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Chris Drury

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Chris Drury
Drury with the New York Rangers in 2008
Born (1976-08-20) August 20, 1976 (age 48)
Trumbull, Connecticut, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for Colorado Avalanche
Calgary Flames
Buffalo Sabres
New York Rangers
National team  United States
NHL draft 72nd overall, 1994
Quebec Nordiques
Playing career 1998–2011
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Silver medal – second place 2002 Salt Lake City
Silver medal – second place 2010 Vancouver
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Prague

Christopher Ellis Drury (born August 20, 1976) is an American professional ice hockey executive and former player. He has served as the president and general manager for the New York Rangers since May 5, 2021. He previously served as the general manager of the Rangers American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.[1][2]

Drury is a Hobey Baker Award-winner with Boston University, a Calder Memorial Trophy winner with the Colorado Avalanche, a Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche, a two-time Olympic silver medalist with the United States and a former captain of the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. As a child, he also won the Little League Baseball World Series Championship with his hometown team from Trumbull, Connecticut.

Early life

Drury excelled at a variety of sports as a child, including hockey and baseball. Playing for his hometown baseball team from Trumbull, Drury pitched a complete game, five-hitter and drove in two runs to win the 1989 Little League World Series championship game against Chinese Taipei.[3] Two months later, Drury threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Game 2 of the 1989 World Series. He also met President George H. W. Bush and appeared on Good Morning America in New York City.[4] Drury played in the 1990 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Rye, New York.[5]

Drury played many sports simultaneously; before winning the Little League World Series with Trumbull, he won a national pee wee championship with his hockey team from Bridgeport the same year.[6] Along with his older brother Ted, he attended Fairfield College Preparatory School. He was co-captain of the varsity hockey team in his senior year, receiving Connecticut all-state honors for his efforts on the ice.[7] Chris and Ted are the only players in Fairfield Prep's hockey history to have their numbers retired.[8] The number 18, which they both wore, hangs above the school's home rink at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport in the old rink, as well as in the lobby outside the locker room complex at Fairfield Prep itself. Chris' name and number are also painted above the entrance doors to the Classic arena at the same ice rink.[citation needed]

Playing career

Boston University (1994–1998)

After graduating from Fairfield College Preparatory School, Drury was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques 72nd overall in the third round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Upon being drafted, he began a four-year career at Boston University (BU). In his freshman year in 1995, he won a national championship with BU.[3] In both 1997 and 1998 he was named Hockey East's player of the year and was also named best defensive forward in 1998. In his senior year, he won the Hobey Baker Award as the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA)'s top ice hockey player after finishing as the runner-up the previous season. Drury was the first BU player to reach 100 career goals and assists, finishing with 113 and 100, respectively.[9] BU won the Beanpot tournament all four years he played for them. On January 15, 2009, well into his NHL career, Drury was named Hockey East's Best Defensive Forward, as part of the league's 25th Anniversary celebration. Drury was chosen in a vote of Hockey East fans and members of the league's 25th Anniversary Committee.[10]

NHL

Colorado Avalanche (1998–2002)

Drury began his NHL career there in 1998–99. Recording 44 points in his first season, Drury was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie. In so doing, he became the first player in history to have won both the Hobey Baker Award and the Calder Trophy.[11]

After a 65-point season in 2000–01, Drury won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche, adding 16 points in the playoffs. Drury became a fan favorite with the Avalanche crowd primarily due to his clutch play during playoffs. He had a total of 11 game-winning goals in four straight playoff seasons in Colorado. Avalanche captain Joe Sakic once said of Drury, "You want a goal, you're in overtime – you want him."[3][12] Because of his penchant for game-winning goals, Drury was often referred to as one of the best clutch players in the NHL.

Although Drury's production dipped to 46 points in 2001–02, he was named to the U.S. roster for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Though he did not record any points in the tournament, the Americans surprised many by making it all the way to the final where they lost to Canada. This was the best finish for the United States at the tournament since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice".[13]

Calgary Flames (2002–2003)

Before the start of the next season, on October 1, 2002, Drury and Stéphane Yelle were traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Derek Morris, Dean McAmmond and Jeff Shantz. Drury recorded 53 points for the Flames during the year, finishing third in team scoring.

