Mark Messier Mark John Douglas Messier ( born January 18 , 1961 , in Edmonton , Alberta ) is a former ice hockey centreman of the National Hockey League . He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL ( 1979 - 2004 ) with the Edmonton Oilers , New York Rangers , and Vancouver Canucks . He also played professionally with the World Hockey Association ' s Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers . At the time of his retirement , he was the last former WHA player still active in professional hockey , as well as the last active player who had played in the NHL in the 1970s . Messier is widely considered among the best NHL players of all time . He is second on the all - time career lists for regular season points ( 1887 ) , playoff points ( 295 ) and regular season games played ( 1756 ) . He won six Stanley Cups with the Oilers and Rangers , and is the only professional athlete to captain two different teams to championships . In 2007 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame . Playing career . Indianapolis Racers ( 1978 ) . Mark Messier played Tier II Alberta Jr . Hockey with the St . Albert Saints . In 54 games , Messier had 74 points and 194 Penalty Minutes . Messier also played a few games with the Portland Winter Hawks . Mark ’ s father Doug once played junior hockey with Pat Stapleton , the coach of the Indianapolis Racers . Doug called him and got Mark a contract to play hockey in Indianapolis for $ 30 , 000 . Mark signed the 5 - game tryout contract at the age of 17 . He failed to register a point and was released just before the Racers folded . Cincinnati Stingers ( 1978 - 79 ) . Shortly after being released by Indianapolis , Mark was signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Stingers . While with the Cincinnati Stingers , Messier was on a line with Robbie Ftorek . Ftorek was one of the top scorers in the league but Messier managed to get only one goal . He would play 47 games for the Stingers tallying only one goal and ten assists . While in Cincinnati , Messier was teammates with future Hall of Famer Mike Gartner , future NHL coach Barry Melrose , and future NHL referee Paul Stewart . When he retired , Messier was the last former WHA player still active on the ice as a player . Edmonton Oilers ( 1979 - 1991 ) . Messier was drafted in the 3rd round , 48th overall , by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft . Messier was renowned as a fierce , tough competitor whose intense leadership in the locker room was as important as the goals he scored on the ice . He wasn ' t initially known as a scorer , but his offensive numbers increased steadily over his first few years with the Oilers . In 1981 - 82 , he registered his only 50 - goal season . For most of his tenure with the Oilers , he played on a line with Glenn Anderson . Initially a left winger ( he was named to the NHL First All - Star Team in 1982 - 83 on left wing ) , Messier switched to centre in the 1984 playoffs , and the results were spectacular . Though Messier ranks second in all - time scoring with 1 , 887 points ( 694 goals and 1 , 193 assists ) in the regular season , his greatness will always be measured in terms of playoff achievements . In Game 3 of the 1984 Finals , for example , with his Oilers trailing the four - time defending champion New York Islanders by a goal , it was Messier ' s goal that sparked a comeback by the Oilers . By the end of the series , Messier had earned the Conn Smythe Trophy , awarded to the most valuable player of the playoffs . He won four more Cups with the Oilers , including 1990 , when he captained the Oilers to a five - game victory over the Boston Bruins . Though the Oilers had been a 1980s powerhouse , the 1990 victory , which came two years after Wayne Gretzky was traded away , surprised many . Messier also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP that season . A year later , in one of many cost - cutting moves by Edmonton management , Messier was traded to the New York Rangers . New York Rangers ( 1991 - 1997 ) . In his first seasoan with the Rangers , Messier won his second Hart Trophy and guided the Rangers to the best record in the NHL . However , they were ousted in six games by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round . A year later they missed the playoffs . In [ [ 1993 - 94 NHL season | 1993 - 94 , the Rangers rebounded to once again finish first overall , and this time were expected to win the Cup . Messier was already known as a hockey superstar , but the birth of the Messier legend came as a [ [ New York Rangers | New York Ranger ] ] in the [ [ 1994 ] ] Eastern Conference Finals against the rival [ [ New Jersey Devils ] ] . Down 3 - 2 in the best of seven series , Messier confronted the [ [ New York City | New York ] ] media and publicly guaranteed a Game 6 victory . In a feat comparable in New York sports history to Babe Ruth ' s called shot and Joe Namath ' s Super Bowl III guarantee , he backed up his promise by scoring a [ [ natural hat trick ] ] in the third period which helped the Rangers erase a two - goal deficit . The Rangers went on to win the series and the [ [ Stanley Cup ] ] ( with Messier scoring the Cup winning goal in game 7 ) — [ [ Curse of 1940 | their first in 54 years ] ] . The 1994 Stanley Cup would be the high watermark of the second half of Messier ' s