Corey Hirsch

{{Infobox Ice Hockey Player

| played_for = New York Rangers
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
Dallas Stars

| position = Goalie

| catches = Left

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 10

| weight_lb = 181

| ntl_team = CAN

| image = Corey Hirsch.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Hirsch in 2021

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|7|1|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

| draft = 169th overall

| draft_year = 1991

| draft_team = New York Rangers

| career_start = 1992

| career_end = 2006

}}

{{MedalCountry|{{CAN}}}}

Corey Hirsch (born July 1, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He spent the majority of his National Hockey League career with the Vancouver Canucks. He is also the former goaltending coach for the St. Louis Blues, having previously served the Toronto Maple Leafs along with François Allaire.

Hirsch is tied with Tyson Sexsmith for most wins in the Western Hockey League's history, with 120.

Playing career

Born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Hirsch played major junior hockey with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League for four seasons. He was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team in his second season with Kamloops, in which the team won the President's Cup (now the Ed Chynoweth Cup) and advanced to the 1990 Memorial Cup in Hamilton, Ontario, where the Blazers placed third. Hirsch was subsequently chosen 169th overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers.

Upon being drafted, Hirsch led the league in shutouts, with 5, and goals against average with 2.72 in 1991–92, he was named CHL Goaltender of the Year and the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL Goaltender of the Year. As the Blazers again captured President's Cup in 1992, they advanced to the Memorial Cup in Seattle and defeated the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5–4 in the final. Hirsch was additionally awarded the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament's top goaltender.

In 1992–93, his first professional season, he played for the Binghamton Rangers, New York's AHL affiliate, and won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league's top goalie.{{cite web|title=Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award (AHL) |url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/awards/awarddetail.php3?award_id=52 |accessdate=September 22, 2008 |publisher=hockeydb.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623221441/http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/awards/awarddetail.php3?award_id=52 |archivedate=June 23, 2008 |url-status=dead }} At 2.79, he was also awarded the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for the lowest goals-against-average (shared with goaltending teammate Boris Rousson).

Hirsch started his first NHL game that season, a 2–2 tie against the Detroit Red Wings on January 19, 1993. He recorded his first win on his next start, an 8–3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on January 23.{{cite web|title=Corey Hirsch|url=http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/hirsch.html|accessdate=September 22, 2008}}

At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Hirsch played all eight games for Canada and won a silver medal after losing in a shootout to Sweden in the gold medal game. The shootout-winning goal by Peter Forsberg was depicted on a Swedish postage stamp, featuring the image of a generic goalie because Hirsch refused to allow his likeness to be used.

Hirsch remained with Binghamton for three seasons until New York traded him to the Vancouver Canucks on April 7, 1995, in exchange for forward Nathan LaFayette.

Hirsch split goaltending duties with Kirk McLean in 1995–96 and was named to the All-Rookie Team after posting a 2.93 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and a winning 17–14–6 record. He also finished fifth in Calder Memorial Trophy voting (won by Daniel Alfredsson). During the season, he recorded his first career NHL shutout on January 15, 1996, a 6–0 win against the Boston Bruins.

On July 2, 1999, he was waived by the Canucks and for the next few seasons, would bounce around the league between the Nashville Predators, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Washington Capitals, and Dallas Stars. Playing for minor league affiliates, he only appeared in a handful of NHL games for the remainder of his career. In 2002–03, he recorded AHL career highs with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 35 games with the Utah Grizzlies.

Before retiring, Hirsch played three seasons overseas in the Swedish Elitserien, and the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Post-playing career

After retiring, Hirsch became a goaltending consultant for Hockey Canada. He worked with the national junior team as part of the 2007 and 2008 World Junior gold medal winning teams.{{cite web|title=Maple Leafs hire coaches Corey Hirsch, Graeme Townshend; two scouts|url=http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/17809-Maple-Leafs-hire-coaches-Corey-Hirsch-Graeme-Townshend-two-scouts.html|accessdate=September 22, 2008|date=September 9, 2008|publisher=The Hockey News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522034435/http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/17809-Maple-Leafs-hire-coaches-Corey-Hirsch-Graeme-Townshend-two-scouts.html|archive-date=May 22, 2011|url-status=dead}}

On September 9, 2008, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had hired Hirsch as their goaltending coach.

On June 18, 2010, the St. Louis Blues announced they had hired Hirsch as their goaltending coach.

