| Gaétan Duchesne | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1962-07-11)July 11, 1962 Quebec City,Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died | April 16, 2007(2007-04-16) (aged 44) Quebec City, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Washington Capitals Quebec Nordiques Minnesota North Stars San Jose Sharks Florida Panthers | ||
| NHL draft | 152nd overall,1981 Washington Capitals | ||
| Playing career | 1982–1998 | ||
Gaétan Joseph Pierre Duchesne (July 11, 1962 – April 16, 2007) was aCanadian professionalice hockey player. He played with theWashington Capitals,Minnesota North Stars,San Jose Sharks andFlorida Panthers in theNational Hockey League (NHL). He retired in 1995, then returned in 1996 and became a player-coach with theQuebec Rafales of theInternational Hockey League and later after retiring again in 1998, an assistant coach with theQuebec Remparts of theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Duchesne was born inQuebec City,Quebec.[1] As a youth, he played in the 1974 and 1975Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with aminor ice hockey team from Quebec City.[2]
Duchesne played in theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with theQuebec Remparts. He scored 36 goals and 109 points in 120 games in the QMJHL.[3]
Duchesne was drafted by theWashington Capitals of theNational Hockey League (NHL) in the eighth round, 152nd overall, of the1981 NHL entry draft.[1][4][5] He made the Capitals roster out of his first training camp, but was later returned to his junior team.[6] He returned to the Capitals a few weeks later and became a keypenalty killer for the Capitals alongsideDoug Jarvis, only making one further appearance in the minors with theHershey Bears of theAmerican Hockey League.[4] He played six seasons with the Capitals. Duchesne was a part of a number of records for the Capitals franchise. Duchesne started the fastest three-goal sequence in Capitals history, with 39 seconds lapsing between his goal and goals byBob Carpenter andMike Gartner in a 9–2 rout of theEdmonton Oilers on February 5, 1984. He scored a second goal in that game.[7] He we the first scorer of the franchise's current record-fastest back-to-back goals, with only six seconds elapsing before a second goal was scored byMark Taylor in a 4–2 win over theChicago Black Hawks.[8] In his final year with the Capitals in1986–87, Duchesne set the franchise mark for the fastest goal to start a game with eight seconds, a mark matched byAlexander Semin in the2009–10 season.[9] He finished the season with 17 goals and 52 points.[10]
Duchesne was dealt to theQuebec Nordiques on June 13, 1987 along with forwardAlan Haworth and a first round pick in the1987 NHL entry draft for forwardDale Hunter and goaltenderClint Malarchuk. Though Washington's general manager,David Poile, did not want to give up Duchesne, a need for a goaltender after the departure ofBob Mason created an urgent need for the Capitals.[10] In the1988–89 season, Duchesne played well on a terrible team, posting an evenplus/minus rating while scoring eight goals and 29 points in 70 games.[11]
The Nordiques traded Duchesne toMinnesota North Stars on June 19, 1989 in exchange for forwardKevin Kaminski.[11] Duchesne helped guide them to their improbable appearance in the1991 Stanley Cup Finals. He scored an insurance goal onTom Barrasso in game three to help Minnesota take a 2–1 games lead over thePittsburgh Penguins.[12] However, the Penguins went on to defeat the North Stars four games to two and win theStanley Cup.[13] In his final season with Minnesota, he played in all 84 games, scoring 16 goals and 29 points.[14]
Considered one of the NHL's top defensive forwards, Duchesne was acquired by theSan Jose Sharks on June 20, 1993, for a sixth round pick in the1993 NHL entry draft.[14] In hisfirst season with the Sharks, Duchesne played as one of their top penalty killers.[15] The Sharks snuck into the1994 Stanley Cup playoffs and upset the league's top team, theDetroit Red Wings in the first round, with Duchesne as one of the team's leaders. The Sharks were eliminated from the playoffs by theToronto Maple Leafs in the following round.[16] Thefollowing season, Duchesne registered his 1,000th game in the NHL on February 26, 1995, the second player to do so in a Sharks jersey.[17] However, he was unhappy with the team, unable to come to terms on a new contract with the Sharks. At the season's trade deadline, he was dealt to theFlorida Panthers for a sixth round pick in the1995 NHL entry draft.[15] He retired at the end of the season.[1] In 1,028 NHL games, he scored 179 goals and 254 assists.[5]
He was retired for one year, then returned to play in theInternational Hockey League (IHL) with theQuebec Rafales as a player-coach. He played 69 games over two seasons in the IHL.[3]
Starting in 2008, the Capitals have awarded the Gaetan Duchesne Trophy to the best intra-squad team intraining campscrimmages.[3][18]
Duchesne was a player-assistant coach with the Quebec Rafales and an assistant coach with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL.[6]
Duchesne died of a heart attack at the age of 44 in Quebec City.[1][18]
In 2009, an arena inLes Saules, Quebec was renamed in his honour.[19]
His son,Jeremy Duchesne, is a former goaltending prospect for thePhiladelphia Flyers.[5]
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Ste-Foy Gouverneurs | QMAAA | 25 | 3 | 12 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 46 | 9 | 28 | 37 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 1980–81 | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 72 | 27 | 45 | 72 | 63 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1981–82 | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 74 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 77 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1982–83 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 79 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 29 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1984–85 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 67 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 1985–86 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 39 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 1986–87 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 74 | 17 | 35 | 52 | 53 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1987–88 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 80 | 24 | 23 | 47 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 70 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 72 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1990–91 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 68 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 34 | ||
| 1991–92 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 73 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 102 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1992–93 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 84 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 84 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 12 | ||
| 1994–95 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 33 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,028 | 179 | 254 | 433 | 617 | 84 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 97 | ||||