Joe Sakic
From Free net encyclopedia
| Position: | Center |
| Birthplace: | Burnaby, BC |
| NHL Entry Draft: | 1987, 1st round, 15th overall, Quebec Nordiques |
| Shoots: | Left |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in |
| Weight: | 185lbs. |
Joseph Steven Šakić (born July 7, 1969 in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada) is a professional ice hockey player who is the captain of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League. On December 21, 2005, Sakic was named captain of Team Canada for the 2006 Winter Olympics. He is the 12th all-time points scorer in the NHL and 2nd among active players (behind Steve Yzerman), and widely considered one of the NHL's most talented players.
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Early life
Joe Šakić is of Croat origin. He was born in Vancouver to a family of immigrants from Croatia, (his father Marijan is from Imotski, his mother Slavica from Lika). Joe didn't speak English until he entered kindergarten. Growing up, his boyhood idol was Wayne Gretzky.
Although media guides list his birthplace as Burnaby, British Columbia, he was actually born in Vancouver; he grew up in Burnaby. He is a fan favourite in the Vancouver region, and a street in Burnaby has been named "Joe Sakic Way" in his honour. He is affectionately known as "Burnaby Joe" to the fans in the Vancouver region.
His brother, Brian, played center for the Flint Generals (CHL).
Playing career
In 1986-87, Joe was Rookie of the Year for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. He notched 60 goals and 73 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).
Sakic was drafted 15th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut in October, 1988. While the Nordiques were in a rebuilding mode during his early years, Sakic was the best player on some dismal team lineups, eventually earning the title of captain in 1992.
Joe made his NHL debut on October 6, 1988 against the Hartford Whalers recording an assist in his first game. His first goal came two days later beating Sean Burke then of the New Jersey Devils. Under his leadership, the Nords made the playoffs in 1993 and the lockout-shortened season of 1995. The next year, he moved with the franchise as they became the Colorado Avalanche, leading them to the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001. Joe was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 1996 NHL playoffs. In 2001, He won a trio of awards including the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's MVP, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly conduct, and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league MVP voted for by his peers.
Sakic is known for his prolific offensive skills and is considered by many to have the best wrist shot in the NHL.
He had 2 goals and 2 assists in Canada's gold medal win over Team USA in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and was named its MVP, and also played a part in Canada's triumph in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. In the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Joe served as the captain of the heavily favored but disappointing Team Canada.
On October 20, 2005, Joe Sakic learned that the Colorado Avalanche will not pick up his option for the 2006-2007 NHL season making the star forward a free agent after the 2005-06 season. The Avalanche may still re-sign Sakic.
Fellow Avalanche player Alex Tanguay, Team Canada teammate Simon Gagné, and Tampa Bay forward Brad Richards state Joe Sakic as their boyhood idol.
Personal information
He and his wife Debbie have three children, son Mitchell, and fraternal twins Chase (boy) and Kamryn (girl).
Awards
- 1987 - WHL East Second All-Star Team
- 1987 - WHL Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year)
- 1988 - WHL East First All-Star Team
- 1988 - WHL Bobby Clarke Trophy (Leading Scorer)
- 1988 - WHL Player of the Year
- 1988 - CHL Player of the Year (Canadian Junior Major)
- 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
- 2002 - 2002 Winter Olympic Games Ice Hockey Tournament Most Valuable Player
- 2004 - NHL First All-Star Team
- 2004 - NHL/Sheraton Road Performer Award (player with the most road points)
- Played in 9 NHL All-Star Games - 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004.
Records and achievements
- Holds the Colorado Avalanche franchise record for goals, assists, and points (566G-900A-1,466P as of March 16, 2006).
- 11th place among the top all-time NHL point scorers.
- Tied with Maurice Richard for most career playoff overtime goals (6).
- First player in NHL history to record a 100-point season while playing for the last place team (Quebec Nordiques): 102 points in 1989-90. He repeated the feat the following season with 109 points.
