Mark Major(born March 20, 1970) is a Canadian former professionalice hockeyleft winger.He played two games in theNational Hockey Leaguewith theDetroit Red Wingsduring the1996–97 season.He was drafted 25th overall by thePittsburgh Penguinsin the1988 NHL Entry Draft.Major acquired manypenalty minutesover his career due to his playing style, which involved battling in front of the net for loose pucks, scoringgarbage goals,and blocking thegoaltendersview. Major only played in twoNHLgames, for theDetroit Red Wings.He also enjoyed a short career as a professionalinline hockeyplayer inRoller Hockey International(RHI). Taking into account all of his hockey games played at a professional level, Major played in 1,339 games and acquired 4,334 penalty minutes, giving Major an average of 3.24 penalty minutes per game during his career. After 4 seasons and 2 Championships as head coach of the Amherstview Jets Junior A team, Major is taking a year off to help coach his daughter's Kingston Ice Wolves' Peewee AA team.
| Mark Major | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 20, 1970 Toronto,Ontario,Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings | ||
| NHL draft |
25th overall,1988 Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| Playing career | 1990–2004 | ||
Professional career
editJunior and early minor-league career
editMajor started receiving attention from NHL scouts while playing for theDon Mills Flyersof theMTHLin 1986. He advanced to theNorth Bay Centennialsof theOntario Hockey Leaguefor the 1987–88 season and put up 33 points in 57 games to go along with a whopping 272 penalty minutes (PIM). Major averaged almost 5 penalty minutes a game, but his hard-nosed style was admired by NHL scouts and Major was selected 25th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the1988 NHL Entry Draft.Now as an NHL prospect, Major gained confidence and began the 1988–89 season again with the Centennials before being traded 11 games into theKingston Raiders.He would remain in Kingston for that season and the next (when they were renamed theKingston Frontenacs), scoring 112 points and 361 PIMs, before moving up to theMuskegon Lumberjacksof theInternational Hockey League.Major remained with the Lumberjacks for three seasons, scoring 77 points and 617 PIMs. He led the team in penalties during the 1991–92 season with 302 and would add another 29 PIMs in the Lumberjacks' playoff run which saw them lose four games to none in the finals to theKansas City Blades.After his last season with the Lumberjacks, that included relocation toCleveland,Major was let go by the parent club Pittsburgh and quickly signed as afree agentby theBoston Bruinson July 22, 1993.
Major started play with Boston's affiliate theProvidence Bruinsof theAmerican Hockey League.He scored 26 points along with 176 PIMs during the1993–94 season,but Providence failed to make the playoffs. He was let go by the Bruins, and joined theDetroit Vipersof the IHL for the following season. He continued to play aggressively, with his 36 points and 229 PIMs helping push the Vipers into the playoffs, but his play couldn't help them past the second round.
Major again caught the attention of an NHL team, when the Detroit Red Wings signed him as a free agent on June 26, 1995. He began play for theAdirondack Red Wingsof the AHL in the1995–96 seasonand scored 29 points while racking up 234 PIMs for second on the team. He was known as a player who wouldn't back down from afight,and he was involved in several fights during Adirondack's short playoff run that season, receiving 21 PIMs in just three games.
NHL appearance
editMajor received his first shot in the big leagues during the1996–97 NHL seasonwhen he was brought up from Adirondack for two games starting on November 2, 1996. In his first game, halfway through the second period, Majorfoughtveteran instigatorTie Domiof theToronto Maple Leafs.Major held his own against Domi but was rewarded with a bloody nose and a five-minute major. Major played the following night and failed to impress the Detroit staff, which resulted in him being sent back down to the minors. Finishing the season with Adirondack, and leading the team in PIMs with 213, Major was let go by Detroit.
