Craig Simpson

Born in London, Ontario, on February 15, 1967, Craig Simpson played key roles in two Oiler Cup wins.

Simpson is also one-half of the answer to a unique trivia question. He and Dave Andreychuk are the only two players in NHL history to score 50 goals while playing for two teams.

In the 1987-88 season, Simpson scored 13 goals in his first 21 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then, in a major move, the Penguins traded him to Edmonton in a deal that would bring disgruntled All-Star defenceman Paul Coffey to the Steel City.

As an Oiler, Simpson flourished, scoring 43 more goals before the end of the season, and giving him 56 on the year. Simpson finally realized the potential the scouts had seen when he registered 84 points in 42 games for the Michigan State University Spartans in 1984-85.

When he arrived in Edmonton, Simpson admitted he was in awe of his teammates, despite playing with Mario Lemieux in Pittsburg.

"I remember being amazed when I walked into Edmonton’s dressing room for the first time," said Simpson. "I was a 20-year-old kid who had just been traded from Pittsburgh, and to see Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky was just an amazing feeling to have."

The year of his arrival Simpson and the Oilers finished the season as Stanley Cup champs.

Simpson stayed with the Oilers until 1993, winning another Cup with the team in 1990. In 419 career Oiler games, he registered 365 points before joining the Buffalo Sabres.

Unfortunately, the punishment and cross-checks Simpson received from NHL defencemen took their toll; chronic back injuries forced him to retire after playing just 46 regular-season games over two seasons with the Sabres. At the age of 28, Simpson realized that his body could no longer take the punishment that comes with being an NHL player.

Although no longer a player, Simpson never strayed far from the game. He made the transition from player to broadcaster.  While covering the 1997 Edmonton-Dallas playoff series for Fox Sports, he realized that he wanted to return to the city where he enjoyed the best times of his hockey-playing career. When he heard the crowd’s raucous "Let’s Go, Oilers!" chants before the puck had dropped to begin Game 6, chills went up his spine.

"That series, I saw it from a new perspective, a non-player perspective," recalled Simpson. "I think that seeing the fans and this city rally for the Oilers was a great thing. I think that for a long time, the City of Edmonton took it for granted that the team would always be here and it would always be good. When they realized it might not always be like that, they rallied and showed their support."

When the Canadian Television Network began the Sportsnet specialty network, Simpson decided to move back to Edmonton and broadcast Oilers’ games. Prior to 2003, he had two roles with the club; he was Rogers Sportsnet’s colour commentator for Oilers' games and headed the Oilers’ Alumni. In the summer of 2003, Simpson changed roles again, as he accepted a new post as an assistant coach with the hockey club.

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