Early years and WHA In 1976, Messier tried out for the
junior Spruce Grove Mets of the
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), where his father, Doug Messier, was coaching. As Messier was only 15 (the age limit was 20), Doug did not expect him to make the team, though he was surprised and was added to the roster. Messier recorded 66 points in 57 games with the Mets in the 1976–77 season. The team, which relocated to St. Albert the following season and was renamed the
St. Albert Saints, named Messier captain for 1977–78, and he scored 74 points in 54 games. After the season he joined the
Portland Winterhawks of the
major junior Western Hockey League (WHL) for the playoffs, appearing in 7 games and scoring 5 points. Before the start of the 1978–79 season, Messier was looking for alternatives to another season with the Saints, as he felt he was too good for the AJHL. He was not interested in playing in the WHL, so he initially tried out for the
Canadian Olympic team, which was preparing for the
1980 Winter Olympics. At the same time, Doug contacted his former junior teammate
Pat Stapleton, who was coaching of the
Indianapolis Racers of the
World Hockey Association (WHA), who needed someone to replace another young player they had just traded,
Wayne Gretzky. Doug called him and got Messier a contract to play hockey in Indianapolis for $30,000. However Messier only took a 5-game amateur tryout, as it would allow him to return to junior hockey if need be. Offered a longer contract, Messier held off on signing it, which proved fortuitous as the team folded on December 15; his only cheque from them
bounced. Returning to the Saints, Messier played his final two games of junior hockey for them before he was signed by the
Cincinnati Stingers, also of the WHA. Messier signed a contract for $35,000 to play the rest of the season with the Stingers. He scored his first professional goal on March 20, 1979, against
Pat Riggin of the
Birmingham Bulls. Messier played 47 games for the Stingers, tallying one goal and 10 assists.
Edmonton Oilers (1979–1991) The WHA folded after the conclusion of the 1978–79 season, and four of the six remaining teams
were admitted into the NHL; both the Stingers and the Bulls were not included in the merger and instead joined the minor
Central Hockey League. The players were dispersed to teams that had already owned their NHL rights, or were allowed to enter the
1979 NHL entry draft; being under 20 years old Messier was eligible for the draft, and was selected in the third round, 48th overall, by the
Edmonton Oilers. He refused the Oilers' initial contract offers, a four-year
two-way contract or one year at $20,000 plus an option for a second year, instead wanting four-years at $50,000 per year, but ultimately signed what the Oilers offered. During his first year in the NHL, Messier had several discipline issues, and at the end of October, he missed a team flight and was subsequently reassigned to their CHL affiliate, the
Houston Apollos, for four games. On returning to Edmonton, Messier moved back in with his parents, living at their St. Albert home. For most of Messier's tenure with the Oilers, he played on a line with
Glenn Anderson. Messier was a fierce, tough competitor whose intense leadership in the dressing room was as important as the goals he scored on the ice. He was not initially known as a scorer, but his offensive numbers increased steadily over his first few years with the Oilers. In
1981–82, he registered his only 50-goal season. In the 1982 playoffs, the Oilers lost to the underdog
Los Angeles Kings in five games; during Game 3 (nicknamed the "
Miracle on Manchester") which went to overtime after the Kings completed a comeback from being down 5–0, Messier missed a wide-open net when goaltender
Mario Lessard was out of position, then Messier lost a face-off to
Doug Smith who setup
Daryl Evans for the sudden-death winning goal. , as a part of the
1983–84 Edmonton Oilers. Initially a left-winger (he was named to the NHL First All-Star Team in
1982–83 on the left wing), Messier switched to centre in the 1984 playoffs, and the results were spectacular. Advancing to the
1984 Finals to earn a rematch with the four-time defending champion
New York Islanders, the Oilers had trouble scoring in games 1 and 2, a 1–0 win and a 6–1 loss, respectively, although the Oilers still managed to split the games thanks to the physicality of Messier and
Kevin McClelland. In game 3, with his Oilers trailing the Islanders 2–1, it was Messier beating the defensive pair of
Denis Potvin and
Gord Dineen to score on on a brilliant end-to-end rush that not only tied the game, but sparked a 7–2 victory for the Oilers to give them a 2–1 series lead, thus Messier's goal was considered the turning point in the series. The Oilers went on to win games 4 and 5 by scores of 7–2 and 5–2, respectively, and where
Wayne Gretzky scored his first goals of the series, to capture their first Stanley Cup. Messier was awarded the
Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. In 1984, Messier was suspended for ten games for cracking
Jamie Macoun's cheekbone with a sucker punch from behind during a game against the Calgary Flames on December 26. Messier was retaliating for having been boarded by Macoun earlier in the game, but the NHL ruled that he had instigated the fight. On September 6, 1985, Messier lost control of his
Porsche and totaled it by hitting three parked cars. He was later charged with
hit and run and careless driving, for which he paid a fine. He won four more Cups with the Oilers, 1985, 1987, 1988, and
1990, for the last of which he captained the Oilers to a five-game victory over the
Boston Bruins. Though the Oilers had been a 1980s powerhouse, the 1990 victory, which came two years after
Wayne Gretzky was traded away, surprised many. Messier also won the
Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP that season, edging out the Bruins'
Ray Bourque by just two votes, the narrowest margin in the award's history. After the 1990–91 season, Messier was upset that the Oilers were willing to let
Adam Graves leave the team. Messier issued a public trade demand during the Canada Cup tournament saying that he wanted out if the Oilers were not willing to do what was necessary to keep important players. On October 4, 1991, in one of many cost-cutting moves by Edmonton management, Messier was traded to the
New York Rangers for
Louie DeBrusk,
Bernie Nicholls, and
Steven Rice.
