Pat Falloon
Encyclopedia
Patrick J. Falloon is a Canadian
retired professional
ice hockey
right winger
who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League
between 1991 and 2000. He played with the San Jose Sharks
, Philadelphia Flyers
, Ottawa Senators
, Edmonton Oilers
, and Pittsburgh Penguins
. He would also play a season in the Swiss National League. The first player drafted by the Sharks, Falloon had a standout junior career in the Western Hockey League
, with consecutive 60 goal seasons before being drafted.
in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft
. He was the first ever draft pick in the history of the San Jose Sharks organization. After playing in San Jose for four years he was traded November 16, 1995 to the Philadelphia Flyers
in exchange for LW Martin Spanhel
, a first round draft choice in the 1996 Entry Draft and a third round draft choice. (These picks were later transferred to the Phoenix Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres and used to acquire Danny Briere and Mike Martone, respectively).
He was traded January 17, 1998 to the Ottawa Senators along with Vaclav Prospal
and a second round draft choice, in exchange for Alexandre Daigle
, the first overall draft pick in 1993. He later played for both the Edmonton Oilers
and Pittsburgh Penguins
.
After 2000, he was no longer an active NHL player. After playing for Davos in Switzerland for the 2000–2001 season, Falloon returned home to play in his hometown, for the Foxwarren Falcons - a team from the tiny North Central Hockey League in western Manitoba. Not surprisingly, he has been a top scorer in the league. With the Falcons, he helped them win six straight league championships from 2001–02 to 2006–07 (the Falcons also won without Falloon in 2000–01). This string of championships was broken in 2007–08.
As the second overall pick, Falloon will probably always be remembered as the 'consolation prize' in the 1991 draft, since No. 1 pick Eric Lindros
was easily the most coveted player available that year. Still, Falloon was considered a talented prospect in his own right, and the Sharks expected him to be one of the building blocks of their young franchise in the coming decade. Falloon delivered decent returns as a rookie, notching 59 points in 1991–92, but never topped that production for the remainder of his career. Later in his career Pat become known more for his lack of conditioning which earned him the nickname "Fat Balloon".
Falloon was named Memorial Cup
Tournament MVP in 1991 with the Spokane Chiefs
of the WHL
.
He played 575 career NHL games, scoring 143 goals and 179 assists for 322 points.
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...
right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League
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...
between 1991 and 2000. He played with the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, 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...
, 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 ....
, and Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
. He would also play a season in the Swiss National League. The first player drafted by the Sharks, Falloon had a standout junior career in the Western Hockey League
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...
, with consecutive 60 goal seasons before being drafted.
Playing career
Falloon was drafted 2nd overall by the San Jose SharksSan Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft
1991 NHL Entry Draft
The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The draft was famous for the controversy surrounding star first overall draft pick, touted by some observers to be The Next One, Eric Lindros, who was drafted by the...
. He was the first ever draft pick in the history of the San Jose Sharks organization. After playing in San Jose for four years he was traded November 16, 1995 to the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in exchange for LW Martin Spanhel
Martin Španhel
Martin Špaňhel is a Czech hockey player who played for the Frederikshavn White Hawks of the AL-bank Ligaen.-Transactions:* July 8, 1995 - Drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 6th round, 152nd overall....
, a first round draft choice in the 1996 Entry Draft and a third round draft choice. (These picks were later transferred to the Phoenix Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres and used to acquire Danny Briere and Mike Martone, respectively).
He was traded January 17, 1998 to the Ottawa Senators along with Vaclav Prospal
Vaclav Prospal
Václav "Vinny" Prospal is a Czech professional ice hockey left winger who is currently a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
and a second round draft choice, in exchange for Alexandre Daigle
Alexandre Daigle
Alexandre Daigle is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Despite being drafted first overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Daigle never lived up to his potential, achieving a maximum of only 51 points in the regular season, well below expectations for a first overall...
, the first overall draft pick in 1993. He later played for both 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 ....
and Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
.
After 2000, he was no longer an active NHL player. After playing for Davos in Switzerland for the 2000–2001 season, Falloon returned home to play in his hometown, for the Foxwarren Falcons - a team from the tiny North Central Hockey League in western Manitoba. Not surprisingly, he has been a top scorer in the league. With the Falcons, he helped them win six straight league championships from 2001–02 to 2006–07 (the Falcons also won without Falloon in 2000–01). This string of championships was broken in 2007–08.
As the second overall pick, Falloon will probably always be remembered as the 'consolation prize' in the 1991 draft, since No. 1 pick Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros
Eric Bryan Lindros is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Lindros played junior hockey in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals prior to being selected first overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques...
was easily the most coveted player available that year. Still, Falloon was considered a talented prospect in his own right, and the Sharks expected him to be one of the building blocks of their young franchise in the coming decade. Falloon delivered decent returns as a rookie, notching 59 points in 1991–92, but never topped that production for the remainder of his career. Later in his career Pat become known more for his lack of conditioning which earned him the nickname "Fat Balloon".
Falloon was named Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The 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...
Tournament MVP in 1991 with the Spokane Chiefs
Spokane Chiefs
The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Spokane consistently ranks in the top 10 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...
.
He played 575 career NHL games, scoring 143 goals and 179 assists for 322 points.
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 | ||
| 1988–89 | Spokane Chiefs Spokane Chiefs The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. Spokane consistently ranks in the top 10 in 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... |
72 | 22 | 56 | 78 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 71 | 60 | 64 | 124 | 48 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 4 | ||
| 1990–91 | Spokane Chiefs | WHL | 61 | 64 | 74 | 138 | 33 | 15 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 10 | ||
| 1991–92 | San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western 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... |
79 | 25 | 34 | 59 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 41 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 83 | 22 | 31 | 53 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 46 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 62 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 52 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 30 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | 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 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | 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 | 82 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1999–00 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 33 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original... |
NHL | 30 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | HC Davos HC Davos Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos play in the Swiss National League A, which is ranked as Europe's sixth best ice hockey league. The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team... |
NLA | 43 | 12 | 26 | 38 | 49 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 575 | 143 | 179 | 322 | 141 | 66 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 16 | ||||