| Corey Hirsch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Hirsch in 2021 | |||
| Born | (1972-07-01)July 1, 1972 (age 52) Medicine Hat,Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Goalie | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | New York Rangers Vancouver Canucks Washington Capitals Dallas Stars | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 169th overall,1991 New York Rangers | ||
| Playing career | 1992–2006 | ||
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Canada | ||
| Men'sice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1994 Lillehammer | Ice Hockey |
| World Championships | ||
 | 1995 Sweden | Ice hockey |
Corey Hirsch (born July 1, 1972) is a Canadian former professionalice hockeygoaltender. He spent the majority of hisNational Hockey League career with theVancouver Canucks. He is also the former goaltending coach for theSt. Louis Blues, having previously served theToronto Maple Leafs along withFrançois Allaire.
Hirsch is tied withTyson Sexsmith for most wins in theWestern Hockey League's history, with 120.
Born inMedicine Hat,Alberta, Hirsch playedmajor junior hockey with theKamloops Blazers of theWestern Hockey League for four seasons. He was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team in his second season with Kamloops, in which the team won the President's Cup (now theEd Chynoweth Cup) and advanced to the1990 Memorial Cup inHamilton, Ontario, where the Blazers placed third. Hirsch was subsequently chosen 169th overall in the1991 NHL Entry Draft by theNew York Rangers.
Upon being drafted, Hirsch led the league in shutouts, with 5, and goals against average with 2.72 in1991–92, he was namedCHL Goaltender of the Year and theDel Wilson Trophy as the WHL Goaltender of the Year. As the Blazers again captured President's Cup in 1992, they advanced to theMemorial Cup inSeattle and defeated theSault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5–4 in the final. Hirsch was additionally awarded theHap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament's top goaltender.
In1992–93, his first professional season, he played for theBinghamton Rangers, New York'sAHL affiliate, and won theAldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league's top goalie.[1] At 2.79, he was also awarded theHarry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for the lowest goals-against-average (shared with goaltending teammateBoris Rousson).
Hirsch started his first NHL game that season, a 2–2 tie against theDetroit Red Wings on January 19, 1993. He recorded his first win on his next start, an 8–3 victory over theLos Angeles Kings on January 23.[2]
At the1994 Winter Olympics inLillehammer, Norway, Hirsch played all eight games forCanada and won a silver medal after losing in a shootout toSweden in the gold medal game. The shootout-winning goal byPeter Forsberg was depicted on a Swedish postage stamp, featuring the image of a generic goalie because Hirsch refused to allow his likeness to be used.
Hirsch remained with Binghamton for three seasons until New York traded him to theVancouver Canucks on April 7, 1995, in exchange for forwardNathan LaFayette.[2]
Hirsch split goaltending duties withKirk McLean in1995–96 and was named to the All-Rookie Team after posting a 2.93 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and a winning 17–14–6 record. He also finished fifth inCalder Memorial Trophy voting (won byDaniel Alfredsson). During the season, he recorded his first career NHL shutout on January 15, 1996, a 6–0 win against theBoston Bruins.[2]
On July 2, 1999, he was waived by the Canucks[2] and for the next few seasons, would bounce around the league between theNashville Predators,Mighty Ducks of Anaheim,Washington Capitals, andDallas Stars. Playing for minor league affiliates, he only appeared in a handful of NHL games for the remainder of his career. In2002–03, he recorded AHL career highs with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 35 games with theUtah Grizzlies.
Before retiring, Hirsch played three seasons overseas in the SwedishElitserien, and the GermanDeutsche Eishockey Liga.
After retiring, Hirsch became a goaltending consultant forHockey Canada. He worked with thenational junior team as part of the2007 and2008 World Junior gold medal winning teams.[3]
On September 9, 2008, theToronto Maple Leafs announced they had hired Hirsch as their goaltending coach.[3]
On June 18, 2010, theSt. Louis Blues announced they had hired Hirsch as their goaltending coach.