New York Rangers (1991–1997) In his first season with the Rangers, Messier won his second Hart Trophy and guided the Rangers to the best record in the NHL. However, they were ousted in six games in the second round of the playoffs by the eventual champions
Pittsburgh Penguins. In 1992–93, the Rangers missed the playoffs, and was the first time in Messier's career that he did not play in the postseason. After the season,
Mike Keenan was hired as head coach.
1993-94 season In the
1993–94 NHL season, the Rangers rebounded to once again finish first overall, and this time were expected to win the Cup. After easily ousting the Islanders and Capitals in the first two rounds, the Rangers' road to the Cup would get a lot harder. Down 3–2 in the series before game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals against the
rival New Jersey Devils, Messier confronted the New York media and publicly guaranteed a game 6 victory. With fans and players on both sides reading the news headline, it then became a feat comparable to
Babe Ruth's called shot and
Joe Namath's
Super Bowl III guarantee, and he backed it up by scoring a
natural hat trick in the third period on an empty net goal with
ESPN play-by-play commentator
Gary Thorne boasting, "Do you believe it? Do you believe it? He said we will win game six and he has just picked up the hat trick!" It helped the Rangers erase a 2–0 deficit to win 4–2. The Rangers went on to win the series in a thrilling seventh game double overtime nailbiter. In the
Stanley Cup Finals, Messier scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in game 7 at Madison Square Garden, giving the Rangers
their first Stanley Cup in 54 years. He became the first (and to this date, the only) player to captain two teams to the Stanley Cup, something his former teammate Wayne Gretzky could not do
the year before, and provided two of the most memorable images of that Stanley Cup Finals. First, when the buzzer sounded he was jumping up and down with overwhelming emotion as ticker tape fell; fireworks burst and fans and teammates celebrated. The other, which would become an iconic image to the Rangers and their fans, taken by
George Kalinsky, photographer at
Madison Square Garden, showing incredible emotion as he accepted the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner
Gary Bettman. Finally, during the
ticker-tape parade celebrating the Rangers' win,
Rudy Giuliani, witnessing his first New York sports team championship victory just five months after becoming mayor, dubbed Messier "Mr. June," conjuring
Reggie Jackson's "Mr. October" nickname.
1995 to 1997 In
1995–96, Messier came as close as he had since 1991–92 to break the 100-point plateau when, at the age of 35, he recorded a 99-point season. In
1996–97, former Oilers teammate
Wayne Gretzky joined the Rangers, while Messier retained the captaincy and had a respectable 84-point regular season. The two led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were eliminated by the
Philadelphia Flyers in five games, as the Rangers could not match the size and strength of
Eric Lindros and his "
Legion of Doom" linemates. This would turn out to be both players' final playoff appearances. Messier left the club after the season (see below), ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky being together again on the same team after just one season. Messier had wanted to finish his career with the Rangers but
Dave Checketts, the president of Madison Square Garden, said the team did not think Messier was worth US$20 million for the next three years, though Messier maintained that he would have signed a one-year contract extension for under $6 million per season. Although public sentiment sided with Messier, as he led the team to two
first-place regular season finishes and the
Stanley Cup, general manager
Neil Smith was content having Gretzky and
Pat LaFontaine as top centremen, and he came close to landing
Joe Sakic from the
Colorado Avalanche when he signed him to an offer sheet in the summer of 1997. (The Avalanche matched the offer and Sakic remained in Colorado for the remainder of his career.) Smith's decision to keep Gretzky and LaFontaine backfired, as LaFontaine would suffer a career-ending concussion during the 1997–98 season and Gretzky would retire after the following season.
