Laurie Boschman
Encyclopedia
Laurie Joseph Boschman is a Canadian
retired professional
ice hockey
centre
who played in the NHL
for 14 seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs
, Edmonton Oilers
, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils
and Ottawa Senators
, a team in which he was captain
of in his final NHL season.
He currently lives in Stittsville, Ontario
, (a part of Ottawa
) with his three sons, Brent, Mark and Jeff. His wife, Nancy, died early in 2006.
of the WHL
, where he played on a line with future NHLer's Brian Propp
and Ray Allison
. Those two seasons with Brandon helped him to get drafted 9th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft
, considered by many hockey experts to be the most productive NHL draft of all-time.
Boschman's time in Toronto
was not a happy time, as he was publicly ridiculed multiple times and threatened to be sent down to the minors by Leaf's owner Harold Ballard
. Ballard also did not like that Boschman became a born-again Christian
, saying he became soft as a result. Boschman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers
on March 9, 1982 for Walt Poddubny
and Phil Drouillard. He only lasted one year in Edmonton
before being traded again, this time to the team that Boschman would define his career with, the Winnipeg Jets.
In his first full season with Winnipeg, he finally lived up to the billing of a first round draft pick by scoring 74 points in 61 games, as well as garnering 234 penalty minutes. Boschman became part of an impressive nucleus in Winnipeg that included stars Dale Hawerchuk
, Thomas Steen
, David Ellett
, Doug Smail
, Paul MacLean, and Randy Carlyle
. The team's balanced attack was proven during the 1984–85 season when they tied a record with 6 players (including Boschman) scoring at least 30 goals in the regular season. However, even though with the all-star cast, they had to play in the same division as the Calgary Flames
and the Edmonton Oilers
who were two of the best teams in the league at the time, and as a result the team rarely made it past the first round of the playoffs.
The team was broken apart after years of playoff failure, and Boschman was traded to the New Jersey Devils
in September, 1990. In his last season with the Jets, he earned an 8-game suspension for high-sticking Tomas Sandstrom
in retaliation. He played a few seasons in New Jersey, before being claimed in the 1992 NHL Expansion Draft
by the Ottawa Senators
. He was the team's first captain during the team's dreadful first season. Boschman retired after that 1992–93 season when he was bought out by the Senators, although he returned to hockey for a brief period in 1994 when he played for the Fife Flyers
in Britain.
Boschman is one of only sixteen players in NHL history to have recorded 500+ points and 2,000+PIM in their career.
Boschman is now part of Hockey Ministries International, a ministry that combines ice hockey
with Christianity
.
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...
retired professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who played 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...
for 14 seasons for 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...
, Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and 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...
, a team in which he was captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
of in his final NHL season.
He currently lives in Stittsville, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, (a part of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
) with his three sons, Brent, Mark and Jeff. His wife, Nancy, died early in 2006.
Playing career
Boschman started his career off with two stellar seasons with the Brandon Wheat KingsBrandon Wheat Kings
The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They compete in the Western Hockey League, and joined the league in the 1967–68 season. Prior to that they played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and were known as the Brandon Elks for a short time in the...
of the WHL
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
, where he played on a line with future NHLer's Brian Propp
Brian Propp
Brian Phillip Propp is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 15 seasons in the NHL from 1979 until 1994...
and Ray Allison
Ray Allison
Raymond Peter Allison is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 7 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers and Philadelphia Flyers.-Playing career:...
. Those two seasons with Brandon helped him to get drafted 9th overall by 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...
in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft
1979 NHL Entry Draft
The 1979 NHL Entry Draft took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1978–79 NHL season and playoff standings. This is the list of those...
, considered by many hockey experts to be the most productive NHL draft of all-time.
Boschman's time in 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...
was not a happy time, as he was publicly ridiculed multiple times and threatened to be sent down to the minors by Leaf's owner Harold Ballard
Harold Ballard
Harold E. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February...
. Ballard also did not like that Boschman became a born-again Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, saying he became soft as a result. Boschman was traded to the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
on March 9, 1982 for Walt Poddubny
Walt Poddubny
Walter Michael Poddubny was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and coach who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League from 1981–1982 until 1991–1992....
and Phil Drouillard. He only lasted one year in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
before being traded again, this time to the team that Boschman would define his career with, the Winnipeg Jets.
In his first full season with Winnipeg, he finally lived up to the billing of a first round draft pick by scoring 74 points in 61 games, as well as garnering 234 penalty minutes. Boschman became part of an impressive nucleus in Winnipeg that included stars Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League for 16 seasons. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001...
