Tom Chorske
Encyclopedia
Thomas P. Chorske is an American
retired professional ice hockey
player. A forward
, he played for eleven seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL). In September, 2006, he was named color commentator
for New Jersey Devils
radio broadcasts, a position he only held for one season before resigning. He was replaced with former team color commentator Sherry Ross
(who called games from 1992–1995).
hockey career at Minneapolis Southwest High School, Chorske was named Mr. Hockey
as the state's most outstanding high school player 1985, the inaugural year for the award. Soon after, Tom was selected by the Montreal Canadiens
16th overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft
.
After being drafted, Chorske played two seasons of NCAA
hockey
at the University of Minnesota
followed by a year playing with the 1987–88 US National Team preparing for the Winter Olympics
in Calgary
. Unfortunately, Chorske was the last player cut from the team as they headed to Calgary for the Olympics. Tom returned to the University of Minnesota for the 1988–89 season and was instrumental in the team's success that year.
In 1989–90, Chorske played 14 games with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring three goals and an assist. After another season in Montreal, he joined the New Jersey Devils
, playing 76 games in 1991–92, scoring 19 goals and 36 points. In 1993–94, he had his finest offensive year, scoring 21 goals and 41 points but it was the following season which was by far the most satisfying for Chorske, his teammates and fans of the Devils. After several years of being near the top of the NHL
, the Devils finally put it all together in the spring of 1995, defeating the Detroit Red Wings
in four straight games to claim the Stanley Cup
.
In 1995–96, Chorske joined the Ottawa Senators
where he played for two seasons and helped them make their first modern era playoff appearance in 1997. He then headed to New York to suit up for the Islanders
where he scored 35 points, including 4 short-handed tallies. During the 1998–99 season, he was sent to the Washington Capitals
but had abdominal surgery and was limited to 17 games before finally ending up in Calgary
at the trade deadline. In 1999–2000, Chorske played 33 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins
, his final stop in the NHL. In 2000–01, he appeared in 78 games for the Houston Aeros
of the now defunct International Hockey League, scoring 27 goals and 52 points.
Chorske's NHL totals were 596 games, 115 goals, 122 assists, for 237 points. Overall, he played in 733 professional games before retiring.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
retired 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. A forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
, he played for eleven 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...
(NHL). In September, 2006, he was named color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for 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...
radio broadcasts, a position he only held for one season before resigning. He was replaced with former team color commentator Sherry Ross
Sherry Ross
Sherry Ross is an American sports broadcaster and journalist, currently working alongside Matt Loughlin as a color commentator for the NHL's New Jersey Devils radio broadcasts...
(who called games from 1992–1995).
Playing career
Following an outstanding high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
hockey career at Minneapolis Southwest High School, Chorske was named Mr. Hockey
Minnesota Mr. Hockey
The following is a list of ice hockey players who have been selected over the years to receive the Mr. Hockey award as the most outstanding senior high school hockey player in the state of Minnesota. The recipients are reviewed and selected by a group of National Hockey League scouts and Division I...
as the state's most outstanding high school player 1985, the inaugural year for the award. Soon after, Tom was selected by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
16th overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft
1985 NHL Entry Draft
The 1985 NHL Entry Draft was the first draft outside of Montreal. The event was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, and attended by 7,000 fans. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the...
.
After being drafted, Chorske played two seasons of NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
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...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
followed by a year playing with the 1987–88 US National Team preparing for the Winter Olympics
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. Unfortunately, Chorske was the last player cut from the team as they headed to Calgary for the Olympics. Tom returned to the University of Minnesota for the 1988–89 season and was instrumental in the team's success that year.
In 1989–90, Chorske played 14 games with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring three goals and an assist. After another season in Montreal, he joined 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...
, playing 76 games in 1991–92, scoring 19 goals and 36 points. In 1993–94, he had his finest offensive year, scoring 21 goals and 41 points but it was the following season which was by far the most satisfying for Chorske, his teammates and fans of the Devils. After several years of being near the top of 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...
