring 20 goals and 55 points in 75 games. He added four assists in 11 playoff games.[2]

On July 27, 2000, Freer was traded by the Aeros to the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL for future considerations.[54] Freer, who was the last original Aero left, departed the Aeros as the team's record holder for games played, goals, assists, points, game-winning goals, and power-play goals.[52] In his first season with the Phantoms in 2000–01, he scored 31 goals and 72 points in 76 games. The Phantoms made the 2001 Calder Cup playoffs and Freer added three goals and four points in ten games.[2] He returned for a second season with the Phantoms in 2001–02.[55] He appeared in his 1,000th professional hockey game that season.[52] He finished the season with 15 goals and 51 points in 80 games.[2] A free agent in the off season, he signed a one-year contract with the Hershey Bears on July 25, 2002, replacing Jeff Daw who had signed with Lowell.[56] He appeared in 70 games for Hershey in the 2002–03 season, scoring 21 goals and 53 points.[2]

International play

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In 1995, as the NHL season had been delayed due to the lockout and was still ongoing, the players chosen to represent Team Canada at the 1995 World Championships were chosen from minor leagues.[57] As Freer was playing in the IHL with Houston, he was selected as part of Team Canada. He was late joining the team, arriving in Sweden only for the second game.[58] He scored his only goal of the tournament in a 2–2 tie with Italy on April 29.[59] The team went on to win the bronze medal after defeating the Czech Republic 4–1 on May 6.[60]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1985–86 Peterborough Petes OHL 65 16 28 44 24 14 3 4 7 13
1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1986–87 Peterborough Petes OHL 65 39 43 82 44 12 2 6 8 5
1987–88 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1987–88 Peterborough Petes OHL 63 38 71 109 63 12 5 12 17 4
1988–89 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 5 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
1988–89 Hershey Bears AHL 75 30 49 79 77 12 4 6 10 2
1989–90 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1989–90 Hershey Bears AHL 65 28 36 64 31 — — — — —
1990–91 Hershey Bears AHL 77 18 44 62 45 7 1 3 4 17
1991–92 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 50 6 7 13 18 — — — — —
1991–92 Hershey Bears AHL 31 13 11 24 38 6 0 3 3 2
1992–93 Ottawa Senators NHL 63 10 14 24 39 — — — — —
1993–94 Calgary Flames NHL 2 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
1993–94 Saint John Flames AHL 77 33 53 86 45 7 4 2 6 16
1994–95 Houston Aeros IHL 80 38 42 80 52 4 0 1 1 4
1995–96 Houston Aeros IHL 80 22 31 53 67 — — — — —
1996–97 Houston Aeros IHL 81 21 36 57 43 12 2 3 5 4
1997–98 Houston Aeros IHL 74 14 38 52 41 4 2 2 4 4
1998–99 Houston Aeros IHL 79 17 28 45 66 19 11 11 22 12
1999–00 Houston Aeros IHL 75 20 35 55 55 11 0 4 4 4
2000–01 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 76 31 41 72 42 10 3 1 4 10
2001–02 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 80 15 36 51 32 5 2 1 3 0
2002–03 Hershey Bears AHL 70 21 32 53 34 3 0 0 0 2
AHL totals 551 189 302 491 344 50 12 18 30 49
IHL totals 469 132 210 342 326 50 15 21 36 28
NHL totals 124 16 23 39 61 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1995 Canada WC 6 1 0 1 2
Senior totals 6 1 0 1 2

Notes

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  1. ^ A termination contract allowed the player to seek a better position/contract with another team while still having a one-year contract with the original team for the upcoming season.

