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Gaétan Duchesne

Gaétan Duchesne
Born (1962-07-11)July 11, 1962
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Died April 16, 2007(2007-04-16) (aged 44)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Washington Capitals
Quebec Nordiques
Minnesota North Stars
San Jose Sharks
Florida Panthers
NHL draft 152nd overall, 1981
Washington Capitals
Playing career 1982–1998

Gaétan Joseph Pierre Duchesne (July 11, 1962 – April 16, 2007) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played with the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, San Jose Sharks and Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He retired in 1995, then returned in 1996 and became a player-coach with the Quebec Rafales of the International Hockey League and later after retiring again in 1998, an assistant coach with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Early life

Duchesne was born in Quebec City, Quebec.[1] As a youth, he played in the 1974 and 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Quebec City.[2]

Playing career

Duchesne played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Quebec Remparts. He scored 36 goals and 109 points in 120 games in the QMJHL.[3]

Duchesne was drafted by the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the eighth round, 152nd overall, of the 1981 NHL entry draft.[1][4][5] He made the Capitals roster out of his first training camp, but was later returned to his junior team.[6] He returned to the Capitals a few weeks later and became a key penalty killer for the Capitals alongside Doug Jarvis, only making one further appearance in the minors with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.[4] He played six seasons with the Capitals. Duchesne was a part of a number of records for the Capitals franchise. Duchesne started the fastest three-goal sequence in Capitals history, with 39 seconds lapsing between his goal and goals by Bob Carpenter and Mike Gartner in a 9–2 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on February 5, 1984. He scored a second goal in that game.[7] He we the first scorer of the franchise's current record-fastest back-to-back goals, with only six seconds elapsing before a second goal was scored by Mark Taylor in a 4–2 win over the Chicago Black Hawks.[8] In his final year with the Capitals in 1986–87, Duchesne set the franchise mark for the fastest goal to start a game with eight seconds, a mark matched by Alexander Semin in the 2009–10 season.[9] He finished the season with 17 goals and 52 points.[10]

Duchesne was dealt to the Quebec Nordiques on June 13, 1987 along with forward Alan Haworth and a first round pick in the 1987 NHL entry draft for forward Dale Hunter and goaltender Clint Malarchuk. Though Washington's general manager, David Poile, did not want to give up Duchesne, a need for a goaltender after the departure of Bob Mason created an urgent need for the Capitals.[10] In the 1988–89 season, Duchesne played well on a terrible team, posting an even plus/minus rating while scoring eight goals and 29 points in 70 games.[11]

The Nordiques traded Duchesne to Minnesota North Stars on June 19, 1989 in exchange for forward Kevin Kaminski.[11] Duchesne helped guide them to their improbable appearance in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals. He scored an insurance goal on Tom Barrasso in game three to help Minnesota take a 2–1 games lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins.[12] However, the Penguins went on to defeat the North Stars four games to two and win the Stanley Cup.[13] In his final season with Minnesota, he played in all 84 games, scoring 16 goals and 29 points.[14]

Considered one of the NHL's top defensive forwards, Duchesne was acquired by the San Jose Sharks on June 20, 1993, for a sixth round pick in the 1993 NHL entry draft.[14] In his first season with the Sharks, Duchesne played as one of their top penalty killers.[15] The Sharks snuck into the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs and upset the league's top team, the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, with Duchesne as one of the team's leaders. The Sharks were eliminated from the playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the following round.[16] The following season, Duchesne registered his 1,000th game in the NHL on February 26, 1995, the second player to do so in a Sharks jersey.[17] However, he was unhappy with the team, unable to come to terms on a new contract with the Sharks. At the season's trade deadline, he was dealt to the Florida Panthers for a sixth round pick in the 1995 NHL entry draft.[15] He retired at the end of the season.[1] In 1,028 NHL games, he scored 179 goals and 254 assists.[5]

He was retired for one year, then returned to play in the International Hockey League (IHL) with the Quebec Rafales as a player-coach. He played 69 games over two seasons in the IHL.[3]

Starting in 2008, the Capitals have awarded the Gaetan Duchesne Trophy to the best intra-squad team in training camp scrimmages.[3][18]

