Welcome to your Thursday edition of the All-Time Countdown. If you don’t already know, you can find the standards and conditions under which this list was patched together right here.
Yesterday we touched on current and former Panthers center Shawn Matthias (205 games, 25 goals, 35 assists), left winger Richard Zednik (124 games, 32 goals, 27 assists), and defenseman Dan Boyle (129 games, 10 goals, 29 assists). Today’s bounty includes a 6’5″ defenseman from Simcoe, Ontario, a Hall of Fame goaltender from Carman, Manitoba, and a left winger from Montreal.
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72. Jassen Cullimore
Cullimore was a 6’5″ defenseman from Simcoe, Ontario when drafted by the Vancouver Canucks. He was chosen in the second round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft with the 29th overall pick. Prior to turning pro, he completed four seasons in juniors with the OHL Peterborough Petes, scoring 21 goals and dishing out 60 helpers in 195 contests, including 46 points in only 54 games in his final season, 1991-92.
1992-93 would see Cullimore make his professional debut with the AHL Hamilton Canucks, scoring five goals and seven assists in 56 games. He would step up his game in 1993-94, scoring eight times with 20 assists in 71 contests. His improvement did not go unnoticed, as Vancouver called him up for his first NHL action the following season. He would appear in a total of 64 games for the Canucks, scoring twice with three assists in parts of three seasons.He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on November 13, 1996 for Donald Brashear.
After parts of two seasons with the Habs (52 games, two goals, six assists), Cullimore played in parts of seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning (408 games, 15 goals, 41 assists) and two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks (119 games, two goals, 12 assists). He bacame a Panther by signing a free agent contract with Florida on October 26, 2007.
Cullimore flourished as part of Florida’s blue line corps, posting an 18:04 ATOI through 65 games with the Panthers. He registered a career high (and team leading) plus-21 rating, scoring three times on 55 shots, collecting 10 assists and 38 penalty minutes.
Cullimore remained with the Panthers in 2008-09, averaging 16:48 per game over 68 games, scoring twice on 52 shots with eight assists, a minus-10 rating, and 37 PIM. Prior to the 2009-10 season, he signed a professional tryout with the AHL Rockford IceHogs, eventually appearing in 100 games with the club (four goals, 13 assists),. He was called up to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010-11 for 36 games near the end of the season, earning eight assists.
Jassen Cullimore vs Andre Deveaux Jan 6, 2009 (via hockeyfightsdotcom)
Cullimore spent the 2011-12 season in the Deutsch Elite League with the Iserlohn Roosters (51 games, two goals, six assists).
All-Time Statline: Two seasons, 133 games, five goals, 18 assists, 23 points, plus-11 rating, 75 PIM, 5.8 APS.
71. Ed Belfour
Belfour was a 5’11” goaltender from Carman, Manitoba when he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks on September 25, 1987 after going undrafted. In eight seasons with Chicago, “Eddie the Eagle” was thrice selected to the All-Star team, leading the NHL in 1990-91 with 43 wins, a .910 save percentage, and a 2.47 GAA. He ranks third on the Blackhawks all time wins list with a 201-138-56 record. He also boasts a .903 save percentage, 30 shutouts, and a 2.65 GAA through his career in Chicago. From 1991-92 through 1994-95, Belfour led the NHL in shutouts for four consecutive seasons. He also collected a 35-28 postseason record with the club. The Hawks traded him to the San Jose Sharks on January 25, 1997 for Chris Terreri, Ulf Dahlen and Michal Sykora.
After Belfour finished the 1996-97 season with the Sharks (3-9-0, .884, 3.41), he signed a free agent contract to be a Dallas Star. In five seasons with Dallas, he never played in less than 60 games, earning two more all-star appearances and the 1999 Stanley Cup. He posted a 44-29 playoff record, and ranks second on Dallas’ all-time wins list, with a 160-95-44 record, a .910 save percentage, 27 shutouts, and a 2.19 GAA. He was traded to the Nashville Predators with Cameron Mann for David Gosselin and a fifth round pick during the 2002 offseason, but three days later would sign as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In three seasons with the Leafs, Belfour totalled a 93-61-15 record with a .912 save percentage, 17 shutouts and a 2.51 GAA. He signed on with the Panthers as a 41-year old free agent on July 25, 2006.
2006-07 would see Belfour play in 58 games as the Panthers number one goaltender, posting a 27-17-10 record in the process. He only posted one shutout on the season, a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on February 13. He finished the season with a .902 save percentage and a 2.77 GAA. It would be the last time he appeared in the NHL. His 484 career wins rank him third on the All-Time Leaderboard, behind Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Class of 2011, in his first year of eligibility.
Eddie the Eagle takes Flight (via LennyLenihan)
All-Time Statline: One season, 58 games, 27-17-10 record, 1,550 shots faced, 152 goals allowed, 1,398 saves made, one shutout, .902 save percentage, 2.77 GAA, 6.1 APS.
70. Mike Hough
Hough, a 6’1″ right winger from Montreal, was originally selected in the ninth round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft with the 181st overall pick by the Quebec Nordiques. He scored 31 goals and 61 assists in two OHL seasons with the Kitchener Rangers, spanning 119 contests. He made his pro debut with 69 AHL games with the Fredericton Express in 1983-84, scoring 11 goals with 16 helpers in 69 games.
Hough split his next several seasons between the AHL with the Express (and later the Halifax Citadels) and the Nordiques. Over parts of seven seasons in Quebec, he totalled 68 goals and 97 assists in 363 games, with a minus-66 rating and 461 penalty minutes. Quebec traded him to the Washington Capitals for Reggie Savage and Paul MacDermid after the 1993-94 season. Just four days later, he was left unprotected in the 1993 Expansion Draft, where Florida picked him up.
Hough made an assist in Florida’s first ever NHL contest, a 4-4 tie with the Chicago Blackhawks on October 6, 1993. On five occasions during the Panthers inaugural campaign, he put up multi-point efforts, including three assists in a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 28 and three more in a 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars one month later. All told, he scored six times on 106 shots with 23 assists and a plus-3 rating with 62 PIM.
Hough played in all 48 games for Florida in the strike-shortened 1994-95 season, scoring six times on 58 shots on goal with seven assists. He earned 38 PIM and a plus-1 rating through the regular season.1995-96 would see him score seven times on 66 shots with 16 assists and a plus-4 rating with 37 PIM. He added four goals and one assist in 22 postseason contests as the Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Jaromir Jagr Hammered By Hough – 1996 Playoffs (via tjackson76)
In 1996-97, Hough appeared in 69 NHL games with the Cats, scoring eight goals on 85 shots with six assists and a team third best plus-12 rating. He also scored a goal in Game five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals as the Panthers were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the NHL Playoffs. It would prove to be his last game with Florida, as he signed a free agent contract to play with the New York Islanders following the season. He scored five goals and seven assists in 85 games with the team.
All-Time Statline: Four seasons, 259 games, 27 goals, 52 assists, 79 points, plus-20 rating, 185 PIM, 6.1 APS.
That does it for today. Check back tomorrow as we look over three more past Panthers, a Swedish defenseman, a long time Calgary Flame left winger, and a center from Ontario.