Paul Coffey

Paul Coffey
Paul Douglas Coffeyis a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played for nine teams in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among NHL defencemen in career goals, assists, and points, behind Ray Bourque. Coffey was born in Weston, Ontario, but grew up in Malton, Ontario...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth1 June 1961
CityToronto, Canada
CountryCanada
My father used to tell me the game is not privileged to have you, you're privileged to have hockey,
Simple philosophy: be on time, come to the rink ready to play. And we pretty much did that all the time and pretty much learned as we went.
When the sweater was going up, there were a lot of things going through my mind.
Wayne was such a big part of my career here in Edmonton as well as everybody's that I think that having him in the building is just icing on the cake,
That feeling in the dressing room after you win - nothing comes close to that. You can't get that in any other career. Maybe in the stock market back in the '80s when people were making tons of money, maybe they felt something similar. Maybe. But look at the market now. Nothing gives you that emotion like sports. Nothing. Am I wrong?
People ask me all the time now, what's the most memorable moment of your career? It's always the championships. The first goal, the 50th - it doesn't matter. It's always the championships.
You learn by playing a great team, and I'm talking about character things, not hockey technique.
There are certain guys that think they know hockey because they follow it on the Internet.
My mother passed away of complications of dementia. As you get older, it really makes you realize how many people are touched by this disease.
I don't think longevity gets enough credit when you're talking about a player.
Anyone that coaches their son, you expect more out of your boy. I'm not talking about stats, but I expected him to be the hardest worker out there.
Having Wayne in town will be exciting enough.
Leadership is one of sports' intangibles. Guys can score, guys can fight, guys can skate faster than anybody else. But not everybody can say, 'Follow me.'
I have great memories of my years in Edmonton and the players who were my teammates.