| Kelly Hrudey | |
| Birth Date: | 13 January 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lb: | 190 |
| Position: | Goaltender |
| Catches: | Left |
| Played For: | New York Islanders Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks |
| Ntl Team: | CAN |
| Draft: | 38th overall |
| Draft Year: | 1980 |
| Draft Team: | New York Islanders |
| Career Start: | 1981 |
| Career End: | 1998 |
Kelly Hrudey (; born January 13, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is a broadcaster with Sportsnet as a studio analyst for Hockey Night in Canada and colour commentator for Calgary Flames regional broadcasts. During his playing career, Hrudey played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks from 1983 to 1998.
Hrudey played junior ice hockey for three years with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL), being named to WHL Second All-Star Team in 1980–81. He was drafted in the second round (38th overall) of the 1980 NHL entry draft by the New York Islanders.[1] Hrudey played for the Indianapolis Checkers, New York's Central Hockey League (CHL) affiliate, before joining the Islanders.
With Hall of Famer Billy Smith entrenched in the Islanders net, Hrudey managed to begin splitting the goaltending duties starting in the 1984–85, his first full season with the club. Hrudey's arrival allowed the Islanders to trade goaltender Roland Melanson to the Minnesota North Stars for a first-round pick.[2]
Hrudey was the Islanders' goaltender during the seventh game of the division semifinals series against the Washington Capitals on April 18, 1987, when New York defeated the Capitals in the longest game in franchise history, a four-overtime game seven known as the "Easter Epic", which was won on a goal by Pat LaFontaine after 68:47 minutes of overtime.[3] Hrudey made 73 saves in a 3–2 victory.[4] Hrudey's 73 saves in a single game was an NHL record until Joonas Korpisalo's 85-save performance for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 3–2 five-overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first round series of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs on August 11, 2020.[5] [6]
Later in 1987, he was the third string goaltender on Canada senior team during the 1987 Canada Cup, but did not appear in a game.
Despite finishing in the top five in voting for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in two of his final three seasons in New York,[7] Hrudey was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on February 22, 1989.[8]
Hrudey was initially angry about the trade, because he had always dreamt of playing his career with one club,[9] but he quickly adjusted and became an important part of the Wayne Gretzky-era Kings. His most notable moment with Los Angeles was playing in the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals where the Kings lost to the Montreal Canadiens.[10] In the 1994 NHL entry draft, the Kings selected goaltender Jamie Storr with a seventh overall pick,[11] and with him projected as the Kings' goaltender of the future, they let Hrudey test free agency when his contract ended. While it was time for him to move on, Hrudey appreciated his time with the Kings, saying "It was maybe the best eight years of my life playing hockey. I loved the management and the ownership. Just a wonderful place to spend eight seasons."
In July 1996, in what Hrudey called "a pretty easy decision,"[12] he signed a two-year deal with the San Jose Sharks.[13] Hrudey served as the Sharks' starting goaltender for the 1996–97 season until late January 1997, when the club traded for All-Star goaltender Ed Belfour.[14] With Belfour on the roster, Hrudey was pushed into the backup role.[15] Belfour left as a free agent at the end of the season,[16] but the Sharks acquired another veteran in Mike Vernon,[17] and once again Hrudey played a support role, making 28 appearances, and managing just four wins. Hrudey retired after the 1997–98 season,[18] and joined CBC Television's Hockey Night in Canada as an analyst.[19]
During the latter years of his playing career, he often joined Hockey Night in Canada as a studio analyst to supplement their playoff coverage if his team missed or was eliminated from Stanley Cup playoffs. After retiring, he joined the show full-time as a studio analyst.[20] He was featured in the "Behind the Mask" segment with hosts Scott Russell and later Scott Oake during the first intermission of the second game of Saturday night doubleheaders. In 2007, Hrudey helped debut Hockey Night in Canada Radio. The show originating from Toronto with host Jeff Marek is a three-hour program dedicated to ice hockey. The show is broadcast on Sirius XM Channel 122 and 97. Hrudey co-hosts Monday and Wednesday from his home studio in Calgary. For the 2008–09 season, he began working alongside host Ron MacLean and Elliotte Friedman on HNICs lead studio team.
