Jimmy Carson

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Jimmy Carson
Born (1968-07-20) July 20, 1968 (age 55)
Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for Los Angeles Kings
Edmonton Oilers
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
Hartford Whalers
Lausanne
National team  United States
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 1986
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 1986–1998

James Charles Carson (born July 20, 1968) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League with five different teams. In 1988, he became only the second teenager in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season; the first was Wayne Gretzky.[1]

Playing career[edit]

As a youth, Carson played in the 1980 and 1981 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Detroit Compuware minor ice hockey team.[2]

Carson was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft as the second overall pick. He scored 37 goals as an 18-year-old rookie in the 1986–87 NHL season. In just his second NHL season he notched 55 goals, establishing himself as one of the sport's top young players and setting a single season NHL record for most goals by a United States-born player. The record was matched by Kevin Stevens in the 1992–93 NHL season, [1] At the end of his second season, Carson was part of the August 9, 1988, blockbuster trade that sent himself, Martin Gélinas, the Kings' three first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993, and $15 million cash to the Edmonton Oilers for Wayne Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski.

Carson demanded a trade out of Edmonton in November 1989. He was traded to his hometown of Detroit along with Kevin McClelland and a fifth-round draft pick for Adam Graves, Petr Klíma, Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples. These players were instrumental in helping Edmonton win their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years in 1990.

Carson later returned to Los Angeles in January 1993, following a trade for popular all-star defenseman Paul Coffey. He played with Gretzky and the Kings for parts of two seasons, but never regained the scoring touch he had early in his career. He later played for the Vancouver Canucks and the Hartford Whalers, where he ended his NHL career in 1996.

From 1996-1998 Carson played for his hometown Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. He was a member of the 1997 Turner Cup-winning team.

Carson represented the United States in the 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and the 1987 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Carson participated in the Red Wings versus Toronto Maple Leafs alumni game before the 2014 NHL Winter Classic at Comerica Park.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Carson is of Greek descent; his grandfather changed the family name from Kyriazopoulos to Carson upon immigrating to the United States.[4]

While still a player in the NHL, Carson began to prepare for a post-hockey career by earning certifications in financial planning in 1992. When his playing career ended, he joined Northwestern Mutual.[5]

Carson and his wife have four children and reside in the Metro Detroit area. They have three sons and one daughter.

Achievements[edit]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1983–84 Detroit Compuware Ambassadors MNHL 65 85 74 159
1984–85 Verdun Junior Canadiens QMJHL 68 44 72 116 16 14 9 17 26 12
1984–85 Verdun Junior Canadiens M-Cup 3 0 1 1 4
1985–86 Verdun Junior Canadiens QMJHL 69 70 83 153 46 5 2 6 8 0
1986–87 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 37 42 79 22 5 1 2 3 6
1987–88 Los Angeles Kings NHL 80 55 52 107 45 5 5 3 8 4
1988–89 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 49 51 100 36 7 2 1 3 6
1989–90 Edmonton Oilers NHL 4 1 2 3 0
1989–90 Detroit Red Wings NHL 44 20 16 36 8
1990–91 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 21 25 46 28 7 2 1 3 4
1991–92 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 34 35 69 30 11 2 3 5 0
1992–93 Detroit Red Wings NHL 52 25 26 51 18
1992–93 Los Angeles Kings NHL 34 12 10 22 14 18 5 4 9 2
1993–94 Los Angeles Kings NHL 25 4 7 11 2
1993–94 Vancouver Canucks NHL 34 10 7 17 22 2 0 1 1 0
1994–95 Hartford Whalers NHL 38 9 10 19 29
1995–96 Lausanne HC NDA 13 3 4 7 14
1995–96 Hartford Whalers NHL 11 1 0 1 0
1996–97 Detroit Vipers IHL 18 7 16 23 4 13 4 6 10 12
1997–98 Detroit Vipers IHL 49 10 28 38 34 9 3 4 7 6
NHL totals 626 275 286 561 254 55 17 15 32 22

International[edit]

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1986 United States WJC 7 4 1 5 0
1987 United States WC 10 2 3 5 4
Junior totals 7 4 1 5 0
Senior totals 10 2 3 5 4

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gave, Keith (2018). The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage. Gold Star Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 9781947165175. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  3. ^ "Jimmy Carson, Red Berenson among four additions to Red Wings alumni team for Winter Classic". 16 August 2012.
  4. ^ "The Trade at 25: Wayne Gretzky Oral History" by Adam Proteau. The Hockey News. Vol 67, Number SC. July, 2013
  5. ^ DiFranco, Michael (31 October 2009). "What Ever Happened to Jimmy Carson?". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  6. ^ Kreiser, John. "A look at some off-the-beaten-track NHL marks". nhl.com. Retrieved 4 June 2012.

External links[edit]

Preceded by Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick
1986
Succeeded by