Garth Butcher Garth Butcher ( born January 8 , 1963 in Regina , Saskatchewan , Canada ) is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman . Butcher was a top prospect as a junior player and was a member of the first Canadian team to win gold at the world junior championship . Butcher played in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons from 1981 – 82 to 1994 – 95 , mostly with the Vancouver Canucks . Playing career . Junior career . Butcher played with Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League teams in his hometown of Regina prior to moving up to the Western Hockey League late in the 1979 – 80 season . Regina was co - hosting the 1980 Memorial Cup , and Butcher joined the WHL ' s Regina Pats for 13 regular - season games , 9 playoff games ( winning the President ' s Cup and for the round - robin games at the Memorial Cup tournament . At 16 years of age , he was the Pats ' youngest player . During his next two seasons of junior , he accumulated 178 points and over 500 minutes in penalties and was selected to the WHL ' s All - Star team in 1980 – 81 . " His blend of talent and grit made him one of the top prospects " for the 1981 NHL Entry Draft . " The Hockey News " draft preview issue ranked Butcher as the No . 3 overall prospect and No . 1 WHL prospect in a draft that included future Hall of Famers Dale Hawerchuk , Grant Fuhr and Al MacInnis ( who was drafted five spots after Butcher ) . On draft day , the Vancouver Canucks selected him 10th overall . The next season , Butcher led all WHL defensemen with 92 points . Butcher was also a member of the first Canadian junior team to win a gold medal at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . The tourney was being played in North America ( Minnesota was the host jurisdiction ) and it was Canada ' s first attempt at putting together a true , national , junior team . The team was noted for its defence and allowed a tourney - low 14 goals against in seven games under national team coach Dave King . For his part , Butcher scored one goal and three assists while recording no penalty minutes . Butcher recalls the gold - medal experience as his " greatest thrill " in hockey . Professional career . Vancouver Canucks . Shortly after the international tourney , he was called up to the NHL to join the Canucks for five regular - season games ( debuting January 7 , 1982 ) and one play - off game in the team ' s run to the Stanley Cup final . After splitting part of the next season with the Canucks ' farm team , the Fredericton Express , Butcher became a staple of the NHL club ' s defence . Butcher became known for his defensive prowess and never matched his offensive numbers from junior . His best offensive season was 1987 – 88 when he recorded a modest 23 points ( 6 goals and 17 assists ) . Goals came so rarely for Butcher at the NHL level that , in the 1988 – 89 season , his first goal of the season came in the playoffs ( the Game 6 winning goal in the near - upset of the Calgary Flames ) . Butcher played an aggressive style and earned a reputation as a classic " Pest " who distracted opponents or provoked them into taking penalties . In 1989 , Gerard Gallant of the Detroit Red Wings was suspended five games for retaliating and deliberately attempting to injure Butcher . Butcher was not a prolific fighter but was still regarded as a tough , capable opponent . His December 26 , 1988 fight with Mark Hunter of the Calgary Flames resulted in Hunter missing part of the season due to a concussion . In his near - decade and 610 games with the Canucks , Butcher amassed a club - record 1 , 668 penalty minutes , a mark eventually broken by Gino Odjick . His perseverance and battling attitude earned him the respect of the Canuck fans and team . After his retirement , the Canucks organization placed him in the sixth spot on their list of the 50 Greatest Canucks of all time . St . Louis Blues . Late in the 1990 – 91 season , the St . Louis Blues were in first place overall and GM Ron Caron was looking to improve the team ' s defence for the playoffs . On March 5 , 1991 , at the trade deadline , Caron traded four players and 1992 fifth - round pick ( Brian Loney ) to Vancouver for Butcher and Dan Quinn , a small but skilled centre . Butcher was the key player for the Blues , with Quinn added due to the Canucks hard negotiating . The Blues traded away Geoff Courtnall , Robert Dirk , Sergio Momesso , Cliff Ronning – who as a group invigorated the Canucks for a number of years and eventually helped their new team advance to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final . The Butcher trade helped the Canucks but cost Butcher ' s new team dearly . Traded away such depth cost the Blues a second scoring line behind Brett Hull and Adam Oates . As a result , the trade was blamed for the Blues defeat at the hands of the Minnesota North Stars in the second round of the playoffs . ( The Stars would make it all the way to the Finals ) . Quinn was gone from the team shortly after the playoff disappointment . The Butcher trade ( together with a later lopsided deal favoring the Canucks ) was regarded by media and fans as one of the top 5 heartbreakers for the St . Louis Blues . Butcher was expected to provide leadership . He was named team captain , but a broken left foot cost him the end of the 1991 – 92 NHL season and the start of the playoffs . After the Blues were eliminated , Butcher was selected to the national team for the 1992 Ice Hockey World Championships . He played three games and scored a goal . The team placed eighth . Butcher played in the NHL All - Star Game in 1993 , but as an injury replacement for Jeff Brown . The same year , Butcher scored a rare goal , the game - winner , against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the 1993 Norris Division Final . Towards retirement . As Butcher aged , he became a less important player but still figured in trades for star players . Midway through the 1993 – 94 NHL season , on January 23 , 1994 Butcher was one of three St . Louis players traded to the Quebec Nordiques for star defenceman Steve Duchesne . In 1994 , Butcher was moved from Quebec to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the multi - player blockbuster trade of Mats Sundin for Wendel Clark . Butcher was released by Toronto on October 2 , 1995 . He was unable to catch on with another team and chose to retire at age 32 . Butcher played in 897 career NHL games , scoring 48 goals and 158 assists for 206 points , as well as adding 2 , 302 penalty minutes for the Canucks , Blues , Nordiques , and Maple Leafs .