Hrudey also made a weekly appearance on the TSN 1040 in Vancouver with Rick Ball.
With Rogers Media, the parent company of Sportsnet, gaining the sole national rights to the NHL beginning in the 2014–15 season, in August 2014, Hrudey joined Sportsnet full-time to participate in their ice hockey coverage. In addition to his Hockey Night in Canada role, he along with Ball became the new announcers for the Calgary Flames regional broadcasts.[21]
Hrudey and his wife have three children and live in Alberta. Hrudey does advocacy work in the field of mental health, inspired in part by his daughter's struggles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.[22] He received an honorary degree from Mount Royal University on November 3, 2017, for his mental health advocacy efforts.[23] He is of Ukrainian descent.[24]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||||
| 1978–79 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 57 | 12 | 34 | 7 | 3,093 | 318 | 0 | 6.17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 57 | 25 | 23 | 4 | 3,049 | 212 | 1 | 4.17 | .899 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 638 | 48 | 0 | 4.51 | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 55 | 32 | 19 | 1 | 3,023 | 200 | 4 | 3.97 | .895 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 244 | 17 | 0 | 4.18 | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Indianapolis Checkers | CHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 135 | 8 | 0 | 3.56 | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Indianapolis Checkers | CHL | 51 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 3,033 | 149 | 1 | 2.95 | .900 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 842 | 34 | 1 | 2.42 | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Indianapolis Checkers | CHL | 47 | 26 | 17 | 1 | 2,744 | 139 | 2 | 3.04 | .894 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 637 | 28 | 0 | 2.64 | — | ||
| 1983–84 | New York Islanders | NHL | 12 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 535 | 28 | 0 | 3.14 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Indianapolis Checkers | CHL | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 370 | 21 | 0 | 3.40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | New York Islanders | NHL | 41 | 19 | 17 | 3 | 2,335 | 141 | 2 | 3.62 | .886 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 281 | 8 | 0 | 1.71 | .946 | ||
| 1985–86 | New York Islanders | NHL | 45 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 2,563 | 137 | 1 | 3.21 | .906 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 120 | 6 | 0 | 3.00 | .898 | ||
| 1986–87 | New York Islanders | NHL | 46 | 21 | 15 | 7 | 2,634 | 145 | 0 | 3.30 | .881 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 842 | 38 | 0 | 2.71 | .918 | ||
| 1987–88 | New York Islanders | NHL | 47 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 2,751 | 153 | 3 | 3.34 | .896 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 380 | 23 | 0 | 3.62 | .851 | ||
| 1988–89 | New York Islanders | NHL | 50 | 18 | 24 | 3 | 2,800 | 183 | 0 | 3.92 | .874 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 974 | 47 | 1 | 2.90 | .904 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 566 | 35 | 0 | 3.71 | .881 | ||
| 1989–90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 52 | 22 | 21 | 6 | 2,860 | 194 | 2 | 4.07 | .873 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 539 | 39 | 0 | 3.62 | .853 | ||
| 1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 47 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 2,730 | 132 | 3 | 2.90 | .900 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 798 | 37 | 0 | 2.78 | .903 | ||
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 60 | 27 | 17 | 13 | 3,509 | 197 | 1 | 3.37 | .897 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 355 | 22 | 0 | 3.72 | .877 | ||
| 1992–93 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 50 | 18 | 21 | 6 | 2,718 | 175 | 2 | 3.86 | .897 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 1,261 | 74 | 0 | 3.52 | .887 | ||
| 1993–94 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 64 | 22 | 31 | 7 | 3,713 | 228 | 1 | 3.68 | .897 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 25 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 1,894 | 99 | 0 | 3.14 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 5.95 | .828 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 36 | 7 | 15 | 10 | 2,077 | 113 | 0 | 3.26 | .907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 48 | 16 | 24 | 5 | 26,31 | 140 | 0 | 3.19 | .889 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 28 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 1,360 | 62 | 1 | 2.74 | .897 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 | .833 | ||
| NHL totals | 677 | 271 | 265 | 88 | 38,081 | 2174 | 17 | 3.43 | .893 | 85 | 36 | 46 | 5,161 | 283 | 0 | 3.29 | .891 | ||||