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| 1981 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Greg Stefan
Selected in seventh round
No. 128 overall by Detroit Red Wings
Born
February 11, 1961
 | Position:
Goaltender
Height: 5-11 Weight: 175
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Oshawa (OMJHL)
Birthplace: Brantford, Ontario (Canada)
Hometown:
Brantford, Ontario |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | W-L-T |
GAA | SO |
SV% | | 1977-78 |
Seneca | Jr. B |
17 | n/a |
5.37 | 0 |
n/a | | 1978-79 |
Oshawa | OMJHL |
33 | n/a |
4.88 | 0 |
n/a | | 1979-80 |
Oshawa | OMJHL |
17 | 8-06-0 |
3.88 | 0 |
n/a | | 1980-81 |
Oshawa | OMJHL |
46 | 23-13-3 |
4.34 | 0 |
n/a |
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PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Not selected in 1980 NHL
Entry Draft, despite being eligible. ... Was Oshawa's fifth pick in 1978
OMJHL midget draft. ... Suspended six games by OHL during 1980-81 season for
breaking his stick over Bart Wilson's shoulder in one of Oshawa's March 1981
games vs. Toronto. ... Childhood friend and teammate of Wayne Gretzky, born
just a few weeks before Stefan in Brantford, Ontario. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: March 24, 1982 (Detroit at Chicago)
Numbers: 29, 30 (Detroit)
Stanley
Cup: Never won. Playing Status: Retired 1991 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS |
| Years | Teams |
GP |
W-L-T | GAA |
SO | SV% |
| 1982-1989 |
Detroit | 299 |
115-127-30 | 3.92 |
5 | n/a |
| | CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS |
| Years | Teams |
GP | W-L |
GAA |
SO | SV% |
| 1984-1989 |
Detroit | 30 |
12-17 | 3.53 | 1 |
.875 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
NHL Playoffs Shutouts Leader: 1988 (Detroit) (1 shutout, tie)
Broadcasting Career: Was Detroit TV studio
analyst in 1999-00.
Scouting Career: Named Carolina pro scout on July 19, 2005, and
remained in that position through 2006-07 season.
Coaching Career: Named Carolina goaltending coach on July 19, 2005,
and remained in that position through 2006-07 season.
Miscellaneous: Missed parts of 1983-84 season with groin
injury, suffered during Detroit's Nov. 19, 1983, game at Toronto, and with
stomach flu, contracted in February 1984. ... Named NHL co-Player of Week
for week ending Jan. 29, 1984. ... Missed part of 1984-85 season with
strained left shoulder, an injury suffered during Detroit's Jan. 5, 1985,
game vs. Los Angeles. He did not return to action until Detroit's Feb. 16,
1985, game vs. Chicago. ... Missed part of 1985-86 season with strained
muscle in lower back, an injury suffered during Detroit's Jan. 7, 1986, game
at Washington. He did not return to action until Detroit's Feb. 18, 1986,
game at St. Louis. ... Missed remainder of 1985-86 season with dislocated
left thumb, an injury suffered when he jammed his catching glove against the
goalpost during Detroit's March 20, 1986, game vs. St. Louis. ... Named NHL
Player of Week for week ending Jan. 4, 1987. ... Missed parts of 1986-87
season with strained left knee, an injury suffered during Detroit's Jan. 21,
1987, game vs. N.Y. Islanders, and with groin injury, suffered during
Detroit's March 5, 1987, game vs. Minnesota. ... Missed part of 1987-88
season with sprained ligaments in lower left leg, an injury suffered during
Detroit's Jan. 6, 1988, game vs. St. Louis. He did not return to action
until Detroit's March 6, 1988, game at Chicago. ... Missed part of 1988
playoffs with strained neck, an injury suffered when he was hit by Craig
Simpson during Game 2 of Detroit's Campbell Conference finals series at
Edmonton on May 5, 1988. ... Missed parts of 1988-89 season with back
injury. He initially suffered the injury during Detroit's Dec. 13, 1988,
game vs. Minnesota. He re-aggravated the injury during Detroit's Dec. 20,
1988, game vs. St. Louis and then again during Detroit's Jan. 30, 1989, game
vs. Quebec. He did not return to action for good until Detroit's Feb. 19,
1989, game at Buffalo. . ... Missed part of 1989-90 season with back spasms,
an injury suffered during Detroit's practice on Oct. 6, 1989. ... Released
by Detroit on April 21, 1991, due to chronic knee problems. He chose to
retire at that time.
Stefan's Suspensions:
During his NHL career, Stefan had a tendency to lose his temper on the ice.
