Phil Housley

Phil Housley

Phillip Francis Housley (born March 9, 1964 in South St. Paul, Minnesota) is a former American ice hockey player who played for the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Housley currently coaches high school hockey for the Stillwater Ponies of Stillwater, Minnesota.

Housley is the second leading scorer amongst U.S.-born players, with 1,232 points (338–894). He held the record for most points by an American-born NHL player until Mike Modano surpassed it on November 7, 2007.

Housley never won the Stanley Cup, coming closest with the Capitals in 1998, where they were swept in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Detroit Red Wings. He played more NHL games without winning the Stanley Cup than any player in NHL history. Former teammate Teppo Numminen was the active NHL player who had played the most games without winning the coveted trophy: 1,372 at the end of the 2008–09 season, but retired officially on August 5, 2009.

On January 21, 2000, Housley played in his 1,257th NHL Game, the most ever at the time by an American, breaking the record held by Craig Ludwig. Housley went on to play in 1,495 NHL games. He held the record for games played by an American-born player for nearly seven years, until it was broken, on November 24, 2006, by Chris Chelios.

Housley was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, and is currently eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame. On February 7, 2007, he was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame, commemorated in a pre-game ceremony with former head coach Scotty Bowman on hand.