Citations

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Mark Freer". hockeydb.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Campbell, Don (October 9, 1986). "Peterborough Petes". Ottawa Citizen. p. 51. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Two Spitfires trying out for Team Canada". Windsor Star. The Canadian Press. August 22, 1987. p. 28. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Gordanier, Tim (September 30, 1987). "Leyden Division: Bulls eye first place while Canadians shop for playoff berth". The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 16. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Flyers' camp opens next week". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 2, 1986. p. 34. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Juliano, Joe (September 21, 1986). "Dobbin shows his potential as Flyers defeat Isles, 3-1". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 75. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Parrillo, Ray (January 28, 1987). "New Batch of Flyers Face Sabres". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 32. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Greenberg, Jay (January 28, 1987). "Flyers' Injury Woes Worsen". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 79. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Flyers rout Sabres behind Zezel, Kerr". The News Journal. January 29, 1987. p. 27. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Philadelphia Flyers 7 – 4 Buffalo Sabres". National Hockey League. January 29, 1987. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Bostrom, Don (January 30, 1987). "Pens can't even beat Flyers' JV team 5-3". The Morning Call. p. 33. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Brookover, Bob (March 7, 1988). "Winless mark against Devils could be costly". p. 31. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Greenberg, Jay (March 8, 1988). "Flyers Limp Towards Showdown". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 81. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "The Defending Champs". The Patriot-News. October 7, 1988. p. 43. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Morganti, Al (November 17, 1988). "Huffman finding 2d season no fun". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 50. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Blues". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 18, 1988. p. 18. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Philadelphia Flyers 5 – 6 Quebec Nordiques". National Hockey League. November 19, 1988. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  19. ^ "Tocchet's hat trick helps Flyers end a 6-game skid". The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 21, 1988. p. 25. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Morganti, Al (December 2, 1988). "Huffman sent down to get some ice time". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 59. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Flyers lose 2; farm 4". News Journal. Associated Press. October 3, 1989. p. 19. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Brownell, Greg (November 1, 1989). "Despite injuries, Bears produce". The Post-Star. p. 24. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Bowen, Les (November 16, 1989). "Ice Cubes". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 86. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Summers, Steve (November 17, 1989). "Bears give Flyers boost". The Evening News. p. 39. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Jets silence Flyers, 1-0, in OT". The Patriot-News. November 19, 1989. p. 7. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Bowen, Les (November 21, 1989). "Ice Cubes". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 69. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Zeigler, Harold (October 4, 1991). "Bears open the season tonight". Lancaster New Era. p. 39. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Sottile, Dave (December 10, 1991). "Flyers work can't be done". York Daily Record. p. 25. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Gormley, Chuck (December 13, 1991). "Flyers and Maple Leafs play life last place clubs". Courier-Post. p. 58. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Chicago Blackhawks 1 – 1 Philadelphia Flyers". December 14, 1991. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  31. ^ "Red Wings riddle Hextall, Flyer 7-3". The News Journal. Associated Press. January 22, 1992. p. 23. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ MacKinnon, John (June 19, 1992). "Senators mix n' match". Ottawa Citizen. p. 23. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Bernstein, Viv (October 15, 1992). "It seems free agency may be Zalapski's goal". Hartford Courant. p. 24. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ MacKinnon, John (October 17, 1992). "Capital gain eludes Senators". Ottawa Citizen. p. 63. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Logan, Greg (October 25, 1992). "The World What?". Newsday. p. 166. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "NHL Roster Report". Windsor Star. October 31, 1992. p. 23. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ MacKinnon, John (November 25, 1992). "Firestone apologizes to referee Hoggarth, Bruins' Oates". Ottawa Citizen. p. 45. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Mayoh, Rick (December 10, 1992). "Senators at their 'worst'". Ottawa Citizen. p. 21. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Mayoh, Rick (February 9, 1993). "Far too sharp for the Sabres". Ottawa Citizen. p. 47. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "NHL Unprotected List". The Republican. June 24, 1993. p. 48. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Back bothers Lemieux". Calgary Herald. Associated Press. July 3, 1993. p. 51. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ Mayoh, Rick (July 30, 1993). "Players jockey for position as deadline nears". Ottawa Citizen. p. 24. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "Transactions". Montreal Gazette. August 11, 1993. p. 28. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ Tingley, Dwayne (October 7, 1993). "Hawks must work to be No. 1". The Times-Transcript. p. 21. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ "Scouting Report". Press and Sun-Bulletin. October 15, 1993. p. 20. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ Duhatschek, Eric (October 18, 1993). "Schlegel's return tabled for now". Calgary Herald. p. 33. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ Duhatschek, Eric (November 20, 1993). "Visiting Stars no thrill for Minnesota native anymore". Calgary Herald. p. 35. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ a b Duhatschek, Eric (November 21, 1993). "Flames fall to Stars; ref ripped". Calgary Herald. p. 7. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ "Flames captain won't return". Saint John Times Globe. July 20, 1994. p. 11. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ Janes, Brad (February 16, 1996). "Muzzatti enjoying great success among Flames' alumni". Saint John Times Globe. p. 23. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ^ "Transactions". The Indianapolis News. September 22, 1998. p. 26. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ a b c Kaiser, Scott (November 2, 2001). "Memories rekindled as Freer visits Aeros". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  53. ^ "Transactions". The Belleville News-Democrat. August 11, 1999. p. 30. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  54. ^ "Philly File". Philadelphia Daily News. July 28, 2000. p. 152. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  55. ^ Moran, Edward (October 5, 2001). "Ouellet brightest of the stars on the horizon". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 142. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  56. ^ "Freer rejoins Bears". York Daily Record. July 26, 2002. p. 10. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ "Canadians struggle to beat Swiss". Ottawa Citizen. The Canadian Press. April 25, 1995. p. 37. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  58. ^ "Canada coach feels lucky to gain tie in Worlds opener". Edmonton Journal. April 25, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  59. ^ "Canada ties with Italy at world championship". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. April 30, 1995. p. 24. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  60. ^ "Underdog Canadians mine bronze". Edmonton Journal. The Canadian Press. May 7, 1995. p. 6. Retrieved October 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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