, the Devils finally put it all together in the spring of 1995, defeating the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
in four straight games to claim the 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...
.
In 1995–96, Chorske joined 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...
where he played for two seasons and helped them make their first modern era playoff appearance in 1997. He then headed to New York to suit up for the 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...
where he scored 35 points, including 4 short-handed tallies. During the 1998–99 season, he was sent 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...
but had abdominal surgery and was limited to 17 games before finally ending up in Calgary
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...
at the trade deadline. In 1999–2000, Chorske played 33 games with the 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...
, his final stop in the NHL. In 2000–01, he appeared in 78 games for the Houston Aeros
Houston Aeros
The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :...
of the now defunct International Hockey League, scoring 27 goals and 52 points.
Chorske's NHL totals were 596 games, 115 goals, 122 assists, for 237 points. Overall, he played in 733 professional games before retiring.
Miscellaneous
- Played quarterback for Minneapolis Southwest High SchoolSouthwest High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota)Southwest High School is a public high school in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota . It is part of the Minneapolis Public Schools. In 2010, Newsweek Magazine ranked the school #116 their "List of the 1,300 Top High Schools in America"...
footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team in 1984 and 1985. - Named to his high school all-conference first team in 1984–85.
- Competed in 1985 U.S. National Sports Festival in Baton Rouge, La.
- Played on first U.S. team to win a medal at World Junior Championships when he won bronze medalBronze medalA bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in 1986. - Competed in 1986 U.S. National Sports Festival in Houston.
- Tied for Minnesota (WCHA) lead with 49 points and was All-WCHA First Team in 1988–89.
- Left University of Minnesota after his junior year to pursue pro hockey career.
- Was on Montreal team that joined Minnesota to compete in the 1990 NHL Friendship Tour in Soviet Union.
- 1989–90: Played on AHL regular-season champions (Sherbrooke).
- Played in Italy during 1994–95 NHL lockout.
- Retired from hockey in 2002 and returned to University of Minnesota to complete his undergraduate degree.
- Hired as a senior account executive in the St. Paul, MN, office of Merrill Corp.
- Hired as analyst for Fox Sports North for Minnesota Gopher Hockey, October, 2010.
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 | ||
| 1985–86 | University of Minnesota University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557... |
NCAA | 39 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | University of Minnesota | NCAA | 47 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | University of Minnesota | NCAA | 37 | 25 | 24 | 49 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 1989–90 AHL season The 1989–90 AHL season was the 54th season of the American Hockey League.Fourteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Sherbrooke Canadiens repeated finishing first overall in the regular season... |
Sherbrooke Canadiens Sherbrooke Canadiens The Sherbrooke Canadiens were a professional ice hockey team in Sherbrooke, Quebec. They played their home games at the Palais des Sports. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1984 to 1990, and were a farm team of the Montreal Canadiens.... |
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... |
59 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 54 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1989–90 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
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... |
14 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 57 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | 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 | 76 | 19 | 17 | 36 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1992–93 1992–93 AHL season The 1992–93 AHL season was the 57th season of the American Hockey League. Sixteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Binghamton Rangers finished first overall in the regular season with 124 points, a which holds to this day... |
Utica Devils Utica Devils The Utica Devils were an ice hockey team of the American Hockey League. The team played in Utica, New York at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.-History:... |
AHL | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 50 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 32 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 42 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1994–95 | Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,... |
Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
7 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | 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 | 72 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 68 | 18 | 8 | 26 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | 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... |
NHL | 82 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | New York Islanders | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | 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... |
NHL | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | 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... |
NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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 | 33 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Houston Aeros Houston Aeros The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :... |
IHL | 78 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 36 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| NCAA totals | 123 | 51 | 50 | 101 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 596 | 115 | 122 | 237 | 225 | 50 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 10 | ||||