Vancouver Canucks (1997–2000) At 36 years old and still highly coveted by numerous NHL teams, Messier signed with the
Vancouver Canucks to a high-priced free-agent contract. The Canucks desired a star centreman to play alongside
Pavel Bure, having earlier made an unsuccessful pitch to
Wayne Gretzky, before attracting Messier. Messier's return to Canada after six years with the Rangers was an emotional and high-profile event, but the bliss was brief. Messier's image with Canucks fans was tarnished due to his demand to receive the number No. 11, which he had worn throughout his career with the Oilers and Rangers, but which the Canucks had unofficially retired after
Wayne Maki's unexpected death in 1974. Canucks management allowed Messier to wear the number over the protest of Maki's family. Before the season started, incumbent captain and fan favorite
Trevor Linden was pressured to relinquish the captaincy to Messier, a move that did not go over well with Canucks supporters, as just a few years ago Linden had almost led the underdog Canucks to upset Messier's Rangers in the 1994 Cup Finals, as well as Messier's time with the Oilers where they defeated the Canucks in the playoffs every time they met. Amidst a turbulent season, in which president and general manager
Pat Quinn and head coach
Tom Renney were fired, Mike Keenan was hired as the new head coach and acting general manager reportedly at Messier's bequest. It was widely believed that Messier told team ownership that he wanted full control of the dressing room, which involved bringing in Keenan with his authoritarian player management style that grated upon existing Canucks players from the Quinn era. Instead of mediating between the head coach and players, Messier always sided with Keenan, causing many of these veteran Canucks to leave in free agency or be traded away. Keenan eventually traded Linden to the
New York Islanders, where he became their captain, replacing
Bryan McCabe, for whom Linden was traded along with
Todd Bertuzzi. Canucks fans were outraged by the trade, and in Linden's first return to Vancouver after being traded he received a standing ovation while Messier was booed. These moves, along with Messier's below-par on-ice performances, has led to him being regarded as "undoubtedly the most hated player in the history of the Canucks". In Messier's first game back on Broadway, MSG provided a video for him which was displayed on the big screen at the Garden. It was very emotional as some fans as well as Messier himself shed tears. He went on to score a goal in that game against his former team where he received applause after doing so even though he wore a different uniform. One fan displayed a sign that read, "You will always be our captain Mess." Sixty points in
1997–98 was his worst mark in a full year since his first NHL season; his next two seasons were shortened by injury and finished with 158 points over three years, considered below expectations compared to other star centremen earning around $6 million US a season, like
Steve Yzerman and
Joe Sakic. Messier was still expected to be named to the Canadian men's hockey team for the
1998 Olympics, in which the NHL allowed its best players to participate for the first time; however, he was surprisingly omitted by general manager
Bobby Clarke.
Brian Burke was hired as general manager in June 1998. Keenan, who had to cede the personnel decisions to Burke, was fired from his post as Canucks' head coach midway in the
1998–99 season, as the club missed the playoffs during Messier's three years. With most of the players from the Quinn era gone, and a new nucleus of young players, Messier's leadership was now viewed positively and he did receive praise for being a "father figure" to them. Messier's 67-point season as a 40-year-old in
2000–01 was a mark better than any he established in his Vancouver years, showing that he could still be a valuable presence, but the Rangers missed the playoffs for the fourth year running. After missing half of
2001–02 due to an arm injury, Messier recorded only 23 points and finished up next year with a 40-point season. On June 30, 2003, Messier's rights were traded to the
San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round draft pick. This draft pick ended up being used to select
Rochester, New York native and future Rangers captain
Ryan Callahan. The Sharks held his rights for just a few hours as he would eventually go on to re-sign with the Rangers as a free agent. . The ceremony was held in January 2006, several months after he retired. On November 4, 2003, against the
Dallas Stars, Messier scored a pair of goals to vault past
Gordie Howe into second on the all-time point scoring list with 1,851 points, second-most in League history trailing only Wayne Gretzky. Eleven days later, Messier was the only active player to play in the Legends Game at Edmonton's
Heritage Classic, suiting up with the Oiler alumni. During his last game at Madison Square Garden (a 4–3 loss to the
Buffalo Sabres on March 31, 2004), Messier received applause every time he touched the puck and, after the game, received a standing ovation while he skated around the Garden and bowed to every section of the stands. At the age of 43, most media outlets believed Messier had decided to quit. The
NHL lockout eliminated the next season. All speculation ended on September 12, 2005, when he announced his retirement on ESPN radio. Messier retired eleven games behind Howe's then-NHL record 1,767 regular season games played. Messier holds the record for most NHL regular season and playoff season games played at 1,992. Messier is one of a handful of players to have played 25 NHL seasons.
International career Messier only played with
Canada once outside North America, winning the silver medal at the
1989 World Championships in Sweden. He also won three consecutive
Canada Cups and played for the Canadian team that finished second at the
1996 World Cup of Hockey, four tournaments which he described as "my real opportunity to play international hockey." ==Post-playing career==