Kelly Buchberger

Kelly Buchberger (born December 2, 1966 in Langenburg, Saskatchewan) is a retired professional Canadian hockey player and current assistant coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

Buchberger played for the Edmonton Oilers, Atlanta Thrashers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played junior hockey with the Western Hockey League Moose Jaw Warriors and also pro hockey with the American Hockey League Nova Scotia Oilers. He was drafted in the ninth round by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, making him the 188th overall pick. He made his NHL debut in 1987 Stanley Cup Finals (The last player to play his first NHL game in Stanley Cup Finals). During his playing career, he was known best for his gritty play and leadership, having captained the Oilers for four years. He won 2 Stanley Cups with Edmonton in 1987 and 1990.

Buchberger was the last remaining member of the active Oilers roster to have been on one of their 5 Stanley Cup winning teams. He remained with the Oilers until 1999, when he was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft.

Upon retiring, Buchberger was an assistant coach with the Edmonton Road Runners AHL team in 2004–05. He then joined the Oilers management as Development Coach. On August 3, 2007, he was named head coach of the Oilers American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, and guided the team to a 35-35-10 record, the teams first .500 season since 1998–99. Buchberger then was promoted to the Edmonton Oilers during the 2008 offseason, becoming an assistant coach with them.

Awards and achievements

 * 1986–87 - NHL - Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
 * 1989–90 - NHL - Stanley Cup (Edmonton)

Career statistics
--- Regular Season ---  Playoffs Season  Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM -- 1984-85 Moose Jaw Warriors          WHL    51   12   17   29  114  --  --  --  --  -- 1985-86 Moose Jaw Warriors          WHL    72   14   22   36  206  13  11   4  15  37 1986-87 Nova-Scotia Oilers          AHL    70   12   20   32  257   5   0   1   1  23 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    --   --   --   --   --   3   0   0   0   5 1987-88 Nova-Scotia Oilers          AHL    49   21   23   44  206   2   0   0   0  11 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    19    1    0    1   81  --  --  --  --  -- 1988-89 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    66    5    9   14  234  --  --  --  --  -- 1989-90 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    55    2    6    8  168  19   0   5   5  13 1990-91 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    64    3    1    4  160  12   2   1   3  25 1991-92 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    79   20   24   44  157  16   1   4   5  32 1992-93 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    83   12   18   30  133  --  --  --  --  -- 1993-94 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    84    3   18   21  199  --  --  --  --  -- 1994-95 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    48    7   17   24   82  --  --  --  --  -- 1995-96 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    82   11   14   25  184  --  --  --  --  -- 1996-97 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    81    8   30   38  159  12   5   2   7  16 1997-98 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    82    6   17   23  122  12   1   2   3  25 1998-99 Edmonton Oilers             NHL    52    4    4    8   68   4   0   0   0   0 1999-00 Atlanta Thrashers           NHL    68    5   12   17  139  --  --  --  --  -- 1999-00 Los Angeles Kings           NHL    13    2    1    3   13   4   0   0   0   4 2000-01 Los Angeles Kings           NHL    82    6   14   20   75   8   1   0   1   2 2001-02 Los Angeles Kings           NHL    74    6    7   13  105   7   0   0   0   7 2002-03 Phoenix Coyotes             NHL    79    3    9   12  109  --  --  --  --  -- 2003-04 Pittsburgh Penguins         NHL    71    1    3    4  109  --  --  --  --  -- --        NHL Totals                       1182  105  204  309 2297  97  10  14  24 129