Craig Billington
Craig Billington | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 11, 1966 Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey goaltender, executive |
| Years active | 1984–2003 (player) |
| Known for | Professional ice hockey goaltender in the NHL; assistant general manager of Colorado Avalanche; general manager of Colorado Eagles |
Craig Richard Billington (born September 11, 1966) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. Throughout a 15-year tenure in the National Hockey League, he represented several teams and presently serves as an assistant general manager for the Colorado Avalanche, in addition to holding the General Manager position for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
Early years
In 1979, Billington took part in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, playing with a minor squad from Stoneybrook, London, Ontario. His high school hockey career was at A.B. Lucas Secondary School, followed by junior B hockey with the London Chester Pegg Diamonds competing in the Western Junior B OHA. In the 1983 Ontario Hockey League Priority Draft, he was selected 51st overall by the Belleville Bulls.
Belleville Bulls (1983–1986)
Billington began his OHL career with the Belleville Bulls in the 1983–84 season, appearing in 44 games and compiling a 20–19–0 record alongside a 4.16 goals-against average. The Bulls were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Leyden Division.
During the 1984–85 campaign, he improved his performance to a 26–19–0 record with a 4.25 GAA over 47 contests, aiding Belleville in securing second place within their division. In the playoffs, Billington registered a 2.71 GAA across 14 games before the team was defeated in the Leyden Division finals. That year, he received the Bobby Smith Trophy as OHL Scholastic Player of the Year and earned a spot on the OHL First All-Star Team.
For the 1985–86 season, after spending the majority of his time with the New Jersey Devils in the NHL, Billington returned briefly to Belleville for three regular-season matches (achieving a 2–1–0 record with a 3.67 GAA) and played a pivotal role during playoffs with a 3.60 GAA over 20 games. His contributions helped lead Belleville to the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals, where they were ultimately defeated by the Guelph Platers four games to two.
New Jersey Devils (1984–1993)
Selected by the New Jersey Devils as their second-round pick, 23rd overall, in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, Billington was notably the first goaltender chosen that year.
Following his draft, he was assigned back to the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League for further development during the 1984–85 season. Billington made his NHL debut in 1985–86, delivering 23 saves in a 5–2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings. He appeared in 18 NHL games that season with a record of 4–9–1 before returning to junior hockey to gain additional ice time.
The subsequent season (1986–87) saw Billington dividing his time between New Jersey and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Maine Mariners, where he posted a 9–7–2 record in 20 AHL outings and went 4–13–2 with the Devils. In 1987–88, he was assigned to New Jersey’s new AHL affiliate, the Utica Devils, participating in 59 games and finishing with a 22–27–8 record.
Billington spent most of the following season (1988–89) with Utica, playing in 41 games and holding a 17–18–6 record while briefly returning to New Jersey for three NHL appearances. During 1989–90, he remained with Utica and recorded a strong 20–13–1 mark over 38 games but did not see any playoff action.
In 1990–91, Billington represented Team Canada internationally, compiling a record of 17–14–2 across 34 contests. Returning full-time to New Jersey for the entire 1991–92 NHL season, he led Devils goaltenders with a team-best goals-against average of 3.04 and two shutouts while backing up; his final tally was a solid 13–7–1 record. He did not participate in postseason play that year.
During the following season (1992–93), Billington shared netminding responsibilities alongside Chris Terreri, leading New Jersey with 21 victories over 42 games and posting a goals-against average of 3.67. He made his playoff debut in April of that year, appearing in two games and achieving a save percentage of .872.
On June 20, 1993, Billington was traded to the Ottawa Senators along with Troy Mallette and a draft pick in exchange for Peter Sidorkiewicz and future considerations.
Ottawa Senators (1993–1995)
Following his acquisition during the off-season, Billington was appointed as the primary goaltender for the Ottawa Senators. He made his first appearance on October 6, 1993, delivering 26 saves in a 5–5 draw against the Quebec Nordiques. After beginning with a record of 0–4–1, he secured his inaugural victory for Ottawa on October 25 by stopping 23 shots in a 4–1 triumph over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Throughout the 1993–94 season, Billington compiled an 11–41–4 record, registering a goals-against average (GAA) of 4.59 and a save percentage of .859 across 63 contests.
In the 1994–95 campaign, he served as backup to Don Beaupre, appearing in nine games and posting a 0–6–2 record with a 4.07 GAA and .867 save percentage. On April 7, 1995, Billington was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for an eighth-round draft selection.
Boston Bruins (1994–1996)
Billington concluded the 1994–95 season as the secondary goaltender behind Blaine Lacher. His Boston debut came on April 9, 1995, when he stopped 22 shots in a narrow 6–5 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, improving his season statistics to a 5–1–0 record with a 3.05 GAA and .864 save percentage over eight games. He also participated in one playoff match, achieving a 2.40 GAA and .900 save percentage.
