Tom Kurvers
Thomas James Kurvers (born September 14, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who currently serves as the assistant general manager for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kurvers spent 11 seasons in the NHL between 1984 and 1995. He was the 1984 Hobey Baker award recipient as the best collegiate ice hockey player and was a member of the Stanley Cup-winning Montreal Canadiens in 1986. He was the interim general manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2009–10 season. Kurvers was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota.
| Tom Kurvers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 14, 1962 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Montreal Canadiens Buffalo Sabres New Jersey Devils Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks New York Islanders Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | ||
| NHL Draft |
145th overall, 1981 Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 1984–1996 | ||
Playing career
Kurvers played collegiately at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and was selected 145th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft following his freshman season. His time with At Duluth culminated with winning the Hobey Baker Award, given to the most outstanding collegiate hockey player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as a senior in the 1983–84 season after registering 76 points in just 43 games.[1]
Kurvers made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut in the 1984–85 season with the Montreal Canadiens, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 1986. After two full seasons with the Canadiens, and one game in the 1986–87 season, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a draft pick.
Before the 1987–88 season, the Sabres traded Kurvers to the New Jersey Devils. He played some of his best hockey for the Devils, posting 15 points in their surprising run to the 1988 Wales Conference Finals, and notching career highs of 16 goals and 66 points in 1988–89 season. He played two full seasons, and one game in the 1989–90 season, with the Devils before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the pick ultimately used to draft Scott Niedermayer.[2]
He was always a highly productive player, especially dangerous on the power play due to his point shot and playmaking skills. That said, at even strength he was often a defensive liability. Several coaches along the way attempted to fix his defensive shortcomings, however, without result. Thus, Kurvers was destined to become a journeyman, making stops with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim before leaving the league after the 1994–95 season. He played a season in Japan before retiring.
In his NHL career, Kurvers appeared in 659 games. He scored 93 goals and added 328 assists for 421 points. He also appeared in 57 Stanley Cup playoff games, scoring eight goals and recording 22 assists.
Post-hockey career
Following his retirement, Kurvers landed a job doing radio commentary for the Phoenix Coyotes, in part due to his connection to former Montreal teammate Bobby Smith who was the general manager in Phoenix at the time. Following one season in that capacity, he was hired as a professional scout by the Coyotes. Kurvers was promoted again, to director of player personnel, in 2005.[3]
In 1991, Kurvers was inducted into the University of Minnesota Duluth Hall of Fame.[4]
In 2008, Kurvers was named assistant general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. From 2011 to 2018, Kurvers served as the senior advisor to the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning before being named the assistant general manager of the Minnesota Wild.[5]
Personal life
Kurvers and his wife Heather have four children together.[5] In January 2019, Kurvers was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small lung cancer.[6]
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1983–84 | [7] |
| AHCA West First-Team All-American | 1983–84 | [8] |
| Stanley Cup | 1986 |
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1979–80 | Bloomington Jefferson High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Bloomington Jefferson High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs | WCHA | 39 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs | WCHA | 37 | 11 | 31 | 42 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs | WCHA | 45 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs | WCHA | 43 | 18 | 58 | 76 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 75 | 10 | 35 | 45 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1985–86 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 62 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 55 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 56 | 5 | 29 | 34 | 46 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 38 | ||
| 1988–89 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 16 | 50 | 66 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 15 | 37 | 52 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1990–91 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 32 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 1991–92 | New York Islanders | NHL | 74 | 9 | 47 | 56 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Capital District Islanders | AHL | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Islanders | NHL | 52 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 38 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Islanders | NHL | 66 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1994–95 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 22 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Seibu Tetsudo | JPN | 40 | 18 | 34 | 52 | 85 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 36 | ||
| NHL totals | 659 | 93 | 328 | 421 | 352 | 57 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 68 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | United States | WJC | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | |
| 1987 | United States | WC | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 11 | |
| 1989 | United States | WC | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | |||
| Senior totals | 20 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 19 | |||
References
- "1984 Winner - TOM KURVERS of University of Minnesota-Duluth". hobeybaker.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- Stellick, Gord (October 16, 2014). "Leafs revisionist history: Niedermayer trade". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- Dahlia, Jeff (July 1, 2006). "Q&A with Tom Kurvers, Coyotes Director of Player Personnel". hockeysfuture.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- "UMD Athletic Hall of Fame TOM KURVERS". umdbulldogs.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- "Minnesota Wild names Tom Kurvers assistant general manager". NHL.com. June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- Russo, Michael (February 8, 2019). "Diagnosed with lung cancer, Wild's Tom Kurvers prepares for his toughest battle". theathletic.com. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bob Mason |
WCHA Player of the Year 1983–84 |
Succeeded by Bill Watson |
| Preceded by Mark Fusco |
Winner of the Hobey Baker Award 1983–84 |
Succeeded by Bill Watson |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Brian Lawton |
General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning Interim 2010 |
Succeeded by Steve Yzerman |