How common is it to play for 3 Canadian teams and no U.S teams?

Dustin

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Sep 24, 2014
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Need to load up the league stats into a relational database and then write some SQL! Really tough to be definitive just clicking around on hockeydb, which is what I've been doing a bit.

Been doing the same thing. Just blindly looking up players who I could think of isn't really doing it.
 

LeafsNation75

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Jan 15, 2010
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And he is still playing so there is a chance he ends up on a different team before the end of his career.
My point is how many times do we hear about players wanting to play for Canadian teams? Even if they are already Canadian born NHL players. I'm sure Phaneuf obviously had some American teams on his trade list since it needed to be 10 and there are only 7 Canadian teams. However when other players with no trades are traded how many Canadian teams besides the major markets like Toronto and Montreal are on those lists?
 

Dustin

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Sep 24, 2014
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My point is how many times do we hear about players wanting to play for Canadian teams? Even if they are already Canadian born NHL players. I'm sure Phaneuf obviously had some American teams on his trade list since it needed to be 10 and there are only 7 Canadian teams. However when other players with no trades are traded how many Canadian teams besides the major markets like Toronto and Montreal are on those lists?

Great point. That's part of why I thought it would be rare ish but never thought it would only be Sundin and Hoglund. That alone is strange. The fact that neither are Canadian is also a bit strange.
 

Kyle McMahon

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May 10, 2006
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Realise the preference was for post-expansion, but here is a list of some from the early years (far easier to find the players from the defunct teams):

Amos Arbour (Canadiens, Tigers, St. Pats)

Billy Bell (Wanderers, Canadiens, Senators)

Burt Corbeau (Canadiens, Tigers, St. Pats/Maple Leafs)

Jack Coughlin (Arenas, Bulldogs, Canadiens, Tigers)

Jack Marks (Wanderers, Arenas, Bulldogs; probably player with the fewest games to do it, with just 7 career NHL games)

Jack McDonald (Wanderers, Canadiens, Bulldogs, St. Pats)

Harry Mummery (Arenas, Bulldogs, Canadiens, Tigers)

Dave Ritchie (Wanderers, Senators, Arenas, Bulldogs, Canadiens; possibly only one to ever play for five Canadian teams)

Michel Petit (VAN, QUE, TOR, CGY, EDM) also shares this distinction. Don't ask me how I managed to suddenly think of him...
 

Kyle McMahon

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May 10, 2006
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Petit played for a ton of U.S teams too though.

I took it as though the poster meant Dave Ritchie might be the only player to ever play for 5 Canadian teams period, regardless of whether or not he played for any American ones. I may have misunderstood. But in any case, has anyone else ever played for 5 or more different Canadian teams? I suspect there might be others that played for 5. But 6? That seems doubtful.
 

The Panther

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Mar 25, 2014
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Pat Lafontaine played for three teams -- all in New York state. I liked his quote that he never had to change license plates.

But yeah, it is bizarre that we have come up with only two (?) players who played for only three Canadian teams (post-1930s). And apparently no Canadians have done this.

Great thread topic!
 

arrbez

bad chi
Jun 2, 2004
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I took it as though the poster meant Dave Ritchie might be the only player to ever play for 5 Canadian teams period, regardless of whether or not he played for any American ones. I may have misunderstood. But in any case, has anyone else ever played for 5 or more different Canadian teams? I suspect there might be others that played for 5. But 6? That seems doubtful.

Bobby Dollas played in Que, Win, Edm, Ott, Cgy


On a similar topic, I believe Dave McLlwain holds a record for playing for 4 different NHL teams in a single season.
 

popo

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Aug 9, 2005
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Can't think of any other examples...