Buffalo Sabres (2003–2007)

Drury spent just one season with the Flames before he was traded on July 3, 2003, along with Steve Bégin, to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for former Avalanche teammate Steven Reinprecht and Rhett Warrener.[14] Traded twice in two seasons, Drury was admittedly frustrated.[15] However, Drury regained his form and excelled in Buffalo, serving as co-captain with Daniel Brière from 2005 to his departure via free agency in 2007. With his previous numbers (37 with Colorado and 18 with Calgary) both taken in Buffalo, Drury switched to 23 in honor of his childhood hero, New York Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly.[16]

Drury playing for the Buffalo Sabres in 2005

Drury again represented the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where the Americans finished eighth overall.[17]

After a career-high 37-goal, 69-point campaign in 2006–07, the Sabres made a second consecutive run to the Eastern Conference Finals this time as the Presidents' Trophy-winning first seed, where they faced the Ottawa Senators. Proving he could still be a clutch performer, Drury scored two game-winning goals in the first round against the New York Islanders,[3] then scored the game-tying goal in game five of the second round against the New York Rangers with 7.7 seconds left in regulation time.[18] The Sabres won 2–1 in overtime and closed out the series against the Rangers, four games to two. In Game 4 of the Conference Finals against the Senators, Drury recorded another game-winner to stave off elimination,[19] though the Sabres were eventually defeated four games to one.

New York Rangers (2007–2011)

In the off-season, Drury and co-captain Daniel Brière both became unrestricted free agents. While Brière signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, on July 1, 2007, Drury signed a five-year, $35.25 million contract with the New York Rangers.[20] He made his Rangers debut against the Florida Panthers, scoring a goal in a 5–2 win.[21] On February 1, 2008, in a game against the New Jersey Devils, Drury scored an empty net goal on the power play for his 500th career point.[22] He finished his first season with the Rangers with 58 points – third in team scoring. Matched up against New Jersey in the first round, Drury scored the game-winning and series-clinching goal to eliminate the Devils in five games.[23] On October 1, 2008, Drury and the Rangers won the Victoria Cup, defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk by a score of 4–3.

After the departure of Jaromír Jágr from the Rangers to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Drury was named the 25th captain in Rangers history on October 3, 2008. Drury was only the second American-born captain in team history (the first was Brian Leetch from 1997 to 2000).[24] This made Drury one of four active NHL players at the time to have captained two different NHL teams (the others were Chris Pronger, Joe Thornton and former teammate Adam Foote).

Drury was named to the United States roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Drury, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Rafalski were the only members of the 2010 team who had previous Olympic experience. Because of his disappointing play for the Rangers in 2010 (he had spent much of the season on the fourth line, with a pre-Olympics scoring total of 8G-11A-19P and a −14 plus-minus rating), Drury's inclusion on the team was questioned by former Olympian Jeremy Roenick, who said the team might be better served by adding either former Rangers teammate Scott Gomez or T. J. Oshie.[25] On February 21, 2010, Drury scored the go-ahead goal to break a 2–2 tie in a critical round-robin game against Canada. The Americans went on to win 5–3. The Americans lost a rematch to the Canadians in the gold medal game and Drury was awarded an Olympic silver medal for the second time.

In June 2011, rumors began circulating that the Rangers were looking to negotiate a contract buyout with Drury. However, these rumors were silenced after it was announced Drury may have a degenerative condition in his left knee which would cause him to miss the entire 2011–12 season.[26]

On June 29, 2011, Drury accepted a buy-out of the final year of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2011. Drury would count approximately $3.716 million against the 2011–12 salary cap, and about $1.667 million against the 2012–13 salary cap.[27] On August 19, 2011, Drury retired as a player.[28]

Management career

In September 2015, the Rangers named Drury their director of player development.[29] In September 2016, Drury was promoted by the Rangers to assistant general manager.[30] The next season, he was also assigned to be the general manager of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.[2]

In March 2019, the Rangers signed Drury to a contract extension as assistant general manager.[31] On February 5, 2021, Drury was promoted to associate general manager.[32] On May 5, 2021, following the sudden dismissal of John Davidson and Jeff Gorton from the team's front office, Drury was promoted to President and General Manager of the New York Rangers.[33]

In Chris Drury's first offseason as general manager, he made several free agent signings and trades in response to the Tom Wilson incident on May 3, which occurred two days before he took over as general manager. This includes trading for Barclay Goodrow (and later signing him on a six-year deal), signing Patrik Nemeth to a three-year, $7.5 million deal, and signing Ryan Reaves. Although Drury made these signings in response to the Tom Wilson incident, he also faced criticism throughout the offseason, most notably on July 23 when he traded Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues for Sammy Blais. His offseason with the Rangers was ranked 23rd by The Athletic, and the Buchnevich trade has been considered as one of the worst trades in franchise history.[34] Despite the Buchnevich trade and criticism for his offseason moves, the Rangers did make the Eastern Conference Finals following his trade deadline additions for Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, and Justin Braun.[35] Following the season, Drury was named as a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, an award given to the top NHL general manager, along with former teammate and Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic and Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois.[36]