- Fourth player to captain his team to a Stanley Cup championship and win the Hart trophy in the same year. The others are Bobby Clarke, Wayne Gretzky, and Mark Messier.
- Has the 2nd-highest single-playoff goal total with 18 goals in 1996, one behind the record of 19 held by Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri.
- Scored his 500th career goal on December 11, 2002 against the Vancouver Canucks.
- Recorded his 1000th career point on December 27, 1999 against the St. Louis Blues.
- Played his 1000th career game on March 9, 2002 against the Los Angeles Kings.
- Became only the 16th player in NHL history to reach 900 assists, against the Calgary Flames on March 12, 2006.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1985-86 | Lethbridge | WHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1986-87 | Swift Current | WHL | 72 | 60 | 73 | 133 | 31 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1987-88 | Swift Current | WHL | 64 | 78 | 82 | 160 | 64 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 12 | ||
| 1988-89 | Quebec | NHL | 70 | 23 | 39 | 62 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1989-90 | Quebec | NHL | 80 | 39 | 63 | 102 | 64 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1990-91 | Quebec | NHL | 80 | 48 | 61 | 109 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1991-92 | Quebec | NHL | 69 | 29 | 65 | 94 | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1992-93 | Quebec | NHL | 78 | 48 | 57 | 105 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1993-94 | Quebec | NHL | 84 | 28 | 64 | 92 | 18 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1994-95 | Quebec | NHL | 47 | 19 | 43 | 62 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1995-96 | Colorado | NHL | 82 | 51 | 69 | 120 | 44 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 14 | ||
| 1996-97 | Colorado | NHL | 65 | 22 | 52 | 74 | 34 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 14 | ||
| 1997-98 | Colorado | NHL | 64 | 27 | 36 | 63 | 50 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 1998-99 | Colorado | NHL | 73 | 41 | 55 | 96 | 29 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 8 | ||
| 1999-00 | Colorado | NHL | 60 | 28 | 53 | 81 | 28 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 2000-01 | Colorado | NHL | 82 | 54 | 64 | 118 | 30 | 21 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 6 | ||
| 2001-02 | Colorado | NHL | 82 | 26 | 53 | 79 | 18 | 21 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 2002-03 | Colorado | NHL | 58 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 24 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 2003-04 | Colorado | NHL | 81 | 33 | 54 | 87 | 42 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 2005-06 | Colorado | NHL | 74 | 30 | 48 | 78 | 54 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL totals | 1229 | 572 | 908 | 1480 | 536 | 153 | 78 | 91 | 169 | 72 | ||||
International play
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Played for Canada in:
- 1988 World Junior Championships (gold medal)
- 1991 World Championships (silver medal)
- 1994 World Championships (gold medal)
- 1996 World Cup of Hockey (silver medal)
- 1998 Winter Olympics (failed to medal)
- 2002 Winter Olympics (gold medal)
- 2004 World Cup of Hockey (gold medal)
- 2006 Winter Olympics (captain, failed to medal)
International statistics
| 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 | WCH | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1998 | Canada | Oly | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2002 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Canada | WCH | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Senior Int'l Totals | 32 | 15 | 15 | 27 | 39 | |||
See also
- Quebec Nordiques
- 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
External links
- sakic.ca - Unofficial site about Joe Sakic
- CBS SportsLine - Joe Sakic's statistics at CBS SportsLine.com.
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Categories: 1969 births | Stanley Cup Champions | British Columbia sportspeople | Burnabians | Canadian ice hockey players | Canadian Olympic gold medalists | Colorado Avalanche players | Conn Smythe Trophy winners | Croatian Canadians | Hart Trophy winners | Lady Byng winners | Lester Pearson Award winners | Lethbridge Broncos alumni | National Hockey League first round draft picks | Olympic competitors for Canada | Quebec Nordiques players | Swift Current Broncos alumni | Triple Gold Club | NHL 100-point seasons | Olympic gold medalists | Competitors at the 2002 Winter Olympics | Hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics | Living people