Jim Sandlak James Sandlak , Jr . ( born December 12 , 1966 in Kitchener , Ontario ) is a retired professional ice hockey player who spent 11 seasons in the National Hockey League . Playing career . Selected by the Vancouver Canucks with the 4th overall pick in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft , Sandlak was a highly - touted prospect who at 6 ' 4 " and 220 lbs . was projected to be a star power forward in the NHL . He cemented this status with a dominant performance at the 1986 World Junior Championships , at which he was the captain of the Canadian team and was named the tournament ' s top forward . Convinced that Sandlak was a better prospect than the slow - developing Cam Neely ( who played the same position and style ) , Canuck management decided that the future Hall of Famer Neely was expendable , and dealt him to the Boston Bruins for Barry Pederson in what would later be labelled by many commentators as one of the worst trades ever made . Sandlak had a solid rookie year in 1986 – 87 , scoring 15 goals and being selected to the NHL All - Rookie Team . After a poor training camp in 1987 , he was sent to the AHL , but responded well upon his recall , scoring 16 goals in just 49 games . He scored 20 goals the following season , but continued to struggle with comparisons to the now - superstar Neely and frustrate fans and management alike with his inconsistency . By the 1990 – 91 season he was little more than a bit player on the Canucks , scoring just 6 goals . However , Sandlak rebounded in 1991 – 92 to play the best hockey of his career on a rejuvenated Canuck team . Playing largely with Sergio Momesso and Cliff Ronning ( a line dubbed the " Twin Towers " due to Ronning ' s small stature accentuating the size of his two larger linemates ) , Sandlak matched his career high of 40 points despite missing almost 20 games due to injury . In the 1992 playoffs , Sandlak finally put his game together and looked like the power forward he was always supposed to be , as he was arguably the best player in Vancouver ' s opening - round victory against Winnipeg , and contributed 10 points in that playoffs while playing a dominant physical game . However , just as Sandlak ' s career appeared headed in the right direction , injuries began to take their toll . His 1992 – 93 season was plagued by back problems which caused him to miss 25 games as well as most of the playoffs , and limited him to just 10 goals . Following the season , he was dealt to the Hartford Whalers as the future considerations in the Murray Craven trade . His two seasons with the Whalers were an absolute nightmare , however , as wrist , foot , knee , and heel injuries limited him to just 40 games and 8 points over that span . Released by the Whalers in 1995 , he returned to Vancouver for the 1995 – 96 season , but again struggled with injuries ( this time a stress fracture to a vertebra in his back ) and his level of play had dropped off considerably . Following a failed tryout with Buffalo the following season he retired from the NHL , although he returned after a year off for a season in Germany before leaving the game for good . Sandlak finished his career with totals of 110 goals and 229 points in 549 career games , along with 821 penalty minutes . According to a 2006 issue of The Hockey News , Sandlak retired to London , Ontario where he owns and operates a landscaping company . He also coaches youth hockey in the London Knights system .