Personal life

Drury and his wife Rory[37] have two daughters and a son.[38] The family resides in Greenwich, Connecticut.[39]

Drury's older brother, Ted, played professional hockey in the NHL for six different teams between 1989 and 2001. His nephew, Jack, currently plays professional hockey for the Carolina Hurricanes.

In the late 2000s, Drury, along with partners Ken Martin, Paul Coniglio, and Cody Lee, purchased Colony Grill in Stamford, Connecticut, a pizza tavern established in 1935. Since the purchase, the group has opened four more locations throughout southwestern Connecticut and New York, including Fairfield, Connecticut, near where Drury played high school hockey at Fairfield Prep. Locations have also been opened in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, Maryland, and Virginia.[40][41]

Records

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1991–92 Fairfield Prep HS-CT 25 22 27 49 — — — — — —
1992–93 Fairfield Prep HS-CT 24 25 32 57 15 — — — — —
1993–94 Fairfield Prep HS-CT 24 37 18 55 — — — — — —
1994–95 Boston University HE 39 12 15 27 38 — — — — —
1995–96 Boston University HE 37 35 32 67 46 — — — — —
1996–97 Boston University HE 41 38 24 62 64 — — — — —
1997–98 Boston University HE 38 28 29 57 88 — — — — —
1998–99 Colorado Avalanche NHL 79 20 24 44 62 19 6 2 8 4
1999–2000 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 20 47 67 42 17 4 10 14 4
2000–01 Colorado Avalanche NHL 71 24 41 65 47 23 11 5 16 4
2001–02 Colorado Avalanche NHL 82 21 25 46 38 21 5 7 12 10
2002–03 Calgary Flames NHL 80 23 30 53 33 — — — — —
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 76 18 35 53 68 — — — — —
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 81 30 37 67 32 18 9 9 18 10
2006–07 Buffalo Sabres NHL 77 37 32 69 30 16 8 5 13 2
2007–08 New York Rangers NHL 82 25 33 58 45 10 3 3 6 8
2008–09 New York Rangers NHL 81 22 34 56 32 6 1 0 1 2
2009–10 New York Rangers NHL 77 14 18 32 31 — — — — —
2010–11 New York Rangers NHL 24 1 4 5 8 5 0 1 1 2
NHL totals 892 255 360 615 468 135 47 42 89 46

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1996 United States WJC 5th 6 2 2 4 2
1997 United States WC 6th 8 0 1 1 2
1998 United States WC 12th 6 1 2 3 12
2002 United States OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 0 0 0 0
2004 United States WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 9 3 3 6 27
2004 United States WCH 4th 5 0 0 0 0
2006 United States OG 8th 6 0 3 3 2
2010 United States OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 2 0 2 0
Junior totals 6 2 2 4 2
Senior totals 46 6 9 15 43

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
NCAA Division I National Champion 1995
All-Hockey East All-Star 1995–96
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 1995–96
All-Hockey East All-Star 1996–97
AHCA East First-Team All-American 1996–97
All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 1997 [43]
All-Hockey East First Team 1997–98
AHCA East First-Team All-American 1997–98
NHL
All-Rookie Team 1999
Calder Memorial Trophy 1999
Stanley Cup champion 2001 [44]

