Ciccarelli was one of the NHLís top offensive players during his 19 seasons in the League despite being undrafted and considered undersized (5-foot-10, 185 pounds).
The native of Sarnia, Ontario, was a scoring star with London of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, including a league-best 72 goals in 68 games as a 17-year-old in 1977-78. But an injury limited him to 30 games in 1978-79, and the Minnesota North Stars signed him as a free agent on Sept. 28, 1979.
Ciccarelli was one of the NHLís top offensive players during his 19 seasons in the League despite being undrafted and considered undersized (5-foot-10, 185 pounds).
The native of Sarnia, Ontario, was a scoring star with London of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, including a league-best 72 goals in 68 games as a 17-year-old in 1977-78. But an injury limited him to 30 games in 1978-79, and the Minnesota North Stars signed him as a free agent on Sept. 28, 1979.
Minnesota sent him back to London, where he had 103 points (53 points, 50 assists) in 1979-80. He began the 1980-81 season with Oklahoma City of the Central Hockey League before making his NHL debut on Dec. 13, 1980. Ciccarelli had 30 points (18 goals, 12 assists) in 32 regular-season games for Minnesota, then took his play to a record-setting level during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping the North Stars reach the Cup Final, where they lost to the New York Islanders. His 14 goals are still the most by a rookie in one NHL playoff year; his 21 points set a record thatís been equaled by Ville Leino of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and Jake Guentzel of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.
The 1981-82 season was Ciccarelli's best in the NHL, with 106 points (55 goals, 51 assists). He scored at least 30 goals seven times in nine seasons with the North Stars, including 52 in 1986-87.
Ciccarelli was traded to the Washington Capitals on March 7, 1989. He scored 12 goals in 11 games to finish the season with 44, then had 41 goals in 80 games in 1989-90.
From 1981-82 through 1989-90, Ciccarelli scored at least 30 goals eight times in nine seasons and had at least 40 goals six times. His 367 goals during that span were fifth among all players, behind Wayne Gretzky (571), Jari Kurri (442), Michel Goulet (406) and Dale Hawerchuk (379).
Ciccarelli had nine points (five goals, four assists) in seven games in the 1992 playoffs; however, the Capitals lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Patrick Division Semifinals and he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings on June 20, 1992. He had his seventh 40-goal season in 1992-93 and scored his 500th NHL goal on Jan. 8, 1994.
Though Ciccarelli helped the Red Wings reach the 1995 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils, he dropped to 22 goals in 1995-96 and was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Aug. 27, 1996. The Lightning traded him to the Florida Panthers on Jan. 15, 1998, and he became the ninth player in NHL history to score 600 goals on Feb. 3, 1998.
He retired after the 1998-99 season with 1,200 points (608 goals, 592 assists) in 1,232 games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
Ciccarelli is one of 17 players in NHL history with 600 goals, 1,200 points and 1,200 games played, and the only one who was undrafted.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- OMJHL Second All-Star Team (1978)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1982, 1983, 1989, 1997)
- Signed as a free agent by Minnesota, September 28, 1979.
- Traded to Washington by Minnesota with Bob Rouse for Mike Gartner and Larry Murphy, March 7, 1989.
- Traded to Detroit by Washington for Kevin Miller, June 20, 1992.
- Traded to Tampa Bay by Detroit for Tampa Bay's 4th round pick (later traded to Toronto, Toronto selected Alexei Ponikarovsky) in 1998 NHL Draft, August 27, 1996.
- Traded to Florida by Tampa Bay with Jeff Norton for Mark Fitzpatrick and Jody Hull, January 15, 1998.
- Officially announced retirement, August 31, 1999.