John Grahame
John Grahame | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1975 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey goaltender (retired) |
| Years active | 1997–2011 (player), 2011–present (coach) |
| Known for | NHL goaltender; Stanley Cup champion (2004) |
John Gillies Mark Grahame (born August 31, 1975) is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who competed in the National Hockey League representing the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. He secured the Stanley Cup title with Tampa Bay in 2004.
Playing career
Before entering the NHL, Grahame competed in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers. He was selected 229th overall by the Boston Bruins during the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Following his draft, he spent three seasons playing collegiate hockey for the Lake Superior State Lakers in the CCHA. Notably, he remains the only goaltender from Lake Superior State to have participated in over 50 NHL games and to have won a Stanley Cup.
Grahame began his professional career in the 1997–98 season with the Providence Bruins, where he played a pivotal role in capturing the Calder Cup during his second year as a pro. During the 1999–2000 season, he was promoted to serve as backup to Boston’s starting goalie, Byron Dafoe, gaining acclaim as a promising rookie. Despite suffering a broken ankle in 2000 that impacted his performance, Grahame remained with Boston for three additional seasons before being traded midseason in 2003 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While with Tampa Bay, Grahame delivered his strongest performance as a backup goaltender throughout their Stanley Cup-winning season, providing essential rest for starter Nikolai Khabibulin. He assumed the role of starting goalie for Tampa Bay during the 2005–06 NHL season, though early struggles led to criticism from head coach John Tortorella, especially after an untimely playoff elimination.
On July 1, 2006, Grahame inked a two-year deal worth $2.8 million with the Carolina Hurricanes. In January 2008, following a 4–6–1 start to the season, he was placed on waivers and briefly replaced by Michael Leighton before being recalled. Internationally, Grahame represented the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics and was the starting goaltender at the 2007 World Championships.
In May 2008, as an unrestricted free agent, he signed with Kontinental Hockey League club Avangard Omsk. On December 12, 2009, Grahame agreed to a professional tryout contract with the Philadelphia Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms. After appearing in 12 games, he signed with the Colorado Avalanche organization and was assigned to their injury-plagued AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, on March 3, 2010. Over 14 games, he recorded four victories and was re-signed by Colorado on July 2, 2010.
Grahame received a call-up to Colorado on February 11, 2011, serving as a backup goalie but did not see ice time. He retired following that season after playing an instrumental role in helping lead the Monsters to their inaugural playoff berth.
On March 28, 2012, Grahame briefly came out of retirement to sign with the New York Islanders as an emergency backup due to injuries but did not participate in any games.
Coaching career
On September 15, 2011, Grahame returned to coaching when appointed goaltending coach for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, reconnecting with a team from his earlier playing days.
Personal
John Grahame is the son of Ron Grahame, a former professional goaltender who played in both the WHA and NHL and earned the Avco Cup during his career. Interestingly, Ron was involved in a trade that resulted in the draft pick used to select John's future teammate, Ray Bourque. His mother, Charlotte Grahame, held a position within the front office of the Colorado Avalanche during their 2000–01 Stanley Cup-winning season. Together, John and Charlotte made history as the first mother and son to have their names inscribed on the Stanley Cup.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–95 | Lake Superior State | CCHA | 28 | 16 | 7 | 3 | — | 1616 | 75 | 2 | 2.78 | .887 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–96 | Lake Superior State | CCHA | 29 | 21 | 4 | 2 | — | 1658 | 67 | 2 | 2.42 | .904 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–97 | Lake Superior State | CCHA | 37 | 19 | 3 | 4 | — | 2197 | 134 | 3 | 3.66 | .876 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 1997–98 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 55 | 15 | 31 | 4 | — | 3053 | 164 | 3 | 3.22 | .898 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–99 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 48 | 37 | 9 | 1 | — | 2771 | 134 | 3 | 2.90 | .896 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 1209 | 48 | 1 | 2.38 | .912 | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–00 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 27 | 11 | 13 | 2 | — | 1528 | 86 | 1 | 3.38 | .902 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 839 | 35 | 0 | 2.50 | .917 | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–00 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 24 | 7 | 10 | 5 | — | 1344 | 55 | 2 | 2.46 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 16 | 4 | 7 | 3 | — | 893 | 47 | 0 | 3.16 | .899 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 1043 | 46 | 2 | 2.65 | .923 | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 471 | 28 | 0 | 3.57 | .867 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–02 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 19 | 8 | 7 | 2 | — | 1079 | 52 | 1 | 2.89 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–03 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 23 | 11 | 9 | 2 | — | 1352 | 61 | 1 | 2.71 | .902 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–03 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 17 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 914 | 34 | 2 | 2.23 | .920 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 111 | 2 | 0 | 1.08 | .958 | |||||||||||||||
| 2003–04 NHL season | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 29 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 1688 | 58 | 1 | 2.06 | .913 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 3.53 | .882 | |||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 NHL season | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 57 | 29 | 22 | 1 | 3152 | 161 | 5 | 3.06 | .889 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 188 | 15 | 0 | 4.79 | .847 | |||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 NHL season | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 28 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 1515 | 72 | 0 | 2.85 | .897 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 NHL season | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 17 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 848 | 53 | 0 | 3.75 | .875 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–08 AHL season | Albany River Rats | AHL | 7 | 4 | 3 | 415 | 21 | 0 | 3.04 | .912 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–09 KHL season | Avangard Omsk | Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) | 20 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 1195 | 57 | 3 | 2.86 | .896 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–10 AHL season | Adirondack Phantoms | AHL | 12 | 2 | 10 | 717 | 34 | 0 | 2.84 | .896 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–10 | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 14 | 4 | 7 | 837 | 48 | 0 | 3.44 | .883 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–11 AHL season | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 34 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 2009 | 80 | 1 | 2.39 | .911 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 303 | 13 | 0 | 2.58 | .918 | |||||||||||||||
| NHL totals | 224 | 97 | 86 | 14 | 4 | 12,363 | 574 | 12 | 2.79 | .898 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 333 | 19 | 0 | 3.42 | .883 | ||||||||||||||||
See also
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| CCHA All-Tournament Team | 1996 | |
| AHL | ||
| Calder Cup (Providence Bruins) | 1999 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup (Tampa Bay Lightning) | 2004 | |
External links
- 1975 births
- Living people
- Adirondack Phantoms players
- Albany River Rats players
- American men's ice hockey goaltenders
- Avangard Omsk players
- Boston Bruins draft picks
- Boston Bruins players
- Carolina Hurricanes players
- American expatriate ice hockey players in Russia
- Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics
- Lake Erie Monsters players
- Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey players
- Olympic ice hockey players for the United States
- Providence Bruins players
- Stanley Cup champions
- Tampa Bay Lightning players
- Ice hockey people from Denver
- Sioux City Musketeers players
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- 20th-century American sportsmen