During the 1995–96 season, Billington appeared in 27 games, recording a 10–13–3 tally alongside a 3.44 GAA and .867 save rate. He started one postseason game where he conceded six goals in a defeat to the Florida Panthers.
Florida Panthers (1996)
On September 5, 1996, Billington signed with the Florida Panthers. However, he was placed on waivers during the 1996 NHL Waiver Draft and subsequently claimed by the Colorado Avalanche on September 30.
Colorado Avalanche (1996–1999)
Billington’s first game for Colorado occurred on October 17, where he made 30 saves despite a 2–1 loss to the Panthers. Eleven days later, on October 28, he earned his initial win with the Avalanche by shutting out the Washington Capitals, stopping all 40 shots faced. In the 1996–97 season, he posted an 11–8–2 record with a 2.65 GAA and .909 save percentage over 23 appearances and had limited playoff involvement.
The following year, 1997–98, Billington recorded an 8–7–4 mark with an impressive 2.32 GAA and .923 save percentage across 23 games while seeing minimal action in the playoffs. During the 1998–99 season, he went 11–8–1 with a 2.87 GAA and .894 save rate over 21 contests and participated briefly in postseason play.
On July 16, 1999, Colorado traded Billington to the Washington Capitals in exchange for future considerations.
Washington Capitals (1999–2003)
Billington made his debut with the Washington Capitals on October 19, 1999, entering in relief during the third period against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after starter Olaf Kolzig was pulled. In that stint of about twenty minutes, he stopped three of six shots in a game that ended in a 7–1 loss. His first start came on October 31 when he made twenty saves in a narrow 2–1 defeat to the San Jose Sharks. On November 20, Billington secured his first win with Washington by recording a shutout against the Boston Bruins, stopping all twenty-eight shots faced. Over thirteen games in the 1999–2000 season, he posted a record of 3–6–1 with a GAA of 2.75 and a .910 save percentage. He also appeared once in the playoffs that year, posting no decisions with a GAA of 3.00 and an .833 save rate.
During the 2000–01 season, Billington played in twelve contests, achieving a record of 3–5–2 while maintaining a GAA of 2.45 and a strong .915 save percentage.
He continued as Washington’s backup through the 2001–02 season, playing seventeen games and compiling a record of 4–5–3 with a GAA of 3.04 and an .878 save percentage.
In the final stretch of his career during the 2002–03 season, Billington’s ice time declined to six appearances where he posted a record of 1–3–1 alongside a GAA of 4.70 and an .823 save percentage. He officially announced his retirement on January 7, 2003.
Later career
Following his retirement, Billington became part of the Colorado Avalanche's executive staff, eventually rising to the position of assistant general manager by 2009. During the 2016–17 campaign, he was named general manager of the Avalanche's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. He continued in this capacity the next season with the franchise's new AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1982–83 | Thayer Academy | HS-Prep | 23 | — | — | — | 1338 | 76 | 0 | 3.41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 44 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 2335 | 162 | 1 | 4.16 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 6.00 | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 47 | 26 | 19 | 0 | 2544 | 180 | 1 | 4.25 | — | 14 | 7 | 5 | 761 | 47 | 1 | 3.71 | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 180 | 11 | 0 | 3.67 | .893 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 1133 | 68 | 0 | 3.60 | — | ||
| 1985–86 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 18 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 901 | 77 | 0 | 5.13 | .840 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Maine Mariners | AHL | 20 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1151 | 70 | 0 | 3.65 | .873 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 22 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 1114 | 89 | 0 | 4.79 | .844 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Utica Devils | AHL | 59 | 22 | 27 | 8 | 3404 | 208 | 1 | 3.67 | .880 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Utica Devils | AHL | 41 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 2432 | 150 | 2 | 3.70 | .872 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 220 | 18 | 0 | 4.91 | — | ||
| 1988–89 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 140 | 11 | 0 | 4.71 | .831 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Utica Devils | AHL | 38 | 20 | 13 | 1 | 2087 | 138 | 0 | 3.97 | .870 | ||||||||||
| NHL totals | 332 | 110 | 149 | 31 | 17,092 | 1034 | 9 | 3.63 | .877 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 213 | 15 | 0 | 4.23 | .870 | ||||
International
[continued next]Awards and honors
- Directorate Award for Top Goaltender, 1985 IIHF World Junior Championships
- Ontario Hockey League Scholastic Player of the Year, 1984–85 season
- Most Valuable Player at the OHL All-Star Game, 1984–85
- Silver Medal recipient with Team Canada at the Men's World Championship, 1990–91
- Selected as an NHL All-Star, 1993
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Canada | WJC | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 300 | 13 | 1 | 2.60 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Canada | WJC | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 300 | 14 | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null
Note: The original text contained formatting inconsistencies and missing data in this section; however, the rewritten content maintains the original factual information and structure. |