See also

References

  1. ^ Power, Kevin (February 5, 2021). "Rangers Promote Chris Drury to Associate GM". Blueshirt Banter. SB Nation. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "RANGERS ANNOUNCE PERSONNEL CHANGES IN HARTFORD". American Hockey League. May 16, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Traikos, Michael (April 20, 2007). "'Captain Clutch' walks softly with big stick". National Post. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  4. ^ Looney, Douglas (August 3, 2015). "SI Vault: Wonderkid Chris Drury a Little League hero and hockey champ". Sports Illustrated.
  5. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  6. ^ "At the Little League World Series". Sports Illustrated. September 4, 1989. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  7. ^ "iwasallstate.com at Directnic". www.iwasallstate.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008.
  8. ^ "Fairfield Prep hockey legend Chris Drury retires from NHL". Connecticut Post. August 11, 2011.
  9. ^ "Official Site of the National Hockey League | NHL.com". www.nhl.com.
  10. ^ "BU'S Drury Named Hockey East's Top All-Time Defensive Forward". Hockey East. January 15, 2009. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
  11. ^ a b Berkow, Ira (May 2, 2006). "For Drury, Winning Is Not The Only Thing". New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  12. ^ Price, S.L. (April 10, 2007). "The Winner". SI.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  13. ^ "Olympics/Paralympics". teamusa.usahockey.com.
  14. ^ "Buffalo-bound: Drury goes to Sabres in three-way deal". a.espncdn.com. ESPN. July 3, 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  15. ^ Fitzpatrick, Jamie. "2003 Hockey Quotes of the Year". About.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  16. ^ "Fans: Feel the power". ESPN. October 28, 2003. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  17. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey at the 2006 Torino Winter Games". Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
  18. ^ Zinser, Lynn (May 5, 2007). "Sabres Steal Victory From Rangers". New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  19. ^ Allen, Kevin (May 16, 2007). "Sabres stay alive, edge Senators in Game 4". USA Today. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  20. ^ "Rangers ink Gomez and Drury". Associated Press. July 2, 2007. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  21. ^ "Drury, Briere have strong debuts". USA Today. October 5, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  22. ^ "Rangers 3, Devils 1". Associated Press. February 1, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  23. ^ "Rangers ice Devils 5–3; advance to next round". USA Today. April 18, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  24. ^ Brooks, Larry (October 3, 2008). "Rangers name Drury captain". New York Post. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
  25. ^ "Roenick baffled that Drury named to Team USA". CTV. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  26. ^ Brooks, Larry (June 17, 2011). "Rangers can't buy out injured Drury". New York Post. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  27. ^ "New York Rangers make Chris Drury buyout official, clear cap room – ESPN New York". ESPN. June 29, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  28. ^ "Chris Drury retires after 12 NHL seasons". National Hockey League. August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  29. ^ "NY Rangers Tap Ex-NHL Player Chris Drury As Director Of Player Development". International Business Times. September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  30. ^ "Source: Rangers to promote Chris Drury to assistant general manager". September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  31. ^ "Sportsnet.ca: Rangers extend contracts for GM Jeff Gorton, assistant GM Chris Drury". March 7, 2020.
  32. ^ "Chris Drury Promoted to Associate General Manager where he made the terrible mistake of trading Pavel Buchnevich for a 4th line player, a 2022 second round pick". NHL.com. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  33. ^ Rosen, Dan (May 5, 2021). "Rangers fire president Davidson, GM Gorton". NHL.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  34. ^ Luszczyszyn, Dom. "2021 NHL front office rankings: Fans weigh in on every team". The Athletic.
  35. ^ Carter, Ethan (June 26, 2023). "St. Louis Blues: Revisiting the Pavel Buchnevich Trade". The Hockey Writers.
  36. ^ "Lightning, Rangers, Avalanche GMs up for Jim Gregory Award". June 21, 2022.
  37. ^ Thomson, Josh. "The NHL's $35 Million Man | BU Today | Boston University". Bu.edu. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  38. ^ Vogl, John (December 17, 2015). "Drury embraces limelight again on special night". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  39. ^ "Drury: The life lessons of Little League". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  40. ^ "Colony Grill Brings Famous "Hot Oil" Pizzas To Maryland". colony grill.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  41. ^ Hartz, Brian (March 1, 2023). "Colony Grill brings taste of Connecticut to Tampa Bay". Business Observer. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Men's Ice Hockey Career Records". Archived from the original on January 2, 2011.
  43. ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  44. ^ "Avalanche take the Stanley Cup". British Broadcasting Corporation. June 10, 2001. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chris Drury.
Sporting positions
Preceded by New York Rangers captain
2008–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Buffalo Sabres captain
November 2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Buffalo Sabres captain
March–April 2004 		Succeeded by
Co-captain
with Daniel Brière
Preceded by
Himself
rotating captaincy ended
 Buffalo Sabres captain
2005–2007
With: Daniel Brière 		Succeeded by
Jochen Hecht
rotating captaincy resumed
Awards
Preceded by Hockey East Player of the Year
1996–97, 1997–98 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Hockey East Best Defensive Forward
1997–98 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Hockey East Scoring Champion
1995–96, 1996–97 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Hobey Baker Award
1997–98 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy
1999 		Succeeded by
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