Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website

Jeff Beukeboom must have wondered how long it would take him to get his name on the Cup. Drafted by the Oilers in 1983, he was a first-round player from the same Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds that had produced a player named Gretzky.

A rugged defenceman never afraid to drop the gloves, Beukeboom remained with the Greyhounds while the Oilers won Cups in 1984 and 1985. He finally made his debut in pro hockey in 1985-86, but was called up to the Oilers for only one playoff game, playing the rest of the season with the team’s minor-league affiliate in Nova Scotia. Finally, in 1986-87, Beukeboom was called up to the Oilers, playing in 44 games. He did not play at all during the team’s Cup-winning playoff run, but because he had played over the required minimum of 41 regular-season games with the Cup-winning club, he had his name engraved on the trophy for the first time.

Beukeboom would make 1987-88 his breakthrough year. He played in 73 games, earned 25 points, pounded out 201 penalty minutes and showed that he was more than a responsible player in his own end, finishing with a +27 rating. He would play seven playoff games and engrave his name on the Cup again. Beukeboom was a tough-but-steady defenceman for the Oilers and went on to win another Cup with the team in 1990 prior to his trade to the New York Rangers in 1991.

In 1993-94, he reunited with some of his old teammates when the Rangers signed Oiler alumni Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Kevin Lowe and Adam Graves. That season, Beukeboom won his fourth Cup as the Rangers ended their 54-year-old curse by beating the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

Well into his 30s, Beukeboom never shied from confrontations. In 1985-86 he set a new personal mark with a 220-PIM season. Unfortunately, it was his willingness to fight that ended his career prematurely. He suffered from post-concussion syndrome after receiving sucker punches in two separate incidents, and due to his injuries, Beukeboom decided to retire.

In 2003, the Oilers named Beukeboom an assistant coach of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Roadrunners.