career . In [ [ 1995 - 96 NHL season | 1995 - 96 ] ] , Messier came as close as he had since 1991 - 92 to breaking the 100 - point plateau when , at the age of 35 , he recorded a 99 - point season . With [ [ Wayne Gretzky ] ] joining the Rangers in [ [ 1996 - 97 NHL season | 1996 - 97 ] ] , the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals . The Rangers were defeated in the conference finals by the [ [ Philadelphia Flyers ] ] that year . An 84 - point year during the [ [ 1996 - 97 NHL season | 1996 - 97 ] ] regular season encouraged the [ [ Vancouver Canucks ] ] to sign the 36 - year old to a high - priced free agent contract , ending the brief reunion of Messier and Gretzky being together again on the same team after just one season . Vancouver Canucks ( 1997 - 2000 ) . It was a high - profile move , with Messier returning to [ [ Canada ] ] after six years with the Rangers , but the honeymoon did not last . Before playing the season , Messier was given the team captaincy , taken from [ [ Trevor Linden ] ] . Shortly after Messier ' s acquisition , Trevor Linden was traded by Mike Keenan to the New York Islanders . Sixty points in [ [ 1997 - 98 NHL season | 1997 - 98 ] ] was his worst mark in a full year since his first NHL season ; his next two seasons were shortened by injury . His demand that the # 11 the team unofficially retired in honour of [ [ Wayne Maki ] ] be given to him hurt his image as well . He finished with 158 points over three years , and , having become unpopular with Canucks fans , left at the end of the [ [ 1999 - 2000 NHL season | 1999 - 2000 season ] ] . Back on Broadway : New York Rangers ( 2000 - 2004 ) . After his tenure with the Canucks , he returned to New York to try to lead the Rangers back to glory . The Rangers held a press conference where they symbolically buried a hatchet , and Messier made an ill - fated " guarantee " of a playoff berth . Messier was also given back the team captaincy upon his return to the Rangers , handed over to him personally by [ [ Brian Leetch ] ] . Messier ' s 67 - point season as a 40 - year old in [ [ 2000 - 01 NHL season | 2000 - 01 ] ] was a mark better than any he established in his [ [ Vancouver ] ] years , showing that he could still be a valuable presence , but the Rangers missed the playoffs for the fourth year running . After missing half of [ [ 2001 - 02 NHL season | 2001 - 02 ] ] due to an arm injury , Messier recorded only 23 points , and finished up next year with a 40 - point campaign . On June 30 , [ [ 2003 ] ] , the Rangers traded Messier to the [ [ San Jose Sharks ] ] for future considerations . However , the Rangers resigned Messier again as an unrestricted free agent on September 3 . The 2003 - 04 season had been widely expected to be Messier ' s last . On November 4 , [ [ 2003 ] ] against the [ [ Dallas Stars ] ] , Messier scored a pair of goals to vault past [ [ Gordie Howe ] ] into second on the all - time point scoring list . Eleven days later , Messier was the only active player to play in the legends game at Edmonton ' s [ [ Heritage Classic ] ] , suiting up with the Oiler alumni and making many light - hearted comments about being Edmonton ' s " [ [ ringer ] ] . " During his last game at [ [ Madison Square Garden ] ] , Messier received applause every time he touched the puck and , after the game , received a standing ovation while he skated around the Garden and bowed to every section of the stands . At the age of 43 , most media outlets believed Messier had decided to quit . The [ [ 2004 - 05 NHL lockout | NHL lockout ] ] eliminated the next season . All speculation ended on September 12 , [ [ 2005 ] ] , when he announced his retirement on ESPN radio . He is generally considered one of the greatest hockey players and greatest sports leaders of all time . Post Retirement ( 2005 - Present ) . Messier retired eleven games behind Howe ' s NHL record 1 , 767 regular season games played . Messier holds the record for most NHL regular season and playoff season games played at 1 , 992 . Messier is one of a handful of players to have played 25 NHL seasons , doing so over four decades . On January 12 , [ [ 2006 ] ] during a very emotional ceremony that featured most of the 1994 [ [ Stanley Cup ] ] team , the New York Rangers retired his number 11 in a game against the Edmonton Oilers . Fans unable to attend the game put their tickets back on the market , with front row seats being resold up to the price of $ 30 , 000 . The ceremony lasted 75 minutes , making it the longest of its kind in the history of professional sports . During the game , the Rangers defeated the Oilers . His is the 4th number retired by the Rangers . His number was retired by the [ [ Edmonton Oilers ] ] on February 27 , 2007 against the [ [ Phoenix Coyotes ] ] , coached by former teammate [ [ Wayne Gretzky ] ] . In February [ [ 2007 ] ] , Messier publicly expressed interest in returning to the NHL , in the form of General Manager for the Rangers , however current GM [ [ Glen Sather ] ] responded by saying he has no plans of stepping down from his position . With the departure of Assistant GM [ [ Don Maloney ] ] from the Rangers organization in May 2007 , Messier ' s name has been attached to possible replacements , however in July 2007 [ [ Jim Schoenfeld ] ] was announced as Maloney ' s replacement . On November 15 , 2010 , Mark