Glenn Anderson - Playing Career

Playing Career

Anderson played for the Burnaby Winter Club, then University of Denver in the NCAA for a year, before joining the Canadian National Team in 1979–80, with whom he represented Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He also played with the Seattle Breakers in the WHL that season. The Oilers drafted him in the fourth round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, 69th overall. He joined the Oilers' roster in the 1980–81 season.

Anderson played 11 full seasons with the Oilers, from the 1980–81 to 1990–91. He won five Stanley Cups with Edmonton in the years 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990.

During the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals, Anderson had several noted run-ins with New York Islanders goaltender Billy Smith. During Game One, a slash on Anderson's knee earned Smith a two-minute slashing penalty. Anderson's knee swelled up and prevented him from practicing the next day, so Oilers manager and coach Glen Sather unsuccessfully complained to the league that Smith deserved an attempt-to-injure match penalty. In Game Four, when the two crashed into each other, Smith's dive resulted in referee Andy Van Hellemond handing a five minute penalty to Anderson. Van Hellemond said that this was "making a bit of a fool of me", and when he officiated Game One of the 1984 Finals, a rematch of the Islanders and Oilers, he called no penalty when Smith and Anderson collided.

On September 19, 1991 Anderson was traded, with Grant Fuhr, to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he played two seasons and part of another. There, he reached the 1000 point plateau and played a key role in the Leafs' 1993 playoff run to the Conference Finals. The Leafs traded Anderson to the Rangers, where he won a sixth Stanley Cup 1994.

Anderson played the 1994–95 with the St. Louis Blues and split the 1995–96 between the Blues and the Oilers, and played only another 68 regular season and 17 playoff games after being a member of the Rangers' Cup-winning team in 1994. During the 1994–95 NHL lockout Anderson played with the European hockey teams Lukko Rauma of the FNL and with the Augsburger Panther of the DEL. After playing part of 1995 again with Augsburger, Anderson signed with the Vancouver Canucks, but never played with them, as upon signing as a free agent in January, he had to clear re-entry waivers, and the Oilers claimed him. Oliers General Manager Sather hoped that Anderson could guide the then young, rebuilding Oilers with his leadership and experience, and hoped to see Anderson hit his expected career milestones of 500 goals and 600 assists as an Oiler. In seventeen games on his return to the Oilers, he managed ten points before being claimed on waivers by St. Louis, where he completed his NHL career. In the 1996 playoffs, Anderson played eleven games producing five points (one goal, four assists) in his final post-season in the NHL.

Anderson was noted for his aggressive "to the net" playing style, typifying the NHL power forward in the early 1980s. As an NHL player, he scored 498 goals and 601 assists in 1129 regular season games, and added another 93 goals and 121 assists in 225 playoff games. Noted as a "clutch" player, he was able to score key goals when the team most needed them. He scored five playoff overtime goals, third to Joe Sakic's 8 and Maurice Richard's 6. In addition, he had 17 playoff game-winning goals, good for fifth in the all time history of the NHL.

Anderson's post-playing career was mired by a bitter legal battle over child support for a son, Nicholas, whom he fathered out of wedlock in 1989. Anderson argued that he had in writing that they had agreed to a lump sum settlement. He went to court in British Columbia to try to reduce the payments. When the payments ceased he was sued by the mother, Patricia O'Connor. Anderson was accused of owing O'Connor more than $125,000 in child support. Anderson had no relationship with his son at the time of the suit, which was one of Canada's most high-profile "deadbeat dad" cases.

On June 17, 2008, it was announced that Anderson would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player. For the Rangers, it marked the second straight year that a member of their 1994 Stanley Cup winning team had been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, following Mark Messier in 2007.

Anderson's jersey number 9 was retired on January 18, 2009 before the game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Phoenix Coyotes . He had the largest alumni turnout since the Heritage Classic for his jersey retirement. Anderson continues to play for the NHL Alumni Legends of Hockey and many charities. He has been working on a film involving former Canadian and Russian Hockey players.