Vernon's NHL accomplishments belie his small (5-foot-9, 175 pounds) stature. He's a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winner of the Conn Smythe and Jennings trophies, and an NHL Second-Team All-Star in 1988-89 who retired after 19 seasons with 389 victories.

The Calgary native was selected by the hometown Calgary Flames in the third round (No. 56) of the 1981 NHL Draft. Vernon made his NHL debut as a 19-year-old on Dec. 12, 1982, but it wasn't until 1985-86 that he began to see regular playing time with the Flames. After going 9-3 with three ties during the regular season, Vernon became the Flames' starter during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and helped them reach the Final for the first time, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.

Vernon became the starter in 1986-87, winning at least 30 games in each of the next three seasons. He led the NHL with 37 victories in 1988-89 and was second with a 2.66 goals-against average (minimum 40 games) behind Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens (2.47), then earned all 16 wins in Calgary's run to its first Stanley Cup championship.

He remained the No. 1 goalie in Calgary until being traded to the Detroit Red Wings on June 29, 1994.

Vernon and Chris Osgood teamed to help the Red Wings reach the 1995 Stanley Cup Final and set an NHL record with 62 victories in 1995-96. Osgood got the lion's share of playing time during the 1996-97 season, but he struggled late in the season and coach Scotty Bowman turned to Vernon as Detroit's starter in the playoffs. Vernon went 16-4 with a 1.76 GAA, helping the Red Wings win the Cup for the first time since 1955. He was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

However, the Red Wings faced the possibility of losing a goalie in the waiver draft, so they traded Vernon to the San Jose Sharks on Aug. 18, 1997. Vernon helped the Sharks qualify for the playoffs in 1998 and 1999 but was traded to the Florida Panthers on Dec. 30, 1999.

Vernon went 18-13 with two ties after joining the Panthers, helping them qualify for the playoffs, then returned to the Flames for his final two seasons before retiring in 2002. He finished 385-274 with 92 ties, a 2.98 GAA, .889 save percentage and 27 shutouts. In the playoffs, he was 77-56 with a 2.68 GAA,.896 save percentage and six shutouts.

The Flames retired his No. 30 on Feb. 6, 2007.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• WHL First All-Star Team (1982, 1983)
• WHL Goaltender of the Year (1982, 1983)
• WHL Player of the Year (1982, 1983)
• Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup Top Goaltender) (1983)
• CHL Second All-Star Team (1984)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (1989)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993)
• Traded to Detroit by Calgary for Steve Chiasson, June 29, 1994.
• Traded to San Jose by Detroit with Detroit's 5th round pick (later traded back to Detroit, Detroit selected Andrei Maximenko) in 1999 NHL Draft for San Jose's 2nd round pick (later traded to St. Louis, St. Louis selected Maxim Linnik) in 1998 NHL Draft and San Jose's 2nd round pick (later traded to Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay selected Sheldon Keefe) in 1999 NHL Draft, August 18, 1997.
• Traded to Florida by San Jose with San Jose's 3rd round pick (Sean O'Connor) in 2000 NHL Draft for Radek Dvorak, December 30, 1999.
• Claimed by Minnesota from Florida in Expansion Draft, June 23, 2000.
• Traded to Calgary by Minnesota for Calgary's 8th round pick (Jake Riddle) in 2001 NHL Draft and the rights to Dan Cavanaugh, June 23, 2000.
• Officially announced retirement, September 13, 2002.