Rich Pilon

Richard Brian Pilon (born April 30, 1968) is a Canadian former ice hockey player of Métis heritage.[1] He was drafted 143rd overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. Playing as a defenceman, Pilon played for the Islanders, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues during his 15-year NHL career. He is now the coach of the Weyburn Red Wings of The SJHL.

Rich Pilon
Born (1968-04-30) April 30, 1968
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for New York Islanders
New York Rangers
St. Louis Blues
NHL Draft 143rd overall, 1986
New York Islanders
Playing career 1988–2001

Playing career

Pilon was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He made his debut in the 1988–89 season, playing 62 games, recording 14 assists and 242 penalty minutes for the New York Islanders as a left shooting defenseman. He would play 10 seasons for the Islanders before being put on waivers by the team. He was then picked up on December 1, 1999, by the New York Rangers. Due to injury, he played parts of two seasons for the Rangers, before he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a seventh round draft pick, days before he became an unrestricted free agent in 2001. He was then signed by the St. Louis Blues on July 10, 2001. He played eight games for the Blues before he suffered a broken left wrist in a game against the Rangers that subsequently ended his NHL career.

The Kevin Stevens incident

On May 14, 1993, during game seven of the Patrick Division finals between the New York Islanders and the favored defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins not only saw one of the greatest upsets in NHL playoff history (with Islanders' overtime goal by David Volek ) but one of the worst freak accidents to ever occur on the ice.[2]

Early in the first period, the puck went into the Islanders' corner. The Penguins' star power forward, Kevin Stevens, skated in hard and attempted to hit Pilon who was battling for the puck, but instead was met by Pilon's visor which knocked Stevens unconscious in mid-air. The unprotected fall left Stevens to smash his face on the ice upon impact.[3] Stevens laid motionless on the ice for several seconds with the referee and Penguins teammates concerned, a pool of blood forming around Stevens' head, before the team trainer attended to him. Stevens was carted off the ice in a stretcher with a neck brace. He required immediate surgery on his crushed face, injuries that ended up being a broken sinus bone and nose, as well as many facial lacerations and bruises. Stevens' face required over one-hundred stitches that left him unrecognizable, even to his own family, for the next few weeks until the swelling went down.[4] Fortunately for Stevens, this injury did not end his career, and he played 10 more seasons in the NHL.

PPG Paints Arena statue

Pilon and Jeff Norton are depicted as the two defenders Mario Lemieux skates between in a 4,700-pound bronze statue unveiled on March 7, 2012, at PPG Paints Arena (then called Consol Energy Center) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5]

Personal life

Pilon was born in Saskatoon, but grew up in St. Louis, Saskatchewan. His son Garrett was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the third round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[6]

Pilon currently resides in Saskatoon with his wife and two children where he works with a uranium mining company. After battling drugs and alcohol over the course of his career, Pilon has been sober for several years and volunteers in a program that uses hockey to encourage children ages eight to 14 to avoid substance abuse.[7]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1985-86 Prince Albert Raiders WHL 60000 501110
1986–87 Prince Albert Raiders WHL 6842125192 716717
1987–88 Prince Albert Raiders WHL 65133447177 906638
1988-89 New York Islanders NHL 6201414272 —————
1989–90 New York Islanders NHL 1402231 —————
1990–91 New York Islanders NHL 60145126 —————
1991–92 New York Islanders NHL 65167183 —————
1992–93 New York Islanders NHL 44134194 1500050
1992–93 Capital District Islanders AHL 60118 —————
1993–94 New York Islanders NHL 2814575 —————
1993–94 Salt Lake Golden Eagles IHL 20008 —————
1994–95 New York Islanders NHL 2011240 —————
1995–96 New York Islanders NHL 2703372 —————
1996–97 New York Islanders NHL 52145179 —————
1997–98 New York Islanders NHL 76077291 —————
1998–99 New York Islanders NHL 5204488 —————
1999–00 New York Islanders NHL 902234 —————
1999–00 New York Rangers NHL 4504436 —————
2000–01 New York Rangers NHL 692911175 —————
2001–02 St. Louis Blues NHL 80229 —————
NHL totals 631869771745 1500050

References
  1. "EMJ Marketing - Rich Pilon". Archived from the original on 2015-11-22.
  2. Myers, Alison. "The Scariest In-Game Accidents in Hockey History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  3. Shaffer, Ryan (2015-05-18). "Penguins Forward Kevin Stevens: What Could Have Been?". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  4. Frey, Jennifer. "HOCKEY; Stevens Has New Face For Brand New Season". Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  5. "Mario Lemieux statue unveiled in Pittsburgh", USA Today. March 7, 2012.
  6. Isabelle Khurshudyan (June 29, 2016). "Son of former NHL tough guy, Caps draft pick Garrett Pilon plays a different style". Washington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  7. "The Two Other Guys in that Magnificent Tribute", The Sports Network. March 7, 2012.
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