On May 7, 2014, the St. Louis Blues relieved Hirsch of his coaching duties.[4]
In 2015, Hirsch joined theNHL on Sportsnet as a freelance TV analyst.[5]
Hirsch is a divorcee after 15 years of marriage, with three children.[5] In the summer of 2015, Hirsch's son Hayden, who is a forward, attended hockey training camp with his father's old junior team, the Kamloops Blazers, but didn't make the regular season roster.[6] Hirsch has struggled with severeanxiety andObsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for much of his life, and described his struggle in aPlayer's Tribune article on February 15, 2017 and a video for theCanucks'Hockey Talks initiative.[7] He has since become an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and ending the stigma associated with mental illness. He elaborated further about his mental health challenges in his autobiography, "The Save of My Life: My Journey Out of the Dark", which was written in collaboration with Sean Patrick Conboy and published in 2022. Hirsch also co-hosts a podcast with psychiatrist Dr. Diane McIntosh called "Blindsided", featuring athletes talking about mental health.[8]
Major Junior
Professional
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1987–88 | Calgary Canucks | AJHL | 32 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 1538 | 91 | 1 | 3.55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 32 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 1516 | 106 | 2 | 4.20 | — | 5 | 3 | 2 | 245 | 19 | 0 | 4.65 | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 63 | 48 | 13 | 0 | 3608 | 230 | 3 | 3.82 | — | 17 | 14 | 3 | 1043 | 60 | 0 | 3.45 | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Kamloops Blazers | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 191 | 18 | 0 | 5.65 | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 38 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 1970 | 100 | 3 | 3.05 | — | 11 | 5 | 6 | 623 | 42 | 0 | 4.04 | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 48 | 35 | 10 | 2 | 2732 | 124 | 5 | 2.72 | — | 16 | 11 | 5 | 954 | 35 | 2 | 2.20 | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Kamloops Blazers | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | 300 | 13 | 1 | 2.60 | — | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Rangers | NHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 224 | 14 | 0 | 3.75 | .879 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 46 | 35 | 4 | 5 | 2692 | 125 | 1 | 2.79 | — | 14 | 7 | 7 | 831 | 46 | 0 | 3.32 | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Canada | Intl. | 45 | 24 | 17 | 3 | 2653 | 124 | 0 | 2.80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 610 | 38 | 0 | 3.74 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Binghamton Rangers | AHL | 57 | 31 | 20 | 5 | 3371 | 175 | 0 | 3.11 | .894 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 41 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 2338 | 114 | 1 | 2.93 | .903 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 338 | 21 | 0 | 3.73 | .873 | ||
| 1996–97 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 39 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 2127 | 116 | 2 | 3.27 | .894 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 6.00 | .853 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 60 | 30 | 22 | 6 | 3512 | 187 | 1 | 3.19 | .902 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 297 | 10 | 1 | 2.02 | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 20 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 919 | 48 | 1 | 3.13 | .890 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 300 | 14 | 0 | 2.80 | .909 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 19 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1098 | 49 | 0 | 2.68 | .891 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Utah Grizzlies | IHL | 17 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 937 | 42 | 3 | 2.69 | .914 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 4 | 0 | 1.98 | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 199 | 19 | 0 | 5.73 | .862 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Cincinnati Cyclones | IHL | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 783 | 28 | 1 | 2.15 | .935 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 36 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 2142 | 104 | 1 | 2.91 | .912 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 118 | 7 | 0 | 3.56 | .915 | ||
| 2001–02 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 23 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 1395 | 62 | 1 | 2.67 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 299 | 14 | 1 | 2.81 | .883 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 97 | 4 | 0 | 2.47 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Utah Grizzlies | AHL | 35 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 1953 | 86 | 0 | 2.64 | .921 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 5.00 | .904 | ||
| 2003–04 | Timrå IK | SEL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 312 | 11 | 1 | 1.73 | .932 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 364 | 11 | 0 | 1.81 | .934 | ||
| 2004–05 | Kassel Huskies | DEL | 12 | — | — | — | 695 | 31 | 0 | 2.68 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 281 | 142 | 105 | 26 | 16,473 | 824 | 5 | 3.00 | — | 22 | 9 | 13 | 1306 | 68 | 1 | 3.12 | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 108 | 34 | 45 | 14 | 5775 | 301 | 4 | 3.13 | .896 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 338 | 21 | 0 | 3.73 | .873 | ||||
| IHL totals | 49 | 29 | 15 | 2 | 2818 | 119 | 4 | 2.53 | .913 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 4 | 0 | 1.98 | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Canada | OG | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 495 | 18 | 0 | 2.18 | |
| 1995 | Canada | WC | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 488 | 21 | 0 | 2.58 | |
| Senior totals | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 983 | 39 | 0 | 2.38 | |||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award 1992–93 | Succeeded by |