Corey Hirsch

Corey Hirsch
Born (1972-07-01) July 1, 1972
Medicine Hat, AB, CAN
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Goalie
Caught Left
Played for New York Rangers
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
Dallas Stars
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 169th overall, 1991
New York Rangers
Playing career 1992–2006
Olympic medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
1994 Lillehammer Ice Hockey
World Championships
1995 Sweden Ice hockey

Corey Hirsch (born July 1, 1972 in Medicine Hat, Alberta) is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender, currently working for Sportsnet as a freelance NHL analyst.[1] He spent the majority of his National Hockey League career with the Vancouver Canucks. He is the former goaltending coach for the St. Louis Blues, having previously served the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Francois Allaire.

Playing career

Hirsch played major junior hockey with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League for four seasons. He was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team in his second season with Kamloops and was subsequently chosen 169th overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers.

Upon being drafted, Hirsch led the league in shutouts, with 5, and goals against average with 2.72 in 1991–92, he was named CHL Goaltender of the Year and the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL Goaltender of the Year. As the Blazers captured the President's Cup (now the Ed Chynoweth Cup) in 1992, they advanced to the Memorial Cup and defeated the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5–4 in the final. Hirsch was additionally awarded the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament's top goaltender.

In 1992–93, his first professional season, he played for the Binghamton Rangers, New York's AHL affiliate, and won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league's top goalie.[2] At 2.79, he was also awarded the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for the lowest goals-against-average (shared with goaltending teammate Boris Rousson).

Hirsch started his first NHL game that season, a 2–2 tie against the Detroit Red Wings on January 19, 1993. He recorded his first win on his next start, an 8–3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on January 23.[3]

In 1994, Hirsch was the goalie for the Canadian Olympic team that lost to Sweden in the gold medal game.

Hirsch remained with Binghamton for three seasons until New York traded him to the Vancouver Canucks on April 7, 1995, in exchange for forward Nathan LaFayette.[3]

Hirsch split goaltending duties with Kirk McLean in 1995–96 and was named to the All-Rookie Team after posting a 2.93 goals against average, .903 save percentage and a winning 17–14–6 record. He also finished fifth in Calder Memorial Trophy voting (won by Daniel Alfredsson). During the season, he recorded his first career NHL shutout on January 15, 1996, a 6–0 win against the Boston Bruins.[3]

On July 2, 1999, he was waived by the Canucks[3] and for the next few seasons, would bounce around the league between the Nashville Predators, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Washington Capitals, and Dallas Stars. Playing for minor league affiliates, he only appeared in a handful of NHL games for the remainder of his career. In 2002–03, he recorded AHL career highs with a 2.64 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 35 games with the Utah Grizzlies.

Before retiring, Hirsch played three seasons overseas in the Swedish Elitserien, and the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Post-playing career

After retiring, Hirsch became a goaltending consultant for Hockey Canada. He worked with the national junior team as part of the 2007 and 2008 World Junior gold medal winning teams.[4]

On September 9, 2008, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had hired Hirsch as their goaltending coach.[4]

On June 18, 2010, the St. Louis Blues announced they had hired Hirsch as their Goaltending Coach.

On May 7, 2014, the St. Louis Blues relieved Corey Hirsch of his coaching duties.[5]

In 2015, Hirsch joined the NHL on Sportsnet as a freelance TV analyst.[6]

In 2016, Corey Hirsch lost his "goalie union card" after advocating for dramatic changes in equipment size, claiming this as a reason for low scoring in the NHL. [7]

Personal

Hirsch is a divorcee after 15 years of marriage, with three children Alexa, Hayden, and Farrah, aged 16, 14 and 10 as of Feb. 2015.[8] In the summer of 2015, Hirsch's son Hayden, who is a forward, attended hockey training camp with his father's old junior team, the Kamloops Blazers, but didn't make the regular season roster.[9]

Awards

Major Junior

Professional

References

  1. ↑ Rush, Curtis. "Corey Hirsch rebounds in life thanks to a tweet". Toronto Star. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award (AHL)". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Corey Hirsch". Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Maple Leafs hire coaches Corey Hirsch, Graeme Townshend; two scouts". The Hockey News. September 9, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Blues Extend Hitchcock Through 2014-15: Shaw, Bennett will remain part of coaching staff; Agnew, Hirsch will not return". NHL.com. May 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2015/02/13/corey-hirsch-rebounds-in-life-thanks-to-a-tweet.html
  7. ↑ https://twitter.com/CoreyHirsch/status/700077692213968898
  8. ↑ http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2015/02/13/corey-hirsch-rebounds-in-life-thanks-to-a-tweet.html
  9. ↑ http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/notes-from-kamloops-blazers-training-camp/

External links

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