, Thomas Steen
Thomas Steen
Thomas Steen is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player and coach. Steen is the current city councillor for the Winnipeg ward of Elmwood-East Kildonan. Steen played professional ice hockey in the Elitserien, National Hockey League and Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-Hockey career:Steen was born...
, David Ellett
David Ellett
David George John "Dave" Ellett is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the NHL for 16 seasons...
, Doug Smail
Doug Smail
Douglas Dean Smail is a retired professional ice hockey left winger who played in the NHL for thirteen seasons from 1980 through 1993.-Playing career:...
, Paul MacLean, and Randy Carlyle
Randy Carlyle
Randolph Robert Carlyle is a former ice hockey defenceman and formely the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. He was raised in Azilda, just northwest of Sudbury, Ontario.-Career:...
. The team's balanced attack was proven during the 1984–85 season when they tied a record with 6 players (including Boschman) scoring at least 30 goals in the regular season. However, even though with the all-star cast, they had to play in the same division as the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
and the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
who were two of the best teams in the league at the time, and as a result the team rarely made it past the first round of the playoffs.
The team was broken apart after years of playoff failure, and Boschman was traded to the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in September, 1990. In his last season with the Jets, he earned an 8-game suspension for high-sticking Tomas Sandstrom
Tomas Sandström
Tomas Sandström is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League from 1984 to 1999. He grew up in Fagersta, Sweden....
in retaliation. He played a few seasons in New Jersey, before being claimed in the 1992 NHL Expansion Draft
1992 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1992 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 18, 1992. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's two expansion teams for the 1992–93 season, the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning.-Rules:...
by the 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...
. He was the team's first captain during the team's dreadful first season. Boschman retired after that 1992–93 season when he was bought out by the Senators, although he returned to hockey for a brief period in 1994 when he played for the Fife Flyers
Fife Flyers
The Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
in Britain.
Boschman is one of only sixteen players in NHL history to have recorded 500+ points and 2,000+PIM in their career.
Boschman is now part of Hockey Ministries International, a ministry that combines 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...
with Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
Awards
- Named to the WHLWestern Hockey LeagueThe Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
All-Star Team (1979) - Named to the Memorial CupMemorial CupThe Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
All-Star Team (19791979 Memorial CupThe 1979 Memorial Cup occurred May 6-May 13 at the Palais des Sports in Sherbrooke, Quebec, the Colisée de Trois-Rivières in Trois-Rivières, Quebec and at the Verdun Auditorium in Verdun, Quebec...
). - Won Molson CupMolson CupThe Molson Cup is an award presented to a distinguished player on Canadian ice hockey teams. After each game, the "three game stars" are selected, usually by a member of the media. At the end of the season, the player with the most three-star honours is presented with the Molson Cup...
(Three-Stars Leader) for the Winnipeg Jets (1983–84).
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1976–77 | Brandon Wheat Kings Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They compete in the Western Hockey League, and joined the league in the 1967–68 season. Prior to that they played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and were known as the Brandon Elks for a short time in the... |
WCHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | ||
| 1977–78 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WCHL | 72 | 42 | 57 | 99 | 227 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 45 | ||
| 1978–79 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 65 | 66 | 83 | 149 | 215 | 22 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 56 | ||
| 1979–80 | 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... |
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... |
80 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 78 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18 | ||
| 1980–81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 53 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 178 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 1980–81 1980–81 AHL season The 1980–81 AHL season was the 45th season of the American Hockey League. Nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears finished first overall in the regular season... |
New Brunswick Hawks New Brunswick Hawks The New Brunswick Hawks were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick. Home games were played at the Moncton Coliseum. They were a member of the American Hockey League between 1978 and 1982. The Hawks operated as a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks and 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... |
4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 54 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 150 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League .... |
NHL | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 62 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 183 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 1983–84 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 61 | 28 | 46 | 74 | 234 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 1984–85 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 32 | 44 | 76 | 180 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 21 | ||
| 1985–86 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 77 | 27 | 42 | 69 | 241 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1986–87 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 152 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 32 | ||
| 1987–88 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 229 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 1988–89 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 70 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 163 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 66 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 103 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1990–91 | New Jersey Devils New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 78 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 79 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1991–92 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 121 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1992–93 | 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... |
NHL | 70 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Fife Flyers Fife Flyers The Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years... |
BNL British National League The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the... |
7 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 12 | ||
| NHL totals | 1009 | 229 | 348 | 577 | 2265 | 57 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 140 | ||||
See also
- Captain (ice hockey)Captain (ice hockey)In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
- List of NHL players with 1000 games played
- List of NHL players with 2000 career penalty minutes