Doug Weight—Stars and Stripes In The Great White North

No American hockey player was as warmly adored by the city’s residents as former Oilers’ captain Doug Weight.

In seven of the eight full seasons he spent with the Oilers, Weight led the team in scoring. In 1995-96, he registered a 104-point season, making him the last Oiler to break the 100-point barrier. Weight would go on to register 577 points in 588 games as an Oiler. He was the team’s top playmaker of the 1990, producing 420 assists of his 577 points. Weight also has the ability to raise his teammates’ level of play with his precise passing and smart puck distribution.  NHL players also know him as a fiery competitor, who would always be the first to talk to the media after tough losses or hard-earned wins.

"You have to get to the point where you are complimenting your linemates’ style of play," said Weight. "As a player, you have to know where you are going to be on the ice in certain situations and what are the strong points of each others’ games. It’s a matter of knowing what kind of styles your linemates play, and being able to utilize those styles to the fullest."

Born in Warren, Michigan, on January 21, 1971, Weight made a name for himself as a minor hockey player in his home state. Located close to the Canadian border, Weight attracted the attention of scouts in Ontario and was courted by the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. But Weight chose to pursue a college career instead and went on to be one of the top players in the history of Lake Superior State University, registering an amazing 144 points in just 88 games.

Weight was drafted by the New York Rangers, and in his first two seasons in the NHL, he earned 70 points in 118 games from 1991-1993. But, Rangers general manager Neil Smith wanted veterans on his high-priced New York squad, and he thought Oilers’ forward Esa Tikkanen would be a better fit for his club. Oilers’ general manager jumped at the chance to acquire Weight. On March 17, 1993, Weight arrived in Edmonton, playing the team’s final 13 games of the 1992-93 season.

More highlights were to come in his career. Weight won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1996 World Cup, and the 1998 and 2002 Olympics.

When  the Atlanta Thrashers selected Kelly Buchberger off the Oilers’ roster in the 1999 expansion draft, Weight was the obvious choice as the new captain. No other player took more responsibility for the regular difficulties of the Oilers than Weight.

In 2001, worried that Weight would be looking at a new contract in the excess of $6-million USD per year, general manager Kevin Lowe traded his captain to St. Louis. Weight has not lost his star value as a member of the Blues, but he still awaits his chance to hold the Stanley Cup.

"I think when you look back on a hockey career, the greatest satisfaction comes from winning, and winning the Stanley Cup is something I haven’t done yet, so hopefully the best moments are still to come," he said. "Winning is important, like what happened in the World Cup, where I got the chance to play against the best in the world and was part of that American team that won the championship by showing a lot of grit and winning two out of three against Canada and to do that in Montreal was very special."

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