Coaching career

Duchesne was a player-assistant coach with the Quebec Rafales and an assistant coach with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL.[6]

Death

Duchesne died of a heart attack at the age of 44 in Quebec City.[1][18]

Personal life

In 2009, an arena in Les Saules, Quebec was renamed in his honour.[19]

His son, Jeremy Duchesne, is a former goaltending prospect for the Philadelphia Flyers.[5]

Career statistics

Season Team League   GP G A Pts PIM   GP G A Pts PIM
1978–79 Ste-Foy Gouverneurs QMAAA 25 3 12 15 — — — — — —
1979–80 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 46 9 28 37 22 5 0 2 2 9
1980–81 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 72 27 45 72 63 7 1 4 5 6
1981–82 Quebec Remparts QMJHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1981–82 Washington Capitals NHL 74 9 14 23 46 — — — — —
1982–83 Washington Capitals NHL 77 18 19 37 52 4 1 1 2 4
1982–83 Hershey Bears AHL 1 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
1983–84 Washington Capitals NHL 79 17 19 36 29 8 2 1 3 2
1984–85 Washington Capitals NHL 67 15 23 38 32 5 0 1 1 7
1985–86 Washington Capitals NHL 80 11 28 39 39 9 4 3 7 12
1986–87 Washington Capitals NHL 74 17 35 52 53 7 3 0 3 14
1987–88 Quebec Nordiques NHL 80 24 23 47 83 — — — — —
1988–89 Quebec Nordiques NHL 70 8 21 29 56 — — — — —
1989–90 Minnesota North Stars NHL 72 12 8 20 33 7 0 0 0 6
1990–91 Minnesota North Stars NHL 68 9 9 18 18 23 2 3 5 34
1991–92 Minnesota North Stars NHL 73 8 15 23 102 7 1 0 1 6
1992–93 Minnesota North Stars NHL 84 16 13 29 30 — — — — —
1993–94 San Jose Sharks NHL 84 12 18 30 28 14 1 4 5 12
1994–95 San Jose Sharks NHL 33 2 7 9 16 — — — — —
1994–95 Florida Panthers NHL 13 1 2 3 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 1,028 179 254 433 617 84 14 13 27 97

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "One-time Nordique Gaetan Duchesne dead at 44". CBC Sports. April 16, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  2. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Kraczkowski, Kevin (July 28, 2012). "All-Time Florida Panthers Roster Countdown: 196-193". SB Nation. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Fachet, Robert (December 19, 1984). "It's No Coincidence: Duchesne's Back and Capitals Are in First". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Former NHL forward Gaetan Duchesne dead of cardiac arrest at age 44". The Hockey News. The Canadian Press. April 16, 2007. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Gaetan Duchesne passes away". The Globe and Mail. April 16, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  7. ^ Fachet, Robert (February 5, 1984). "Fastest 3-Goal Blitz by Capitals Puts Oilers Away, 9-2". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  8. ^ Fachet, Robert (October 27, 1985). "4 Early Goals Give Capitals A 4-2 Victory". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Capitals beat Islanders after lengthy shootout". Sportsnet. November 12, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Sell, Dave (June 13, 1987). "Capitals, Nordiques Trade 4". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Fachet, Robert (June 19, 1989). "Capitals Trade Sundstrom to Devils for '91 Draft Pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Raider, Adam. Frozen in Time: A Minnesota North Stars History. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-8032-4998-1.
  13. ^ Sell, Dave (May 25, 1991). "Penguins Strut, 8–0, and Hoist Stanley Cup". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Sharks acquire Norton, Duchesne". UPI. June 20, 1993. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Cooper, Tony (April 8, 1995). "Sharks Deal Duchesne to Florida". CT Insider. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Koppett, David (April 22, 2019). "Sharks' Game 7 History in NHL Playoffs Filled With Elation, Heartbreak". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Pollak, David (October 20, 2011). "Players who reached the 1,000th-game mark as San Jose Sharks". The Mercury News. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "The Gaetan Duchesne Cup". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  19. ^ Séguin, Marc-André (October 18, 2009). "L'aréna portera le nom de Gaétan Duchesne" [The arena will be named after Gaétan Duchesne]. Le journal de Québec (in French). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
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