Jimmy Carson

Jimmy Carson
Born (1968-07-20) July 20, 1968
Southfield, MI, USA
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for Detroit Vipers (IHL)
Hartford Whalers
Lausanne (Swiss)
Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
National team  United States
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 1986
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 19861998

James Charles Carson (born July 20, 1968) is a retired American professional hockey player. He is best known for his 10-year NHL career, spent with several teams. After retiring from professional hockey, he embarked on a new career as a financial advisor.

Playing career

Jimmy Carson was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft as the 2nd overall pick. He scored 37 goals as an 18-year-old rookie in the 1986–87 NHL season. In just his second NHL season he notched 55 goals, and established himself as one of the sport's top young players. Along with Martin Gélinas, he was a key part of the August 9, 1988, blockbuster trade that sent them, the Kings' three first-round draft picks in 1989, 1991 and 1993, and $15 million cash to the Edmonton Oilers for Wayne Gretzky, Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski.

Carson demanded a trade out of Edmonton in November 1989 because among other reasons he could not handle the pressure of being expected to replace Wayne Gretzky. Carson was traded to his home town of Detroit along with Kevin McClelland and a fifth round draft pick for Adam Graves, Petr Klíma and Joe Murphy. These players were instrumental in helping Edmonton win their 5th Stanley Cup in 7 years in 1990.

Carson would later return to Los Angeles, in January 1993, following a trade for popular all-star defenceman Paul Coffey. He played with Gretzky and the Kings for parts of two seasons, but never regained the scoring touch he had early in his career. He later played for the Vancouver Canucks and the Hartford Whalers, where he ended his NHL career in 1996.

From 1996-1998 Carson played for his hometown Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. He was a member of the 1997 Turner Cup championship team.

Carson represented the USA in the 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and the 1987 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Carson participated in the Red Wings versus Maple Leafs alumni game during the 2014 NHL Winter Classic at Comerica Park.[1]

Personal life

Carson is of Greek descent; his grandfather changed the family name from Kyriazopoulos to Carson upon emigrating to the United States.[2]

While still a player in the NHL, Carson began to prepare for a post-hockey career by earning certifications in financial planning in 1992.[3] When his playing career ended, he joined Northwestern Mutual.

Carson and his wife have four children and reside in the Metro Detroit area. They have three sons and one daughter.

Achievements

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1984–85Verdun Junior CanadiensQMJHL68447211616149172612
1985–86Verdun Junior CanadiensQMJHL6970831534652680
1986–87Los Angeles KingsNHL803742792251236
1987–88Los Angeles KingsNHL8055521074555384
1988–89Edmonton OilersNHL8049511003672136
1989–90Edmonton OilersNHL41230
1989–90Detroit Red WingsNHL442016368
1990–91Detroit Red WingsNHL642125462872134
1991–92Detroit Red WingsNHL8034356930112350
1992–93Detroit Red WingsNHL5225265118
1992–93Los Angeles KingsNHL3412102214185492
1993–94Los Angeles KingsNHL2547112
1993–94Vancouver CanucksNHL34107172220110
1994–95Hartford WhalersNHL389101929
1995–96LausanneSwiss-A1334711
1995–96Hartford WhalersNHL111010
1996–97Detroit VipersIHL1871623413461012
1997–98Detroit VipersIHL491028383493476
NHL totals 626 275 286 561 254 55 17 15 32 22

See also

References

  1. http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2012/08/jimmy_carson_red_berenson_amon.html
  2. "The Trade at 25: Wayne Gretzky Oral History" by Adam Proteau. The Hockey News. Vol 67, Number SC. July, 2013
  3. http://thehockeywriters.com/what-ever-happened-to-jimmy-carson/
  4. Kreiser, John. "A look at some off-the-beaten-track NHL marks". nhl.com. Retrieved 4 June 2012.

External links

Preceded by
Dan Gratton
Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick
1986
Succeeded by
Wayne McBean
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