Late minor-league career
editMajor still had NHL interest and was quickly signed as a free agent on August 20, 1997, by theWashington Capitals.He started out in their farm system playing for thePortland Piratesof the AHL. In hisfirst season,Major was first on his team and second in the league for penalty minutes with 355. This was his career-high for PIMs in a season and as of 2007, he still holds the team record for penalty minutes in a single season. Major wasn't finished with 355 and added 52 more PIMs in 10 playoff games that year. Thefollowing seasonhe again led the team in PIMs and saw his point production decrease to only nine points in 66 games. He was let go by Washington and began play for theHouston Aerosof the IHL in 1999. After just 20 games (with 81 PIMs), Major was signed as a free agent by theFlint Generalsof theUnited Hockey League.He was named teamcaptainand finished out the 1999–00 season with the Generals scoring 41 points, his highest point total in years, and helped the team win theColonial Cup.He put up great numbers the following season when he finished with 46 points and 163 PIMs. Generals coachBilly Thurlowhad this to say about Major's style of play:
Anytime he's on the ice, people have to respect us. Nobody's going to shove us around.[1]
He would also go on to join the AHL'sHershey Bearsfor two games in the2000–01 season.In 2001, he joined theWheeling Nailersof theEast Coast Hockey Leagueand would go on to score 84 points in two seasons with the Nailers. The coach,John Brophy,had this to say about Major returning for his second season in Wheeling:
We are very fortunate to have Mark return to the Nailers, not only are we getting a great player and a natural team leader, but a guy who is good in the community and represents the Nailers and Penguins organizations with class.[2]
The 2003–04 season would be Major's last, playing in 40 games for theLaval Chiefsof theQSMHLand 12 games for theKalamazoo Wingsof the UHL.
Playing inline hockey
editMajor was also an active member of theRoller Hockey International Leaguefor its entire lifespan. Major played on theBuffalo Stampedein 1994 and 1995, winning theMurphy Cupin 1994. He joined theEmpire State Cobrasin 1996 and theNew Jersey Rockin' Rollersin 1997. When the RHI folded in 1997, Major continued playing with theBuffalo WingsofMajor League Roller Hockeyin 1998 and joined the newly re-formed Roller Hockey International with Buffalo in 1999. The league folded for good after the 1999 season.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1987–88 | North Bay Centennials | OHL | 57 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 272 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1988–89 | North Bay Centennials | OHL | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Kingston Raiders | OHL | 53 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 193 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL | 62 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 168 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 1990–91 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 60 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 160 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1991–92 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | IHL | 80 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 302 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 29 | ||
| 1992–93 | Cleveland Lumberjacks | IHL | 82 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 155 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1993–94 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 61 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 176 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Detroit Vipers | IHL | 78 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 229 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 | ||
| 1995–96 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 78 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 234 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 1996–97 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 78 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 213 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1996–97 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 79 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 355 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 52 | ||
| 1998–99 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 66 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 250 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Houston Aeros | IHL | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Flint Generals | UHL | 36 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 135 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 67 | ||
| 2000–01 | Flint Generals | UHL | 53 | 16 | 30 | 46 | 163 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 71 | 26 | 19 | 45 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 68 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Laval Chiefs | QSMHL | 40 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 149 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 2003–04 | Kalamazoo Wings | UHL | 12 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| AHL totals | 364 | 62 | 52 | 114 | 1238 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 86 | ||||
| IHL totals | 320 | 52 | 62 | 114 | 927 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 52 | ||||
| NHL totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Roller hockey
edit| Regular season | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
| 1994 | Buffalo Stampede | RHI | 21 | 18 | 14 | 32 | 63 | |
| 1995 | Buffalo Stampede | RHI | 23 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 97 | |
| 1996 | Empire State Cobras | RHI | 23 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 98 | |
| 1997 | New Jersey Rockin' Rollers | RHI | 10 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 73 | |
| 1998 | Buffalo Wings | MLRH | 13 | 21 | 10 | 31 | 85 | |
| 1999 | Buffalo Wings | RHI | 23 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 111 | |
| Career totals | 113 | 99 | 105 | 204 | 527 | |||
Awards and achievements
edit- Murphy Cup Champion:1994 (Buffalo Stampede – RHI)
- Colonial Cup Champion:2000 (Flint Generals – UHL)
References
edit- ^ Dean Howe (October 19, 2000). "Major Uses Games to Mask Personal Pain". The Flint Journal.
- ^ Press Release (September 5, 2002)."Mark Major is returning to Wheeling".ECHL.com. Archived fromthe originalon July 16, 2011.RetrievedAugust 8,2007.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics fromNHL.com,orEliteprospects.com,orHockey-Reference.com,orThe Internet Hockey Database