Mike Vernon

Mike Vernon (born February 24, 1963, in Calgary, Alberta) is a retired professional ice hockey player. Throughout his 21-year National Hockey League career, he played as a goaltender for the Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings. He won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Flames in 1989 and then again in 1997 with the Red Wings, where he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He retired in 2002. He currently works as a Special Assistant to the Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Playing career
Mike Vernon was drafted 56th overall at the 1981 Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames after percolating through the Calgary junior hockey system and then starring for the WHL's Calgary Wranglers. He was added to the roster of the Portland Winter Hawks in the 1983 Memorial Cup Championship Series against league champions Lethbridge (WHL), Oshawa (OHL) and Verdun (QMJHL). His performance during the series helped the Hawks become the first team from outside Canada to win the Cup, defeating Oshawa 8–3 in the final. He was awarded the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the outstanding goaltender for the series.

After turning professional, he spent most of the next three seasons with the Flames's top minor league affiliates in Colorado and Moncton before getting called up for good in January 1986. Although he was initially called up to back-up incumbent Réjean Lemelin, Vernon's play down the stretch earned him the starting job for the playoffs. That spring, he backstopped the Flames to an upset victory over the hated Edmonton Oilers in the second round. The Flames eventually lost in the Final to the Montreal Canadiens and fellow rookie netminder Patrick Roy.

The following year, the Flames were beaten by the Winnipeg Jets in the opening round. Another playoff disappointment was to follow in the 1987–88 season where he won 39 games to help the Flames to the President's Trophy. However, their playoff campaign was prematurely ended by the Edmonton Oilers in the Smythe Division Final. Success was to come in the next season, however, as he led the Flames to the President's Trophy again with 117 points and to the 1989 Stanley Cup with three shutouts in the playoffs. It was also in the first round of that successful campaign that the hometown hero had his most famous moment, stopping the Vancouver Canucks's Stan Smyl on a breakaway in overtime of the deciding game. In the Final, Vernon and the Flames avenged their 1986 loss to Roy and the Canadiens, though Roy edged out Vernon for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender.

Although the Flames remained a strong regular season team over the next several years, they could not repeat their playoff success of 1989. After failing to win another playoff series, Vernon was traded in 1994 to the Detroit Red Wings, since his number 30 was worn playoff Chris Osgood, so he worn number 29 where he helped them to the Stanley Cup finals in 1995. However, they were swept 4–0 by the New Jersey Devils. The 1995–96 season saw him help the Red Wings to 62 wins, an NHL record, while splitting goal-tending duties with Chris Osgood. They lost in the Conference Finals to Patrick Roy and the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

In 1996–97, he shared duties with OsGood. However, he did earn his 300th NHL victory in March 1997 in a 6–5 overtime win over Colorado and his long-time nemesis, Patrick Roy. The game was punctuated by an enormous brawl, in which Vernon and Roy slugged it out against each other. Vernon was given the starting job in the playoffs, where he starred. In the Conference Final, Vernon and Wings beat Roy and Avalanche in 6 games to advance to the Final, where Detroit swept Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup since 1955 and Vernon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Vernon helped Detroit repeat as Stanley Cup Champion and remained here.



Personal life
Vernon maintains a home in Invermere, British Columbia.

He is married to Jane Vernon, and has four children: Amelia, Will, Matthew and John

Awards

 * Hap Emms Trophy, Outstanding Goaltender, Memorial Cup Championship - 1983
 * William M. Jennings Trophy (shared with Chris Osgood) - 1996
 * Conn Smythe Trophy - 1997
 * Played in NHL All-Star Game 5 times - 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993
 * His number 30 was retired by the Calgary Flames on February 6, 2007.

Records
Mike Vernon holds the following Calgary Flames franchise records:


 * Most games played by a goaltender (526)
 * Most wins (262)
 * Most minutes played by a goaltender (29,649)
 * Most playoff games played by a goaltender (81)
 * Most playoff minutes played by a goaltender (4,773)
 * Most playoff wins (43)