John Grahame

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size= 250px
team= Avangard Omsk
former_teams = Boston Bruins
Tampa Bay Lightning
Carolina Hurricanes
league = KHL
position = Goaltender
catches = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 2
weight_lb = 220
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1975|8|31
birth_place = Denver, CO
draft = 229th overall
draft_year = 1994
draft_team = Boston Bruins
career_start = 1997

John Gillies Mark Grahame (born August 31, 1975, in Denver, Colorado) is a professional ice hockey goaltender, currently with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League.

College/minor league career

Grahame, drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 9th round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, played his college hockey for Lake Superior State. He was a three year starter for the powerful program, recording a 56-34-9 mark with three shutouts. During that time, he competed internationally with the United States national hockey team in the World Junior Championships in 1995 and the World Championships in 1996.

He started his professional career in 1997 with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. He met with great success the following season, setting an AHL record with 19 consecutive wins [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18368 Legends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - John Grahame ] ] en route to the P-Bruins reaching a new league record for wins in a season and leading them to a Calder Cup championship with a 15-4 mark in the playoffs.

NHL career

In 1999, Grahame started the season back in Providence, but was called up to the Boston Bruins mid-season to backup Byron Dafoe in the Bruins' net, where he played credibly and was second in balloting to the league's all-rookie team. However, a broken ankle in the 2000 offseason took a long time to heal, and Grahame was not the same goaltender thereafter. He played for the next three seasons in Boston before being traded midseason in 2003 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The following season, Grahame returned to form, having the best season of his career as a backup for the Stanley Cup-winning club. He became Tampa Bay's starting goalie in the 2005–06 NHL season, but was criticized publicly by head coach John Tortorella after consecutive poor starts which contributed to the Lightning being eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs. [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060428.wxsenatorstor28/BNStory/Sports/home Tortorella pulls Grahame after second, blasts own goalie's poor performance] ]

Grahame signed a two-year, $2.8 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2006. He was placed on waivers by the Hurricanes on January 4, 2008. The Hurricanes called up Michael Leighton from the team's AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, to replace him as the team's backup goaltender after Grahame began the season with a 4–6–1 record. The Hurricanes recalled Grahame on January 21.

During this time, Grahame played a single game for the United States Olympic team in the 2006 Winter Olympics, and also was the starter for the United States National Team in the 2007 World Championships.

In May 2008, after the conclusion of the Hurricanes' season, as a free agent, Grahame signed with Avangard Omsk .

Family

He is the son of retired professional goaltender Ron Grahame. They are the only father-son goaltending combination to play for the same NHL team, the Boston Bruins; his father was traded for the draft pick used to select John Grahame's future teammate Ray Bourque. His mother, Charlotte was a member of the front office of the 2001 Colorado Avalanche.

ee also

*Notable families in the NHL

References

External links

* [http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_43902.htm Grahame's Olympic Team bio]
*
* [http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/grahamej.html The Goaltender profile]
* [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18368 Grahame's profile on the Hockey Hall of Fame website]