Todd Harkins
Encyclopedia
Todd Michael Harkins is a retired American
professional ice hockey
player who played 48 National Hockey League
games for the Calgary Flames
and Hartford Whalers
. Harkins was drafted by the Flames in the 2nd round, 42nd overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft
. He has appeared in and consulted on hockey-related movies, and is now an amateur coach and professional scout.
. His 1981 Cleveland American's Pee Wee team finished third in the nation, which also featured his younger brother Brett Harkins
.
Harkins attended St. Edward High School
, located in Lakewood, Ohio, a western suburb of Cleveland
. He was an integral member of the 1985 Ohio High School Athletic Association
State "big school" hockey champions. St. Edward would later name Harkins to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Harkins played three seasons of college hockey for Miami University
, recording 44 points in 40 games in 1989–90. He was a pre-med major but never graduated from Miami. While at Miami, he was selected 42nd overall by the Calgary Flames
in 1988.
In the Miami record book, Harkings ranks tied for ninth position for most goals in a season (27), and tied for fourth for power-play goals in a season (13). He also racked up a lot of penalty minutes. He ranks second all-time in career minutes (288), first for the most penalties in a season (62), first in most penalty minutes in a season (133, 1988–89), and is tied with two others for penalty minutes in a game (16 minutes, vs. Ohio State on January 2, 1988).
, along with five other players and coach. On March 24, 1994, the seven were arrested after a nightclub altercation, for which they pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of trespassing. His stint with the Whalers was his last in the NHL. He would return to the minor leagues shortly thereafter.
Harkins stayed to the minor leagues until he went over to Europe in 1997, playing first in the German
Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and then the Swiss
Nationalliga A. He retired from professional hockey in 2001.
Harkins represented the United States in the Ice Hockey World Championships
twice: in 1992, and 1995.
In 1993, Harkins also played inline hockey
for the Utah Rollerbees of the Roller Hockey International
, scoring 14 goals and 21 points in nine games.
about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team
, in which he portrayed legendary left-winger Valeri Kharlamov as a member of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team.
As a result of appearing in the movie, Harkins was cast in the first season of Making the Cut
, a reality television show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
that follows amateur players competing for an invitation to an NHL training camp.
Harkins assisted with the 2008 movie Slap Shot 3: The Junior League
, for which he choreographed the hockey sequences.
Harkins has held various positions developing young talent in recent years, including an amateur coach and professional scout. In 2009, he was the Director of High Performance Hockey for the North Shore Winter Club. Harkins was a scout for four years, He is now the head coach of the North West Vancouver Giants in the MML(2010–11). He was also head scout with the Westside Warriors
of the B.C. Hockey League. In May 2009, he was named director of player personnel and scouting for the Burnaby Express
, a Tier II Junior "A" team also of the B.C. Hockey League.
He is married to Kirsten, and they have three sons. His eldest son, Nicklas, was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS)
, a rare genetic disorder. They live in North Vancouver, British Columbia
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
player who played 48 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...
games for 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 Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
. Harkins was drafted by the Flames in the 2nd round, 42nd overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft
1988 NHL Entry Draft
The 1988 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec.-Selections by round:Below are listed the selections in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft...
. He has appeared in and consulted on hockey-related movies, and is now an amateur coach and professional scout.
Amateur career
Harkins played center positionCentre (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...
. His 1981 Cleveland American's Pee Wee team finished third in the nation, which also featured his younger brother Brett Harkins
Brett Harkins
Brett Alan Harkins is a former American professional ice hockey left wing, who played for 18 years. He played in National Hockey League in four stints with the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Columbus Blue Jackets.-Amateur career:...
.
Harkins attended St. Edward High School
St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio)
St. Edward High School is private, all-male Catholic, college-preparatory high school located in Lakewood, Ohio, a western Cleveland suburb. It was founded in 1949 and is operated in the by the Midwest Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. It is one of three remaining...
, located in Lakewood, Ohio, a western suburb of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He was an integral member of the 1985 Ohio High School Athletic Association
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
State "big school" hockey champions. St. Edward would later name Harkins to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Harkins played three seasons of college hockey for Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
, recording 44 points in 40 games in 1989–90. He was a pre-med major but never graduated from Miami. While at Miami, he was selected 42nd overall by 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...
in 1988.
