Raymond Garfield Sheppard (born May 27, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1987 to 2000. Sheppard was born in Pembroke, Ontario, but grew up in Petawawa, Ontario.

Ray Sheppard
Born (1966-05-27) May 27, 1966 (age 58)
Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Buffalo Sabres
New York Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
San Jose Sharks
Florida Panthers
Carolina Hurricanes
SC Langnau
NHL draft 60th overall, 1984
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 1986–2001

Playing career

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Sheppard was selected 60th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He played 817 career NHL games, scoring 357 goals and 300 assists for 657 points. His best season statistically was the 1993–94 season when he scored 52 goals and 93 points for the Detroit Red Wings. He also played for the New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, and the Carolina Hurricanes. On March 21, 1996, Sheppard scored the first home ice hat trick in Panthers franchise history.[1]

He achieved a rare feat during his career, scoring at least twenty goals in a season for six different NHL teams (accomplishing it in 1999). This was a record of until Bill Guerin passed him by scoring twenty goals with seven teams.

Sheppard has been named the second-best golfer amongst athletes (of sports other than golf) by Golf Digest.[2] He currently serves on the board of directors for the Panthers Alumni Association.

Career statistics

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1982–83 Brockville Braves CJHL 48 27 36 63 81
1983–84 Cornwall Royals OHL 68 44 36 80 69 3 2 4 6 0
1984–85 Cornwall Royals OHL 49 25 33 58 51 9 2 12 14 4
1985–86 Cornwall Royals OHL 63 81 61 142 25 6 7 4 11 0
1986–87 Rochester Americans AHL 55 18 13 31 11 15 12 3 15 2
1987–88 Buffalo Sabres NHL 74 38 27 65 14 6 1 1 2 2
1988–89 Buffalo Sabres NHL 67 22 21 43 15 1 0 1 1 0
1989–90 Rochester Americans AHL 5 3 5 8 2 17 8 7 15 9
1989–90 Buffalo Sabres NHL 18 4 2 6 0
1990–91 New York Rangers NHL 59 24 23 47 21
1991–92 Detroit Red Wings NHL 74 36 26 62 27 11 6 2 8 4
1992–93 Detroit Red Wings NHL 70 32 34 66 29 7 2 3 5 0
1993–94 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 52 41 93 26 7 2 1 3 4
1994–95 Detroit Red Wings NHL 43 30 10 40 17 17 4 3 7 5
1995–96 Detroit Red Wings NHL 5 2 2 4 2
1995–96 San Jose Sharks NHL 51 27 19 46 10
1995–96 Florida Panthers NHL 14 8 2 10 4 21 8 8 16 0
1996–97 Florida Panthers NHL 68 29 31 60 4 5 2 0 2 0
1997–98 Florida Panthers NHL 61 14 17 31 21
1997–98 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 10 4 2 6 2
1998–99 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 74 25 33 58 16 6 5 1 6 2
1999–2000 Florida Panthers NHL 47 10 10 20 4
2000–01 SC Langnau NLA 13 13 4 17 0
NHL totals 817 357 300 657 212 81 30 20 50 17

Awards and honours

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Award Year
OHL
First All-Star Team 1986
Red Tilson Trophy 1986
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy 1986
Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy 1986
AHL
Calder Cup (Rochester Americans) 1987
NHL
All-Rookie Team 1988

Transactions

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  • Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft in the third round as the 60th overall pick.[3]
  • Acquired by the New York Rangers for $1 USD from the Buffalo Sabres in 1990.[4]
  • August 5, 1991 - Signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Detroit Red Wings.
  • October 24, 1995 - Traded by the Detroit Red Wings to the San Jose Sharks for Igor Larionov and a conditional 1998 draft pick.
  • March 16, 1996 - Traded by the San Jose Sharks, along with a fourth round pick in 1996, to the Florida Panthers for 2nd and fourth round picks in 1996.
  • March 24, 1998 - Traded at the deadline by the Florida Panthers to the Carolina Hurricanes for Kirk McLean.
  • November 15, 1999 - Signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Florida Panthers.
  • Announced retirement at the end of 1999–2000 NHL season.

References

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  1. ^ "PANTHERS SIGN SHEPPARD TO THREE-YEAR CONTRACT". The Buffalo News. August 8, 1996. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Golf Digest Ranks the Best Golfers from the World of Sports
  3. ^ Ray Sheppard at www.hockeydb.com
  4. ^ Tim Crothers (1994-03-21). "Ray Sheppard". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved 2009-01-23. Ray Sheppard was once bought for a buck. As in four quarters. A crummy eight bits. In 1990 New York Ranger general manager Neil Smith actually paid that paltry sum for Sheppard. ... But two seasons later, after having scored just four goals in 18 games, he was sent to the minors and then jettisoned by the Sabres in that $1 transaction with the Rangers.
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