Grant Fuhr


Grant Scott Fuhr is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League and former goaltending coach for the Arizona Coyotes. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is best remembered for a decade of stellar play for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. He won a total of five Stanley Cups and was a six time All-Star. In 2017 Fuhr was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He set a number of firsts for black hockey players in the NHL, including being the first to win the Stanley Cup and being the first inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Early life

Fuhr was born to one African-Canadian parent and one Caucasian parent, but was adopted by parents Betty Wheeler and Robert Fuhr and raised in Spruce Grove, Alberta.
In the mid-1970s, Fuhr played for the Enoch Tomahawks' hockey team. Fuhr's mother came from Enoch Cree Nation.
In 1979, at the age of seventeen, Fuhr joined the Victoria Cougars of the WHL. After two outstanding seasons in Victoria, which included the league championship and a trip to the Memorial Cup in 1981, Fuhr was drafted eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, on June 10, 1981.

Edmonton Oilers (1981–1991)

Fuhr played ten seasons for the Oilers, where he teamed up first with Andy Moog, then Bill Ranford to form one of the most formidable goaltending tandems in history, winning the Stanley Cup four times in five seasons. Moog was given the starting job in the 1983 playoffs, and helped lead the Oilers to their first Stanley Cup Finals, though they were swept by the New York Islanders, who captured their fourth straight Stanley Cup. The next year general manager and head coach Glen Sather chose to go with Fuhr in the 1984 playoffs, though Fuhr was injured in the third game of the Stanley Cup Finals in a rematch against the Islanders when he collided with Pat LaFontaine, so Moog stepped in and led the Oilers to a series win. Thereafter, Fuhr remained the number one goaltender. Fuhr was also involved with the infamous goal where Steve Smith scored on his own net to cost the Oilers the '86 playoffs against the Calgary Flames. Fuhr was the team's starting goaltender on the first four teams, but was injured and did not play in the 1990 playoffs, when the Oilers won for the fifth time.
In 1987, he played in goal for the NHL All-Stars in both games of the Rendez-Vous '87 series against the Soviet National Team. In 1987-88, Fuhr backstopped Canada to a victory at the Canada Cup, playing in all nine games, then played in 75 regular season and 19 playoff games. He won his only Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender that year and finished second in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, behind Mario Lemieux and ahead of teammate Wayne Gretzky. He also played in the National Hockey League All-Star Game in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1989. Grant's playoff success fed into his reputation as the supreme "money" goalie of his era, the person you would want in net with the season on the line, and there was a period of time from 1987 through at least 1989 where Grant was often called "the best goaltender in the World".
He was suspended by the NHL for 59 games of the 1990–91 season. Fuhr had come forward about his drug use after spending two weeks in a counselling centre in Florida. He admitted that he used "a substance"—he did not say cocaine—for some seven years, or most of the period that the Oilers rested at the top of the NHL. Details of Fuhr's drug use were supplied by the player's ex-wife, Corrine, who told the press in Edmonton that she often found cocaine hidden in his clothing and that she fielded numerous threatening telephone calls from drug dealers who had not been paid. These embarrassing details no doubt contributed to the one-year suspension handed down in September 1990 by NHL president John Ziegler, who called Fuhr's conduct "dishounorable and against the welfare of the league." After missing 59 games and entering a two-week rehab program, the suspension was lifted by the league on February 18, 1991. Once Fuhr was re-instated, fans of opposing teams taunted him at games with bags of sugar.

Post-Oilers career (1991–2000)

On September 19, 1991, Fuhr was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven-player deal. After a season and a half in Toronto, he was again traded, this time to the Buffalo Sabres, on February 2, 1993.
In Buffalo, he played a role in the Sabres' dramatic first-round playoff victory over the Boston Bruins, helped instill a winning attitude in the organization, and mentored the young Dominik Hašek. Fuhr then had a successful 1993–94 season with the Sabres, splitting time in goal with Hašek, when Fuhr went down with multiple injuries, Hašek stepped into the starting role, and played well enough to hold onto the job. Fuhr and Hašek shared the William M. Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed.
In May 1993, while still a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Fuhr was denied membership in the neighbouring Transit Valley Country Club. At the time, rumours floated that the denial was based on race, as several of Fuhr's white teammates had been granted membership. Club officials denied they rejected Fuhr based on his race; rather, his application contained "incorrect and incomplete" information. Various acts of vandalism at the club occurred after news of Fuhr's rejection surfaced, including an incident where vandals burned a swastika onto one of the greens. In light of the negative publicity, the club reversed its position and offered Fuhr not only a membership, but an apology as well. Fuhr rejected the membership and joined nearby Lancaster Country Club. The club also temporarily suspended its membership committee and had an anti-bias policy written into its by-laws.
With Hasek now ensconced in the Sabres' net, Fuhr was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings, on February 14, 1995, once again playing with Gretzky. Out of shape and possibly past his prime, his career saw a resurgence when he signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Blues on July 14, 1995, before the 1995–96 campaign. He played 79 games that season, 76 consecutively, both NHL records. On November 30, 1995, Grant earned his 300th career win versus the Winnipeg Jets. The 1996 playoff run for Fuhr ended prematurely as Maple Leafs forward Nick Kypreos ran into him in the crease in the first round, causing him to tear several knee ligaments. Jon Casey had to play the rest of the playoffs. They beat Toronto in the first round, but lost to Detroit in the next. Even though over the next three years he became one of the three winningest goaltenders in Blues history, he never fully recovered from his injury. After the Blues signed Roman Turek as their new number one goaltender in 1999, Fuhr was traded to the Calgary Flames on September 5, 1999. He spent one season there being a mentor for Calgary's young goalies, including Fred Brathwaite, and on October 22, 1999, he earned his 400th career win versus the Florida Panthers. He announced his retirement, on September 6, 2000.

International play

Fuhr was named to the 1984 Canada Cup team but saw limited action during the tournament due to an injury. Fuhr was again selected to represent Canada for the 1987 Canada Cup. It was here that he cemented his reputation as one of the best goaltenders in the game. Playing against a tough Soviet Union squad, Fuhr turned away shot after shot during the three-game final. He also played for Canada at the 1989 World Championships where he won a silver medal.

Post-retirement

Fuhr was hired to be the Phoenix Coyotes goaltending coach on July 22, 2004. Fuhr held the position until the end of the 2008-09 season, when he was replaced by Sean Burke. He held a similar post with the Calgary Flames in the 2000–2001 and 2001–2002 seasons.
In 2015, Fuhr collaborated on his biography with Bruce Dowbiggin, Grant Fuhr: Portrait of a Champion.

Personal life

Fuhr was married to Lisa Cavanaugh in the Grand Cayman Islands on September 14, 2014. He has four children from previous marriages and a step-daughter.
Fuhr was a regular competitor at the American Century Championship, an annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities. The tournament is played at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course along the edge of Lake Tahoe.

Awards

;NHL
AwardYear
All-Star Game1982, 1984, 1985,
1986, 1988, 1989
First All-Star Team1988
Second All-Star Team1982
Stanley Cup1984, 1985, 1987,
1988, 1990
Vezina Trophy1988
William M. Jennings Trophy
Shared with Dominik Hašek		1994

;International
AwardYear
CC All-Star Team1987

Fuhr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 2, 2003.
Wayne Gretzky has said on many occasions that he believes Fuhr is the greatest goaltender in NHL history. This is mentioned in an interview with Wayne Gretzky conducted by John Davidson as part of the 2003 DVD "Ultimate Gretzky".
Fuhr was also inducted in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Records

Regular season and playoffs

International