Craig Muni

After the Calgary Flames eliminated the Oilers in the 1986, coach and general manager Glen Sather swore that he would help improve the team’s defence. Known for their offensive skills, Edmonton lacked on the blue line, and other teams knew the defensive core was exploitable.

Instead of going after a proven veteran to shore up the defence, Sather signed Craig Muni; a player who had played a total of only 19 NHL games over the previous five seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Despite his inexperience, Sather saw something in Muni that the Toronto brass did not, and the payoffs were immediate. In 1986-87, Muni helped provide the defensive stability the Oilers needed to recapture the Cup, and he finished the season with an impressive +45 rating.

While he was never a real scoring threat, Muni was the quintessential stay-at-home defenceman (his career best was the 29 points he earned in his first Oilers season). He also had a reputation of having one of the hardest hip checks in all of hockey. If a forward sauntered across the Oilers’ blue line, Muni would not hesitate to flip him head over heels.

Muni won three Cups with the Oilers. From his first season with the team to the 1990-91 campaign, he boasted an outstanding composite plus/minus rating of +163. He remained with the Oilers until 1991-92, and then moved on to the Chicago Blackhawks. He would remain in the League until 1997-98, where he completed his careers with the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars.
 

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