Don Beaupre
Encyclopedia
Donald William Beaupre is a Canadian
former professional ice hockey
goaltender
. Beaupre in his 17 seasons (1981–1997) in the NHL
played for four teams: the Minnesota North Stars
, Washington Capitals
, Ottawa Senators
, and the Toronto Maple Leafs
.
for the Sudbury Wolves
. In 1979–80 he won 28 games and was named to the league's first All-star
team.
As one of the top rated goalies in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft
, Beaupre didn't last very long and was claimed 37th overall by the Minnesota North Stars
. In 1981 with Minnesota, Beaupre split goaltending with Gilles Meloche
and in his rookie year appeared in the 1981 All-Star Game
(his other All-Star appearance would come in 1993), and although Minnesota would lose the series, recorded a 4–2 win in Game 4 of the 1981 Stanley Cup
Finals against the powerful New York Islanders
.
Traded in 1989 to the Washington Capitals
, Beaupre continued to play well and benefit from Washington's solid defense in the early 1990s. He led the NHL
with five shutouts in 1990–91, then won a career-high 29 games the next year. By the mid-'90s, the Capitals were looking to Olaf Kolzig
to lead them in goal. Beaupre was shipped to the weak Ottawa Senators
where he saw plenty of rubber in 71 games over two seasons. Beaupre became the first Ottawa netminder to register a shutout. By the time he was traded to Toronto
in 1995–96, the veteran's reflexes were disappearing with age. He retired in 1997, after spending most of the season with the St. John's Maple Leafs
of the AHL
.
Beaupre is the owner and president of an aerial lift equipment company in Minneapolis.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
former professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
. Beaupre in his 17 seasons (1981–1997) in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
played for four teams: the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
, Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Playing career
Beaupre emerged as a goaltender in the OHAOntario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
for the Sudbury Wolves
Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves are the name of the ice hockey team from Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the "Wolves" nearly every year since World War I. The Sudbury Wolves, the senior men's AAA team, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World...
. In 1979–80 he won 28 games and was named to the league's first All-star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team.
As one of the top rated goalies in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft
1980 NHL Entry Draft
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft. The National Hockey League teams selected 210 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1979–80 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the...
, Beaupre didn't last very long and was claimed 37th overall by the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
. In 1981 with Minnesota, Beaupre split goaltending with Gilles Meloche
Gilles Meloche
Gilles Meloche is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins...
and in his rookie year appeared in the 1981 All-Star Game
National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...
(his other All-Star appearance would come in 1993), and although Minnesota would lose the series, recorded a 4–2 win in Game 4 of the 1981 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
Finals against the powerful New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Traded in 1989 to the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, Beaupre continued to play well and benefit from Washington's solid defense in the early 1990s. He led the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
with five shutouts in 1990–91, then won a career-high 29 games the next year. By the mid-'90s, the Capitals were looking to Olaf Kolzig
Olaf Kölzig
Olaf Kölzig is a retired German professional ice hockey goaltender and associate goalie coach for the Washington Capitals. With the exception of 8 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played his entire 14 year career with the Capitals...
to lead them in goal. Beaupre was shipped to the weak Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
where he saw plenty of rubber in 71 games over two seasons. Beaupre became the first Ottawa netminder to register a shutout. By the time he was traded to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1995–96, the veteran's reflexes were disappearing with age. He retired in 1997, after spending most of the season with the St. John's Maple Leafs
St. John's Maple Leafs
The St. John's Maple Leafs were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada at Memorial Stadium from 1991–2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001–2005.-History:...
of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
.
Beaupre is the owner and president of an aerial lift equipment company in Minneapolis.
Regular season
| Season | Team | GAA Goals against average Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender.... | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-79 | Sudbury Wolves | OHA | 54 | 3248 | 259 | 1 | 2 | 4.78 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1979-80 | Sudbury Wolves | OHA | 59 | 3447 | 248 | 3 | 1 | 4.32 | 28 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1980-81 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 44 | 2585 | 138 | 4 | 0 | 3.20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 1175 | 0.895 |
| 1981-82 | Nashville South Stars | CHL | 5 | 299 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 5.02 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 150 | 0.857 |
| Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 29 | 1634 | 101 | 0 | 0 | 3.71 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 805 | 0.889 | |
| 1982–83 | Birmingham South Stars | CHL | 10 | 599 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 3.11 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 300 | 0.906 |
| Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 36 | 2011 | 120 | 0 | 0 | 3.58 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 928 | 0.885 | |
| 1983-84 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 33 | 1791 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 4.12 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 848 | 0.873 |
| 1984-85 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 31 | 1770 | 109 | 0 | 1 | 3.69 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 825 | 0.883 |
| 1985-86 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 52 | 3073 | 182 | 0 | 1 | 3.55 | 25 | 20 | 6 | 1508 | 0.892 |
| 1986-87 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 47 | 2622 | 174 | 4 | 1 | 3.98 | 17 | 20 | 6 | 1261 | 0.879 |
| 1987-88 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 43 | 2288 | 161 | 1 | 0 | 4.22 | 10 | 22 | 3 | 1095 | 0.872 |
| 1988-89 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 30 | 1715 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 3.57 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 757 | 0.881 |
| Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 3 | 179 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3.02 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | |
| Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 1 | 59 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3.05 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0.880 | |
| Washington Capitals | NHL | 11 | 578 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 2.91 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 240 | 0.896 | |
| 1989-90 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 48 | 2793 | 150 | 3 | 2 | 3.22 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 1212 | 0.890 |
| 1990-91 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 2 | 120 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 0.942 |
| Washington Capitals | NHL | 45 | 2572 | 113 | 3 | 5 | 2.64 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 982 | 0.897 | |
| 1991-92 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 54 | 3108 | 166 | 2 | 1 | 3.20 | 29 | 17 | 6 | 1269 | 0.884 |
| Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 3 | 184 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3.26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 64 | 0.865 | |
| 1992-93 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 58 | 3282 | 181 | 7 | 1 | 3.31 | 27 | 23 | 5 | 1349 | 0.882 |
| 1993-94 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 53 | 2853 | 135 | 3 | 2 | 2.84 | 24 | 16 | 8 | 987 | 0.880 |
| 1994-95 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 38 | 2161 | 121 | 3 | 1 | 3.36 | 8 | 25 | 3 | 1046 | 0.896 |
| 1995-96 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 33 | 1770 | 110 | 9 | 1 | 3.73 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 782 | 0.877 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 8 | 336 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 4.64 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 144 | 0.847 | |
| 1996-97 | St. John's Maple Leafs | AHL | 47 | 2623 | 128 | 2 | 3 | 2.93 | 24 | 16 | 4 | 1130 | 0.898 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 3 | 110 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 5.45 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0.833 | |
| Utah Grizzlies | IHL | 4 | 238 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3.27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 93 | 0.877 |