# Paul Cyr

Paul Andre Cyr (October 31, 1963 – May 12, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left wing who played for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers in the National Hockey League (NHL).

## Career

Cyr began his career with the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League, for whom he played the 1979–80 season, and then the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League from 1980 to 1982. He was a member of the first Canadian team to win a gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championship in 1982. Cyr only made the team after being recalled due to another player's injury. He scored in the Boxing Day game versus the Soviet Union. In the tournament, he scored a total of four goals and ten points in the ten games he played.
The Buffalo Sabres drafted Cyr ninth overall in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. He made his debut for the Sabres that year, and played the next six seasons for the team, before being traded midway through the 1987–88 season to the New York Rangers in exchange for Mike Donnelly and a fifth round draft pick. After two injury-plagued seasons with the Rangers, Cyr signed as a free agent with the Hartford Whalers before the 1990–91 season. He had one successful year with the Whalers, appearing in 70 games and scoring 25 points. He was demoted to the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League the subsequent year, where remained until his retirement in 1993.
Cyr played in a total of 470 games in the NHL over nine seasons, scoring 101 goals and 140 assists.

## Personal life and death

In 1987, Cyr was shot in the stomach while vacationing in the Dominican Republic. He recovered. His house burned down during his retirement, which he rebuilt himself. Cyr died of heart failure in May 2012.

## Career statistics
### Regular season and playoffs

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1979–80 | Nanaimo Clippers | BCHL | 60 | 28 | 52 | 80 | 202 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1979–80 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1980–81 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 64 | 36 | 22 | 58 | 85 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 46 |
| 1981–82 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 58 | 52 | 56 | 108 | 167 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| 1982–83 | Victoria Cougars | WHL | 20 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 36 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 59 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 1983–84 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 71 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984–85 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 71 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 63 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| 1985–86 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 71 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986–87 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 73 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 122 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987–88 | New York Rangers | NHL | 40 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1988–89 | New York Rangers | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990–91 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 70 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 107 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1991–92 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 43 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 1992–93 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 41 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 44 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 470 | 101 | 140 | 241 | 623 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 31 |

### International

| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1982 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 |
| 1983 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 19 |
| Junior totals | Junior totals | Junior totals | 14 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 31 |

## Awards

* WHL Second All-Star Team – 1982