Junior Gélinas played two seasons of
junior hockey in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the
Hull Olympiques between 1987 and 1989. He scored 101
goals and 107
assists in 106 games. In his first year,
1987–88, Gélinas finished 10th in QMJHL scoring with 131 points. He won the
Michel Bergeron Trophy as offensive
rookie of the year and was named
Canadian Hockey League rookie of the year in addition to being named a QMJHL first-team all-star. Gélinas added 32 points in 17 playoff games as the Olympiques defeated the
Drummondville Voltigeurs in the final to win the
President's Cup. He was selected by the
Los Angeles Kings with the seventh overall pick. Gélinas never played for the Kings as on August 9, 1988, he was included in one of the most significant trades in NHL history. The
Edmonton Oilers sent
Wayne Gretzky,
Mike Krushelnyski and
Marty McSorley to the Kings in exchange for Gélinas,
Jimmy Carson, three first round draft picks and $15 million in cash. As one of the key players coming to Edmonton in what he later called "the biggest trade in sports history", Gélinas endured the scrutiny of the Canadian media and pressure created by angry and disappointed fans after the Oilers dealt away a player in Gretzky who was considered a national icon. Gélinas began the
1988–89 season with the Oilers and made his NHL debut and scored his first point, on an assist, on October 7, 1988, against the
New York Islanders. He scored his first goal ten days later against
Jon Casey of the
Minnesota North Stars but he was returned to Hull after six games to complete his second season of junior hockey.
Edmonton, Quebec, Vancouver and Carolina Joining the Oilers full-time in
1989–90, Gélinas recorded 25 points in 46 games. At the age of 19, he was a member of Edmonton's "Kid
Line" playing alongside 22-year-olds
Joe Murphy and
Adam Graves. The trio provided an offensive boost in the post-season as the Oilers reached the
1990 Stanley Cup Final against the
Boston Bruins. Edmonton won the best-of-seven championship series four games to one and captured the
Stanley Cup. After recording 40 points in
1990–91, Gélinas scored only 29 points the
following season. The
Quebec Nordiques, who had been criticized by local fans and media for failing to select Gélinas at the 1988 draft, attempted to acquire him in exchange for
Bryan Fogarty. The deal failed to materialize and Gélinas remained with the Oilers for the
1992–93 season where his offensive production again declined, to 23 points. The Nordiques finally acquired Gélinas on June 20, 1993, in exchange for
Scott Pearson. He lasted only 31 games with Quebec before being placed on
waivers and claimed by the
Vancouver Canucks. After scoring 16 points in 33 games to end the
1993–94 regular season with Vancouver, Gélinas added nine points in 24 playoff games. The Canucks reached the
1994 Stanley Cup Final but were defeated in seven games by the
New York Rangers. In the
lockout-shortened
1994–95 season, he scored 23 points in 46 games and won his first of two consecutive
Fred J. Hume Awards as Vancouver's "unsung hero". Gélinas finally achieved the offensive production expected of him when he was drafted by recording consecutive 30-goal seasons. He won three team awards: The
Cyclone Taylor Award as Vancouver's most valuable player, the
Molson Cup for earning the most
three star selections and the
Most Exciting Player Award. He missed 16 games due to the injury and had only eight points in 24 games played. Gélinas was added to Carolina's roster to add a physical presence to the team and improve the team at both ends of the ice. He finished the season with 24 points in 40 games with the Hurricanes, and was invited to join
Team Canada for the
1998 World Championship. Gélinas scored one goal for the sixth-place Canadians. during the alumni game at the
2011 Heritage Classic. Placed in a defensive role, Gélinas's offensive statistics fell to 28 points in
1998–99 and 30 in
1999–2000. The Hurricanes placed him on
waivers late in the latter season, but remained with the team after he went unclaimed. His teammates expressed relief that he hadn't been moved the
following season as, after improving to 59 points, Gélinas scored the game-winning goal to clinch a playoff spot for Carolina. Gélinas led the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history after scoring the overtime-winning goal in the sixth game of the
Eastern Conference final to eliminate the
Toronto Maple Leafs. Carolina fell to the
Detroit Red Wings in five games in the
2002 Stanley Cup Final.
Calgary, Florida and Nashville Gélinas chose to decline his contract option for
2002–03 and left Carolina as a
free agent. He signed a contract with the
Calgary Flames on July 2, 2002. A 52-point season was fourth best on the Flames and included his 500th career point, a game-winning goal against the Detroit Red Wings on January 25, 2003. His 35 points on the season was again fourth-best on the team. In qualifying for the
2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Flames reached the post-season for the first time in eight seasons. With eight goals and 15 points in the playoffs, Gélinas emerged as one of Calgary's post-season heroes. He scored the series-winning goal in overtime of game seven of the Flames' first round series against Vancouver. The victory advanced Calgary to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Gélinas also scored the overtime goal that eliminated Detroit in six games, which made him the first player in NHL history to score three series-winning goals in overtime. He then became the second player in NHL history to score three series-clinching goals in one playoff year by tallying the goal that eliminated the
San Jose Sharks and propelled the Flames into the
2004 Stanley Cup Final. The result was controversial as Gélinas appeared to have scored the tie-breaking goal in the sixth game that would have won the Stanley Cup for Calgary had the score held up. Television replays of the play using the standard broadcast camera angle showed that the puck deflected off Gélinas' skate and appeared to be across the goal line before Tampa goaltender
Nikolai Khabibulin kicked it out of the net. The referees did not signal a goal, however, and no video review was requested. Tampa Bay went on to win the game in overtime. As the
2004–05 NHL season went unplayed due to a
labour dispute, Gélinas spent the season in Switzerland. He played one regular season and five playoff games with
HC Lugano in the
Nationalliga A (NLA), but otherwise spent the season with
HC Forward-Morges in the
Nationalliga B (NLB) where he scored 37 goals in 41 games and recorded 58 points. A free agent when the NHL resumed play in
2005–06, Gélinas signed a two-year contract with the
Florida Panthers. Brought in as a capable veteran, he played all 82 games for Florida and scored over 40 points in each season. Gélinas scored his 300th career goal in Florida's final game of the
2006–07 season. Leaving Florida, Gélinas signed with the
Nashville Predators for the
2007–08 season. He had 20 points in 57 games before suffering a
torn anterior cruciate ligament on February 21, 2008, game against the Vancouver Canucks that was ultimately his final contest in the NHL. Gélinas returned to Switzerland 2008–09 as he signed a contract to play with
SC Bern in the NLA. His former junior team, now known as the Gatineau Olympiques, retired his uniform number 20 in 2012. ==Coaching career==