Tom Kurvers NHL
Thomas James Kurvers was an American professional hockey player. He played eleven seasons in the NHL from 1984-1995. He won the Hobey Baker award as the best collegiate hockey player in 1984 and a Stanley Cup in 1986 with the Montreal Canadians. After his playing career, he accepted executive positions with the Phoenix Coyotes, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Minnesota Wild.
University of Minnesota Duluth
Before entering the NHL, Kurvers played four seasons in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) with the University of Minnesota Duluth. His most productive year was 1983-84, when he scored 18 goals and 76 points in 43 games. He won the Hobey Baker award as the most outstanding hockey player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He was named All-WCHA First Team and the AHCA West First-Team All-American. In 1991 Kurvers was inducted into the University of Minnesota Duluth Hall of Fame.
NHL Career
Kurvers was drafted 145th overall in round 7 of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadians. He played two seasons and one game for the Canadians before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a draft pick in the 1986-87 season. He won a Stanley Cup with the Canadians in 1986.
Tom Kurvers NHL career was filled with many stops. He played in seven National Hockey League cities. He began his career with the Montreal Canadians. He then moved on to play for the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
His most productive season was during the 1988-89 season while playing for the New Jersey Devils. He recorded career-highs of 16 goals, 50 assists for 66 points in 74 games. He played two seasons and one game for the Devils before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a draft pick in the 1989-90 season, which turned out to be Hall of Fame defenceman Scott Niedermayer.
Tom Kurvers was an elite, puck-moving defenceman with a penchant for scoring on the power play. After leaving the National Hockey League in 1995, he played one season in Japan with Seibu Tetsudo, notching 4 goals and 7 points in 22 games.
Tom Kurvers finished his NHL career by having played in 659 games. He scored 93 goals and accumulated 328 assists for 421 points. He recorded 8 goals and 22 assists in 57 playoff games.
Personal Life
Tom Kurvers was a product of Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Kurvers was diagnosed in January 2019 with adenocarcinoma, a non-small-cell lung cancer. Thomas James Kurvers died on June 21, 2021. He was 58 years old.
Career statistics Tom Kurvers NHL
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1979–80 | Bloomington Jefferson High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | Bloomington Jefferson High School | HS-MN | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1980–81 | University of Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 39 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | University of Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 37 | 11 | 31 | 42 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | University of Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 45 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983–84 | University of Minnesota Duluth | WCHA | 43 | 18 | 58 | 76 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1984–85 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 75 | 10 | 35 | 45 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 1985–86 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 62 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 55 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 56 | 5 | 29 | 34 | 46 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 38 |
| 1988–89 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 74 | 16 | 50 | 66 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1989–90 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1989–90 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 70 | 15 | 37 | 52 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 1990–91 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990–91 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 32 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| 1991–92 | New York Islanders | NHL | 74 | 9 | 47 | 56 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Capital District Islanders | AHL | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | New York Islanders | NHL | 52 | 8 | 30 | 38 | 38 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 1993–94 | New York Islanders | NHL | 66 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1994–95 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 22 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Seibu Tetsudo | JPN | 40 | 18 | 34 | 52 | 85 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 36 |
| NHL totals | 659 | 93 | 328 | 421 | 352 | 57 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 68 |
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