Wilson Set to be Inducted to Hockey Hall of Fame
He becomes the sixth San Jose Sharks player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: Igor Larionov (2008), Ed Belfour (2011), Rob Blake (2014), Sergei Makarov (2016) and Teemu Selanne (2017).
In 1,024 NHL regular-season games with the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, Wilson established himself as one of the most dynamic defensemen to ever play the game. Amongst all-time NHL defensemen, Wilson ranks 12th in goals (237), 15th in points (827) and 18th in assists (590). In addition, he holds the fourth-highest single-season record for goals by a defenseman (39, in 1981-82), is tied for tenth among defensemen for most points-per-game (.81, min. 500 games), and 11th for most career shots (3,296).
In 1982, Wilson captured the James Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman and was named First Team NHL All-Star after posting 85 points (39 goals, 46 assists) in 76 games, leading all defensemen in goals. He finished in the Top-5 in Norris Trophy voting three other times. Wilson was selected to the NHL All-Star Game eight times and named as a Second Team NHL All-Star in 1985 and 1990.
Between 1979-1991, Wilson's 719 points for a defenseman ranked only behind fellow Hockey Hall of Famers Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque.
Wilson began his illustrious career in hockey after being selected sixth overall by the Blackhawks in the 1977 NHL Draft. The stalwart blueliner appeared in 938 NHL games with Chicago from 1977-1991, amassing 779 points (225 goals, 554 assists) with a plus-121 rating.
On the Blackhawks franchise all-time lists, Wilson ranks ninth in games played, seventh in points, fourth in assists and 15th in goals. Among Blackhawks franchise defensemen, he ranks first in goals, points, assists, points-per-game (.83, minimum 300 games), and fourth in games played.
Wilson also appeared in 95 Stanley Cup Playoff games with Chicago, scoring 80 points (19 goals, 61 assists) with a plus-11 rating and a .84 points-per-game average. He ranks first in points-per-game, second in assists and points, tied for second in goals, and seventh in games played among franchise defensemen in the postseason.
Acquired by the Sharks just prior to the team's inaugural season in 1991, Wilson brought instant credibility and respect to the young franchise. He played two seasons for the Sharks, serving as the organization's first captain and scored 48 points (12 goals, 36 assists) in 86 games. He was the team's first representative in the NHL All-Star Game (1991-92) and played in his NHL-milestone 1,000th game on Nov. 21, 1992, becoming the 77th player in League history to accomplish the feat. Additionally, he was named the Sharks nominee for the King Clancy Award twice (1992 and 1993), presented for leadership and humanitarian contributions both on-and-of the ice.
Wilson announced his retirement as a player from hockey prior to the 1993-94 season.
Internationally, Wilson represented Team Canada in the 1984 Canada Cup, capturing a Gold Medal, and at the Rendezvous '87 against the Soviet Union.
Following four years as a management consultant for Canada's entries in the 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 World Junior Championship tournaments - resulting in four consecutive gold medal finishes - Wilson re-joined the San Jose Sharks organization in 1997-98 as director of pro-development.
On May 13, 2003, Wilson was named as the Sharks general manager and has strategically built the Sharks into one of the National Hockey League's elite franchises through strong drafting, shrewd trades and timely free-agent signings. Since being named to his position, no NHL team has won more regular season games (738) or accumulated more standings points (1,631) than the Sharks, and the team has appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 14 of those 17 seasons, including ten straight (2004-2014).
Additionally, only the Pittsburgh Penguins have appeared in more Stanley Cup Playoff rounds (31) since 2003-04 (Sharks have 30). Under Wilson's guidance, the Sharks have captured the Presidents' Trophy (2009), five Pacific Division titles (2004, 2008-11), advanced to the Western Conference Finals on five occasions (2004, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019) and made one Stanley Cup Final appearance (2016).
During his tenure as general manager, Wilson has ascended the NHL's all-time lists. On Jan. 26, 2017, Wilson joined an elite club, becoming only the fourth individual to play in 1,000 NHL hockey games and to serve as a general manager of an NHL club for at least 1,000 games. At the time, the only others to have accomplished the feat were fellow Hockey Hall of Famers Bobby Clarke, Bob Gainey and Bob Pulford (since then also accomplished by Bob Murray). On Oct. 8, 2019, he served his 1,200th game as general manager and five days later, surpassed Conn Smythe (682) for 19th on the NHL's all-time wins list. He achieved his 700th win on Jan. 4, 2020, and currently sits 16th on the all-time general manager wins list (738). Wilson ranks ninth on the NHL's all-time list among general managers for most wins with one franchise and is one of two active NHL general managers to have served at least 1,200 games with their current NHL Club (David Poile with Nashville).
Wilson is also a member of three regional Sports Halls of Fame; Ottawa (inducted Oct. 1998), Chicago (inducted Sept. 1999), and San Jose (inducted Nov. 2016). The Ottawa 67s also honored his stellar career by retiring his No. 7 sweater.
