Geoff Courtnall was signed by the
Boston Bruins of the NHL as an
undrafted free agent on July 6, 1983. He played for the Bruins from the
1983–84 season to March 8, 1988, when he was traded, along with
Bill Ranford, to the
Edmonton Oilers for
Andy Moog. While in Edmonton, he helped the Oilers win the
Stanley Cup in
1988, after facing his old team the Bruins in the finals. About four months later, the Oilers traded Courtnall to the
Washington Capitals for
Greg Adams. After two seasons in Washington, Courtnall requested a trade, which was granted in the 1990 off-season when he was sent to the
St. Louis Blues for
Mike Lalor and
Peter Zezel. After less than a season in St. Louis and at the trade deadline, Courtnall, along with
Robert Dirk,
Sergio Momesso,
Cliff Ronning, and future considerations, was traded to the
Vancouver Canucks in exchange for
Garth Butcher and
Dan Quinn. This trade marked a major turning point for the Canucks as these players were among the core that would lead the Canucks on their run to the
1994 Stanley Cup Final. Courtnall then played one more season in Vancouver after the Cup run of 1994 and went back to the St. Louis for the start of the
1995–96 season. Courtnall, in his second tenure with the Blues, scored almost 80 goals over five seasons, but only played 30 games over his final two seasons as the result of several concussions, but reached the
1,000 game mark during the 1997–98 season, in which he scored 31 goals in his last full season. After sitting out the last half of the 1998–99 season with a concussion he returned to the lineup the next season. A few games into the
1999–2000 season, he suffered another concussion, which forced his retirement as a result of
post-concussion syndrome. ==Personal life==