Sheldon Souray (born July 13, 1976) is a Canadian former professional
ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey
League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton
Oilers, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks. He was best known for his
heavy slapshot, once setting a previous unofficial NHL record for the
hardest recorded shot at the Oilers' 2009 Skills Competition.Before
playing in the NHL, Sheldon was a member of the Fort Saskatchewan
Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). He was drafted in
the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round, 71st overall, by the New
Jersey Devils.Souray reported to his second Devils training camp
overweight and out-of-shape, prompting general manager Lou Lamoriello
called him embarrassing, and that he would never play for the team if
it happened again. Souray credits Lamoriello for calling him out, and
says it was exactly what he needed to succeed at such a high level. He
made his NHL debut in the 199798 season. He finished his rookie season
with modest scoring totals of three goals and ten points in 60 games,
but most importantly established that he was capable of being an NHL
regular. He scored his first NHL goal on a powerful slapshot late in a
December 16, 1997, game against the rival New York Rangers to break a
33 tie late in the third period and send the Devils to a 43 win.
Souray played in New Jersey from 1997 to midway through the 19992000
season, earning a reputation as a big, steady, physical defender with
a mean streak and a hard shot. However, with the Devils preparing to
make their Stanley Cup run late in the 19992000 season and believing
they needed more offence from the blue line, Souray was traded to the
Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000, in exchange for Vladimir
Malakhov.Before playing in the NHL, Sheldon was a member of the Fort
Saskatchewan Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). He
was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round, 71st
overall, by the New Jersey Devils.Souray reported to his second Devils
training camp overweight and out-of-shape, prompting general manager
Lou Lamoriello called him embarrassing, and that he would never play
for the team if it happened again. Souray credits Lamoriello for
calling him out, and says it was exactly what he needed to succeed at
such a high level. He made his NHL debut in the 199798 season. He
finished his rookie season with modest scoring totals of three goals
and ten points in 60 games, but most importantly established that he
was capable of being an NHL regular. He scored his first NHL goal on a
powerful slapshot late in a December 16, 1997, game against the rival
New York Rangers to break a 33 tie late in the third period and send
the Devils to a 43 win. Souray played in New Jersey from 1997 to
midway through the 19992000 season, earning a reputation as a big,
steady, physical defender with a mean streak and a hard shot. However,
with the Devils preparing to make their Stanley Cup run late in the
19992000 season and believing they needed more offence from the blue
line, Souray was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000, in
exchange for Vladimir Malakhov.Souray's offence began to improve
following his trade to the Canadiens. At the time of his trade from
the Devils, he had just eight points, all assists. He finished with
three goals in 19 games as a Canadien to tie his career best for goals
in a season, and establish a new career best for points (11) in 71
combined games. More importantly, he began using his dangerous shot
more often once he arrived in Montreal. In 200001, injuries limited
him to just 52 games, 19 less than the previous year, but Souray still
managed to match his previous season's career bests in goals (3),
assists (8) and points. He got off to a good start in 200102,
threatening to surpass his previous offensive highs, as he tallied
three goals and five assists in just 34 games while fighting through
an injury-plagued campaign. 200102 also saw him record his first
career power play goal, as the Canadiens began to realize the value of
having a player on the point who could consistently shoot the puck as
hard as Souray. However, he suffered a wrist injury that plagued him
throughout the year, and though he would play through it much of the
season, Souray would eventually shut it down at the end of the
season.The severity of the wrist injury kept him out the entire 200203
season while he recovered and regained his strength. However, in
200304, Souray returned to play for the Canadiens and had a breakout
season, amassing a surprising 15 goals and 35 points. He had exceeded
expectations with the sudden development of his offensive game,
especially given his reputation as a defence-first rearguard
throughout his NHL career up to that point. This was of course
possible because his powerful slapshot had returned along with his
health, he was using his shot more often than ever before, and the
Canadiens were giving him plenty of scoring opportunities by using him
on the power play and increasing his overall ice time. During this
season, he participated in the 2004 All-Star Game for the first time,
and shared a win in the Skills Competition's hardest shot contest.
Both he and Adrian Aucoin recorded blasts of 102.2 mph in the event.
During the 200405 NHL lockout, he played for Frjestad BK of the
Swedish Elitserien. While in Sweden, Souray wrote a correspondence in
the Montreal Gazette with the assistance of hockey writer Dave Stubbs.
The correspondence chronicled Souray's experience in a new country,
and the different style of play that is popular overseas compared to
the North American style of play. He also had the chance to represent
his home country internationally by playing for Team Canada in the
2005 IIHF World Championships. Due to the lockout, this tournament
featured a much higher percentage than usual of NHL players, of which
Souray was one.
ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey
League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton
Oilers, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks. He was best known for his
heavy slapshot, once setting a previous unofficial NHL record for the
hardest recorded shot at the Oilers' 2009 Skills Competition.Before
playing in the NHL, Sheldon was a member of the Fort Saskatchewan
Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). He was drafted in
the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round, 71st overall, by the New
Jersey Devils.Souray reported to his second Devils training camp
overweight and out-of-shape, prompting general manager Lou Lamoriello
called him embarrassing, and that he would never play for the team if
it happened again. Souray credits Lamoriello for calling him out, and
says it was exactly what he needed to succeed at such a high level. He
made his NHL debut in the 199798 season. He finished his rookie season
with modest scoring totals of three goals and ten points in 60 games,
but most importantly established that he was capable of being an NHL
regular. He scored his first NHL goal on a powerful slapshot late in a
December 16, 1997, game against the rival New York Rangers to break a
33 tie late in the third period and send the Devils to a 43 win.
Souray played in New Jersey from 1997 to midway through the 19992000
season, earning a reputation as a big, steady, physical defender with
a mean streak and a hard shot. However, with the Devils preparing to
make their Stanley Cup run late in the 19992000 season and believing
they needed more offence from the blue line, Souray was traded to the
Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000, in exchange for Vladimir
Malakhov.Before playing in the NHL, Sheldon was a member of the Fort
Saskatchewan Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). He
was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round, 71st
overall, by the New Jersey Devils.Souray reported to his second Devils
training camp overweight and out-of-shape, prompting general manager
Lou Lamoriello called him embarrassing, and that he would never play
for the team if it happened again. Souray credits Lamoriello for
calling him out, and says it was exactly what he needed to succeed at
such a high level. He made his NHL debut in the 199798 season. He
finished his rookie season with modest scoring totals of three goals
and ten points in 60 games, but most importantly established that he
was capable of being an NHL regular. He scored his first NHL goal on a
powerful slapshot late in a December 16, 1997, game against the rival
New York Rangers to break a 33 tie late in the third period and send
the Devils to a 43 win. Souray played in New Jersey from 1997 to
midway through the 19992000 season, earning a reputation as a big,
steady, physical defender with a mean streak and a hard shot. However,
with the Devils preparing to make their Stanley Cup run late in the
19992000 season and believing they needed more offence from the blue
line, Souray was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000, in
exchange for Vladimir Malakhov.Souray's offence began to improve
following his trade to the Canadiens. At the time of his trade from
the Devils, he had just eight points, all assists. He finished with
three goals in 19 games as a Canadien to tie his career best for goals
in a season, and establish a new career best for points (11) in 71
combined games. More importantly, he began using his dangerous shot
more often once he arrived in Montreal. In 200001, injuries limited
him to just 52 games, 19 less than the previous year, but Souray still
managed to match his previous season's career bests in goals (3),
assists (8) and points. He got off to a good start in 200102,
threatening to surpass his previous offensive highs, as he tallied
three goals and five assists in just 34 games while fighting through
an injury-plagued campaign. 200102 also saw him record his first
career power play goal, as the Canadiens began to realize the value of
having a player on the point who could consistently shoot the puck as
hard as Souray. However, he suffered a wrist injury that plagued him
throughout the year, and though he would play through it much of the
season, Souray would eventually shut it down at the end of the
season.The severity of the wrist injury kept him out the entire 200203
season while he recovered and regained his strength. However, in
200304, Souray returned to play for the Canadiens and had a breakout
season, amassing a surprising 15 goals and 35 points. He had exceeded
expectations with the sudden development of his offensive game,
especially given his reputation as a defence-first rearguard
throughout his NHL career up to that point. This was of course
possible because his powerful slapshot had returned along with his
health, he was using his shot more often than ever before, and the
Canadiens were giving him plenty of scoring opportunities by using him
on the power play and increasing his overall ice time. During this
season, he participated in the 2004 All-Star Game for the first time,
and shared a win in the Skills Competition's hardest shot contest.
Both he and Adrian Aucoin recorded blasts of 102.2 mph in the event.
During the 200405 NHL lockout, he played for Frjestad BK of the
Swedish Elitserien. While in Sweden, Souray wrote a correspondence in
the Montreal Gazette with the assistance of hockey writer Dave Stubbs.
The correspondence chronicled Souray's experience in a new country,
and the different style of play that is popular overseas compared to
the North American style of play. He also had the chance to represent
his home country internationally by playing for Team Canada in the
2005 IIHF World Championships. Due to the lockout, this tournament
featured a much higher percentage than usual of NHL players, of which
Souray was one.
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