In the Miami record book, Harkings ranks tied for ninth position for most goals in a season (27), and tied for fourth for power-play goals in a season (13). He also racked up a lot of penalty minutes. He ranks second all-time in career minutes (288), first for the most penalties in a season (62), first in most penalty minutes in a season (133, 1988–89), and is tied with two others for penalty minutes in a game (16 minutes, vs. Ohio State on January 2, 1988).
Professional career
The following season, he turned pro, spending most of the next four seasons in the Flames farm system. Harkins made his NHL debut in 1991–92, appearing in five games with the Flames. The following season, he appeared in 15 more games with Calgary. Late in the 1993–94 season, Harkins was dealt to the Whalers, where he appeared in 28 more NHL games. While he was with the Whalers, he was arrested in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, along with five other players and coach. On March 24, 1994, the seven were arrested after a nightclub altercation, for which they pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of trespassing. His stint with the Whalers was his last in the NHL. He would return to the minor leagues shortly thereafter.
Harkins stayed to the minor leagues until he went over to Europe in 1997, playing first in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and then the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Nationalliga A. He retired from professional hockey in 2001.
Harkins represented the United States in the Ice Hockey World Championships
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
twice: in 1992, and 1995.
In 1993, Harkins also played inline hockey
Inline hockey
Inline hockey, often referred to as roller hockey in the United States, is a sport similar to ice hockey but played with inline skates. Like its parent sport, skaters on two teams use hockey sticks to direct a disk-shaped puck into the opponent's goal; however, various details of the game, such as...
for the Utah Rollerbees of the Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey....
, scoring 14 goals and 21 points in nine games.
After retirement
Harkins was a credited actor in the 2004 movie MiracleMiracle (film)
Miracle is a 2004 American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice...
about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
, in which he portrayed legendary left-winger Valeri Kharlamov as a member of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team.
As a result of appearing in the movie, Harkins was cast in the first season of Making the Cut
Making the Cut: Last Man Standing
Making the Cut was a Canadian reality series that followed a group of amateur ice hockey players through a rigorous training session.The first season was broadcast on CBC Television in 2004...
, a reality television show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
that follows amateur players competing for an invitation to an NHL training camp.
Harkins assisted with the 2008 movie Slap Shot 3: The Junior League
Slap Shot 3: The Junior League
Slap Shot 3: The Junior League is a 2008 sports film starring Greyston Holt and Lynda Boyd and directed by Richard Martin. The direct-to-video film is the sequel to the 2002 direct-to-video film Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice....
, for which he choreographed the hockey sequences.
Harkins has held various positions developing young talent in recent years, including an amateur coach and professional scout. In 2009, he was the Director of High Performance Hockey for the North Shore Winter Club. Harkins was a scout for four years, He is now the head coach of the North West Vancouver Giants in the MML(2010–11). He was also head scout with the Westside Warriors
Westside Warriors
The Westside Warriors are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League and play in the Interior Conference....
of the B.C. Hockey League. In May 2009, he was named director of player personnel and scouting for the Burnaby Express
Burnaby Express
The Coquitlam Express are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League...
, a Tier II Junior "A" team also of the B.C. Hockey League.
Personal life
Harkins came from a hockey family. Older brother Donald and younger brother Brett also starred at St. Edward High School. Donald also played collegiately at Miami University. Brett followed in Todd's footsteps in many ways, leaving St. Edward early to play elite amateur hockey in Canada, then onto a strong collegiate career, draft by the NHL, a career minor leaguer with a brief stint in the NHL, and eventually playing professionally in Europe.He is married to Kirsten, and they have three sons. His eldest son, Nicklas, was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS)
Mucopolysaccharidosis
Mucopolysaccharidoses are a group of metabolic disorders caused by the absence or malfunctioning of lysosomal enzymes needed to break down molecules called glycosaminoglycans - long chains of sugar carbohydrates in each of our cells that help build bone, cartilage, tendons, corneas, skin and...
, a rare genetic disorder. They live in North Vancouver, British Columbia
North Vancouver, British Columbia
There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...
.