This resulted in two major suspensions. The more dramatic of these saw
Stefan suspended by the NHL for the first eight games of 1985-86 season
for swinging his stick at Al Secord in Game 3 (final game) of Detroit's
first-round playoff series vs. Chicago on April 13, 1985. The incident took
place late in the game, as time ran out on Detroit's season. Stefan and
Secord had clashed briefly in the goal crease, which didn't sit well with
Stefan or defenseman Greg Smith, who was trying to push Secord away from the
crease. While Smith and Secord were entangled, Stefan came out of the net to
swat his stick at Secord. Referee Ron Fournier gave Stefan a five-minute
match penalty, prompting a mandatory NHL review. The suspension was
announced in May 1985, after a hearing. Stefan had argued that Chicago
players were threatening in the press to run interference in his crease and
were deliberately targeting him. He also said Secord had sucker-punched him
in the crease, causing him to lose self-control. Even after sitting out the
first eight games of the 1985-86 season, Stefan wasn't afraid to risk
suspension again. In the second of his two major punishments, Stefan was
suspended six games by NHL during the 1985-86 season for another late-game
display of fury in Detroit's Dec. 4, 1985, game at Pittsburgh. The incident
took place with 11 seconds remaining in the final period, when Stefan
smacked his stick against the back of Dan Frawley's head. That led to more
stick-swinging between Stefan and Frawley. Stefan was given a five-minute
major for high-sticking as well as a 10-minute misconduct. Stefan argued
that Pittsburgh's Craig Simpson had hit him while Stefan was playing the
puck in the corner. He said that Frawley had then slashed him as he was
returning to the net. Again, Stefan believed opposing players were targeting
him in the hope that he would erupt. The Penguins sent a tape of the
incident to the NHL, and after reviewing the tape, league officials sided
with the Penguins and punished Stefan with another harsh suspension for
being a repeat offender. The suspension was announced on Dec. 20, 1985, and
Stefan did not return to action until Detroit's Dec. 31, 1985, game vs. N.Y.
Islanders.
Career-Ending Knee Woes: Stefan's career would end
prematurely at age 29 due to a series of knee problems stemming from an
injury suffered in late November 1989. Stefan missed the remainder of
1989-90 season with damaged ligaments in his right knee, an injury suffered
at 8:50 of the first period during Detroit's Nov. 27, 1989, game vs.
Edmonton. Despite Stefan's January 1990 effort to play in the minor leagues,
the injury required surgery on March 6, 1990. Stefan reported to Detroit's
1990 training camp, but needed additional knee surgery to repair ligament
damage on Sept. 27, 1990. He was not ready to begin his 1990-91 season until
February 1991, and he went on a conditioning assignment at Adirondack (AHL)
in the hope of making it back to the NHL. But in his second AHL game, at
Utica on Feb.
22, 1991, Stefan sprained his left knee. This injury would also require
surgery, but on Feb. 26, 1991, Stefan announced that he would not allow
surgery to be performed on his left knee. He thus issued a de facto
retirement statement, which Detroit made official upon his release. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Adirondack (AHL)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Brantford
Sports Hall of Fame: Inducted 1992
Coaching Career: Named Detroit (OHL) assistant coach prior to 1994-95
season, relocated with team to Plymouth prior to 1997-98 season and remained
in that position through 1998-99 season. ... Named Plymouth (OHL) assistant
coach prior to 2003-04 season and remained in that position until July 19,
2005.
Management Career: Named
Plymouth (OHL) director of player personnel prior to 2001-02 season and held
post until July 19, 2005.
Miscellaneous: Sent to Adirondack (AHL) on Oct. 31, 1989, for
three-game conditioning stint as he recovered from back spasms. ... Sent to
Adirondack (AHL) for conditioning stint as he recovered from knee injury on
Jan. 24, 1990, but re-injured knee in first period of Adirondack's Jan. 25,
1990, game vs. Sherbrooke in Montreal. ... Was active in charitable causes
during his playing days, founding annual Detroit celebrity golf tournament
in 1985 to benefit victims of child abuse at Children's Center of Detroit.
... Went into sports management business after his retirement, working for Premier Sports Management
until he became a coach in 1994. ... An outstanding golfer, he
played in the 1994 U.S. Mid-Amateur tournament and finished in the top eight
at the 1994 Michigan State Amateur. ... Once shot a 68 at Grand Traverse
Resort in Michigan. ... Joined the Celebrity Players Tour in 1999 after his
retirement from coaching. He had two top-10 finishes in 1999 and five top-20
finishes in 2002, placing third at the 2002 Las Vegas Celebrity Classic. ...
Also coached his son's youth hockey teams, leading Farmington Hills to 2003
Michigan Bantam AA title.
Personal: Full name is Gregory Steven Stefan. ... Younger brother of
former European hockey player Gary Stefan, a member of the British Ice
Hockey Hall of Fame. |
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SNAPSHOT '81 | | Total Selected: |
211 | | Forwards: |
119 | | Defense: |
67 | | Goaltenders: |
25 | | Major Junior: |
122 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
10/4 | | College Players: |
21 | | High School: |
18 |
| Canadian: |
139 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
37 | | U.S.-Born: |
36 |
| European: |
32 |
| Reached NHL: |
114 |
| Stanley Cup: |
17 | | Hall of Fame: |
2 |
| All-Star Game: |
14 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
30 |
| Picks Traded: |
38 |
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