Tom Kurvers

Thomas "Tom" Kurvers (born October 14, 1962, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.; died June 21, 2021 in St. Paul, Minnesota) was a retired professional ice hockey defenseman who spent 11 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1984 and 1995. He was a member of the 1986 Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens. After his playing career, he was an executive for the Phoenix Coyotes, the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the Minnesota Wild.

Playing career
Kurvers played collegiately at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and was selected 145th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft following his freshman season. His time with the Bulldogs culminated with winning the Hobey Baker Award, given to the most outstanding collegiate hockey player in the NCAA, as a senior in 1983–84 after registering 76 points in just 43 games.

Kurvers made his NHL debut in the 1984–85 season with the Canadiens. He won the Stanley Cup in 1986 with Montreal. After two full seasons with Montreal, and one game in the 1986–87 season, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a draft pick.

Before the 1987–88 season, the Sabres traded Kurvers to the New Jersey Devils. He would play some of his best hockey for the Devils, posting 15 points in their surprising run to the 1988 Wales Conference Finals, and notching career highs of 16 goals and 66 points in 1988–89 season. He played two full seasons, and one game in the 1989–90 season, with the Devils before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the pick that would turn out to be Scott Niedermayer.

He was always a highly productive player, especially dangerous on the powerplay due to his wicked point shot and playmaking skills. That said, at even strength Tom was often a defensive liability. Several coaches along the way attempted to fix his defensive short comings, however, without result. Thus Kurvers was destine to become a journeyman,making stops with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim before leaving the league after the 1994–95 season. Finally he played a season in Japan before retiring.

In his NHL career, Kurvers appeared in 659 games. He scored 93 goals and added 328 assists for 421 points. He also appeared in 57 Stanley Cup playoff games, scoring eight goals and recording 22 assists.

Post-Hockey Career
Following his retirement, Kurvers landed a job doing radio commentary for the Phoenix Coyotes, in part due to his connection to former Montreal teammate Bobby Smith who was the general manager in Phoenix at the time. Following one season in that capacity, he was hired as a professional scout by the Coyotes. Kurvers was promoted again, to director of player personnel, in 2005.

In 2008, Kurvers was named assistant general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was the interim general manager for the Lightning during the 2009–10 season. From 2011 to 2018, Kurvers served as the senior advisor to the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning before being named the assistant general manager of the Minnesota Wild.

Personal life
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Tom Kurvers grew up in nearby Bloomington.

Kurvers and his wife Heather had two children together. He also had two daughters from his first marriage. In January 2019, Kurvers was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small-cell lung cancer. Kurvers died on June 21, 2021 from cancer at the age of 58.

Awards & Honors
In 1991, Kurvers was inducted into the University of Minnesota Duluth Hall of Fame.