Some guys with stops in multiple Canadian cities:
Troy Murray - Winnipeg, Ottawa, Quebec (but also a lot of time in Chicago)
Brent Ashton - stops in Quebec, Winnipeg, Calgary (but also American teams)
Igor Kravchuk - stops in Edmonton, Ottawa, Calgary (but started in Chicago, and stopped in St-Louis)
Luke Richardson - played in Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa, but had a couple American stops as well
 

Dustin

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Sep 24, 2014
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I took it as though the poster meant Dave Ritchie might be the only player to ever play for 5 Canadian teams period, regardless of whether or not he played for any American ones. I may have misunderstood. But in any case, has anyone else ever played for 5 or more different Canadian teams? I suspect there might be others that played for 5. But 6? That seems doubtful.

Can't imagine 5 or 6. I just find it funny that so far the only players to play for 3 or more Canadian teams without playing for a U.S team are not even Canadian. Seems so strange to me.
 

Dustin

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Sep 24, 2014
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Pat Lafontaine played for three teams -- all in New York state. I liked his quote that he never had to change license plates.

But yeah, it is bizarre that we have come up with only two (?) players who played for only three Canadian teams (post-1930s). And apparently no Canadians have done this.

Great thread topic!

Hey thanks. That's crazy too. What are the odds of that happening?
 

Dustin

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Sep 24, 2014
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Can't think of any other examples...

Some guys with stops in multiple Canadian cities:
Troy Murray - Winnipeg, Ottawa, Quebec (but also a lot of time in Chicago)
Brent Ashton - stops in Quebec, Winnipeg, Calgary (but also American teams)
Igor Kravchuk - stops in Edmonton, Ottawa, Calgary (but started in Chicago, and stopped in St-Louis)
Luke Richardson - played in Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa, but had a couple American stops as well

As someone above pointed out, it's really hard to search this way as I am just using memory of players who played for multiple Canadian cities in hopes that they didn't play for U.S teams.
 

Tawnos

A guy with a bass
Sep 10, 2004
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Gary Leeman came pretty close. Spent the first 12 years of his career with Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver. Took a year off from hockey, then played the last TWO games of his NHL career, and only 2 games that season, in St Louis. The jerk. :laugh:
 

Dustin

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Sep 24, 2014
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Gary Leeman came pretty close. Spent the first 12 years of his career with Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver. Took a year off from hockey, then played the last TWO games of his NHL career, and only 2 games that season, in St Louis. The jerk. :laugh:

Was actually the first player I checked. I checked everyone from the Gilmour trade too.
 

SovietWings

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Feb 1, 2017
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Wow. So 4 Canadian teams and no U.S teams. That's nuts.

In total of 27 NHL games. That's maybe even more crazy.:laugh:
It could be also the lowest game per one team ratio (6,75 games per every NHL team).
And even more crazy: He actually had 5 NHL stints (played in Calgary twice)!
 
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Dustin

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Sep 24, 2014
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In total of 27 NHL games. That's maybe even more crazy.:laugh:
It could be also the lowest game per one team ratio (6,75 games per every NHL team).

Lol. He's now a part of a very obscure NHL trivia question. Maybe 2.
 

snowmobile

Registered User
Jan 23, 2015
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Gary Leeman came pretty close. Spent the first 12 years of his career with Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver. Took a year off from hockey, then played the last TWO games of his NHL career, and only 2 games that season, in St Louis. The jerk. :laugh:

I came across his name last night when looking for a player. Riled me up real good seeing those 2 games. :laugh:
 

snowmobile

Registered User
Jan 23, 2015
312
2
Ron Chipperfield is another close one.

1 season Vancouver Blazers (WHA)
2 seasons Calgary Cowboys (WHA)
3 seasons Edmonton Oilers
2 seasons Quebec Nordiques
 

Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
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How about Pat Lafontaine? Managed to play for three New York teams without leaving the state.
 

Tawnos

A guy with a bass
Sep 10, 2004
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Charlotte, NC
Ron Chipperfield is another close one.

1 season Vancouver Blazers (WHA)
2 seasons Calgary Cowboys (WHA)
3 seasons Edmonton Oilers
2 seasons Quebec Nordiques

If we are including WHA, I found this guy earlier.

Dan Geoffrion

1 season Quebec Nordiques (WHA)
1 season Montreal Canadiens
1 season + 1 game Winnipeg Jets
 

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