Messier made his coaching debut . He was behind the bench for the Canadian men ' s national hockey team at the Deutschland Cup . His team lost to Germany in his debut by a 4 - 3 tally . Hockey Canada also announced that Messier shall be the Team Canada coach for the [ [ Spengler Cup ] ] in Davos , Switzerland , December 26 - 31 . [ [ File : Messier _ Coach . jpg | thumb | Messier coaching the Canadian men ' s national team at the Deutschland Cup . ] ] Off the ice . Messier attended St . Francis Xavier high school in Edmonton as he played junior hockey where his father Doug was his coach and mentor for his early years , where he played with the Spruce Grove Mets . Mark ' s brother [ [ Paul Messier ] ] was drafted by the [ [ Colorado Rockies ( NHL ) | Colorado Rockies ] ] 41st overall in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft , but he only played nine games with the club in 1978 – 79 before embarking on a long career in the German Bundesliga . His cousins [ [ Mitch Messier | Mitch ] ] and [ [ Joby Messier | Joby ] ] also skated for NHL clubs . Joby was even briefly Mark ' s teammate on the Rangers . One of his cousins , [ [ Brian Messier | Brian ] ] , is keeping up the family hockey tradition in Texas , playing with the Ice Hawks . [ [ File : Mark Messier 2006 - 01 - 12 . jpg | thumb | left | Messier in 2006 ] ] Messier ' s son Lyon , who was born on August 16 , 1987 , is a former defenseman who spent part of two seasons with the [ [ South Carolina Stingrays ] ] of the [ [ ECHL ] ] . Lyon also split time with the [ [ Charlotte Checkers ( 1993 - 2010 ) | Charlotte Checkers ] ] of the ECHL and the [ [ New Mexico Scorpions ] ] of the [ [ Central Hockey League | CHL ] ] during the 2008 - 09 season . Lyon ' s mother is former model Lesley Young . His current girlfriend and soon to - be wife , Kim Clark , gave birth to Mark ' s second son , Douglas Paul , on July 15 , 2003 , and daughter Jacqueline Jean in August 2005 . Messier and his family reside in Hilton Head Island , South Carolina . After his retirement , Messier appeared in a [ [ Versus ( TV channel ) | Versus ] ] television special in the [ [ United States ] ] highlighting his " Mark Messier Leadership Camp " , which allowed New Yorkers to mix seminars in leadership and working with others with hockey games against former Rangers , including a scrimmage on the Garden ice . Messier was featured in a Lay ' s chips campaign that aired in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s . The commercials originally featured Messier being challenged to a bet by a local hockey fan , who bets that Messier cannot eat just one potato chip , in reference to the Lay ' s slogan " bet you can ' t eat just one . " Messier loses the bet , and ends up playing in a local ' beer league ' hockey game , which he easily dominates . Later variations would have Messier himself making the same bet . He was also featured in Lay ' s ads in America where he asked neighbors to borrow ice , sugar or a hairdryer ( playing on his bald head ) to get chips . Almost thirty years after having played with the Saints , Messier is a legend in the Edmonton suburb of [ [ St . Albert , Alberta ] ] . One of the rinks in the local Campbell Arena bears Messier ' s name . More recently , Messier has found time to do some work as a hockey analyst . He ' s occasionally seen on " [ [ NHL on Versus ] ] " as a studio analyst , was an in - game analyst for " The NHL All - Star Game on Versus " , and has been a guest commentator on " [ [ NHL on NBC ] ] " . In Edmonton , a section of St . Albert Trail between St . Albert and the City of Edmonton , has been renamed to Mark Messier Trail as of February 26 , 2007 . On November 12 , 2007 , Messier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the players category . Messier is an advocate for preventative healthcare and spokesperson for Cold - fX . He is also involved in many philanthropic causes , most recently The " New York Police and Fire Widows ' and Children ' s Benefit Fund " , for which he serves on the Board . Messier has also become a hotelier , owning the small , yet popular , Runaway Hill Club on the famous pink sand beach on Harbour Island in the Bahamas . He also regularly fishes for marlin on his boat ' Wani Kanati ' . External links . [ [ Category : Born in 1961 | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Canadian ice hockey players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Spruce Grove Mets alumni | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : St . Albert Saints players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Portland Winter Hawks players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Indianapolis Racers players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Cincinnati Stingers ( WHA ) players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Houston Apollos players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Edmonton Oilers players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : New York Rangers players | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Member of the Canadian National Team | Messier , Mark ] ] [ [ Category : Vancouver Canucks players ] ] [ [ Category : Stanley Cup champions ] ] [ [ Category : Conn Smythe Trophy winners ] ] [ [ Category : Retired in 2005 ] ] [ [ Category : NHL Players that have scored a hat trick ] ]