On May 7, 2014, the St. Louis Blues relieved Hirsch of his coaching duties.{{cite web |url=http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=718333 |title=Blues Extend Hitchcock Through 2014-15: Shaw, Bennett will remain part of coaching staff; Agnew, Hirsch will not return |publisher=NHL.com |date=May 7, 2014}}

In 2015, Hirsch joined the NHL on Sportsnet as a freelance TV analyst.{{Cite news | url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2015/02/13/corey-hirsch-rebounds-in-life-thanks-to-a-tweet.html |title = Corey Hirsch rebounds in life thanks to a tweet| newspaper=The Toronto Star| date=February 13, 2015 }}

Personal

Hirsch is a divorcee after 15 years of marriage, with three children. In the summer of 2015, Hirsch's son Hayden, who is a forward, attended hockey training camp with his father's old junior team, the Kamloops Blazers, but didn't make the regular season roster.{{Cite web |url=http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/notes-from-kamloops-blazers-training-camp/ |title=Notes from Kamloops Blazers' training camp |publisher=Kamloops This Week |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151230025710/http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/notes-from-kamloops-blazers-training-camp/ |archive-date=December 30, 2015 |url-status=dead }} Hirsch has struggled with severe anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for much of his life, and described his struggle in a Player's Tribune article on February 15, 2017 and a video for the Canucks' Hockey Talks initiative.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theplayerstribune.com/corey-hirsch-dark-dark-dark/|title=Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark | website = www.theplayerstribune.com |date=16 February 2017 |language=en-US |access-date=June 19, 2017}} He has since become an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and ending the stigma associated with mental illness. He elaborated further about his mental health challenges in his autobiography, "The Save of My Life: My Journey Out of the Dark", which was written in collaboration with Sean Patrick Conboy and published in 2022. Hirsch also co-hosts a podcast with psychiatrist Dr. Diane McIntosh called "Blindsided", featuring athletes talking about mental health.{{citation |title=Former NHL Goalie Corey Hirsch Embarks On 'The Save Of His Life' With New Book|date=2023-04-12 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolschram/2023/04/12/former-nhl-goalie-corey-hirsch-embarks-on-the-save-of-his-life-with-new-book/?sh=226201917f82|work=forbes.com|access-date=2023-06-04}}

Awards

Major Junior

WHL West Second All-Star Team – 1990
WHL West First All-Star Team – 1991 & 1992
CHL Goaltender of the Year – 1992
CHL First All-Star Team – 1992
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy (WHL goaltender of the year) – 1992
Del Wilson Trophy (Memorial Cup top goaltender) – 1992
Memorial Cup All-Star Team – 1992

Professional

Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award (AHL goaltender of the year) – 1993
Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award (AHL's lowest goals-against-average) – 1993 (shared with Boris Rousson)
Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award – 1993
AHL First All-Star Team – 1993
NHL All-Rookie Team – 1996
IHL Goaltender of the Month – December 1999
IHL Goaltender of the Week – December 4, December 18, 2000

Career statistics

=Regular season and playoffs=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:75%"

ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! align="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! align="center" colspan="9" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | Regular season

! align="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! align="center" colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | Playoffs

ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Season

! Team

! League

! GP

! W

! L

! T

! MIN

! GA

! SO

! GAA

! SV%

! GP

! W

! L

! MIN

! GA

! SO

! GAA

! SV%

1987–88

| Calgary Canucks

| AJHL

| 32

| 22

| 5

| 0

| 1538

| 91

| 1

| 3.55

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1988–89

| Kamloops Blazers

| WHL

| 32

| 11

| 12

| 2

| 1516

| 106

| 2

| 4.20

| —

| 5

| 3

| 2

| 245

| 19

| 0

| 4.65

| —

1989–90

| Kamloops Blazers

| WHL

| 63

| 48

| 13

| 0

| 3608

| 230

| 3

| 3.82

| —

| 17

| 14

| 3

| 1043

| 60

| 0

| 3.45

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1989–90

| Kamloops Blazers

| M-Cup

| —

| 3

| 0

| 3

| 191

| 18

| 0

| 5.65

| —

1990–91

| Kamloops Blazers

| WHL

| 38

| 26

| 7

| 1

| 1970

| 100

| 3

| 3.05

| —

| 11

| 5

| 6

| 623

| 42

| 0

| 4.04

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1991–92

| Kamloops Blazers

| WHL

| 48

| 35

| 10

| 2

| 2732

| 124

| 5

| 2.72

| —

| 16

| 11

| 5

| 954

| 35

| 2

| 2.20

| —

1991–92

| Kamloops Blazers

| M-Cup

| —

| 5

| 4

| 1

| 300

| 13

| 1

| 2.60

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1992–93

| New York Rangers

| NHL

| 4

| 1

| 2

| 1

| 224

| 14

| 0

| 3.75

| .879

| —

1992–93

| Binghamton Rangers

| AHL

| 46

| 35

| 4

| 5

| 2692

| 125

| 1

| 2.79

| —

| 14

| 7

| 831

| 46

| 0

| 3.32

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1993–94

| Canada

| Intl.

| 45

| 24

| 17

| 3

| 2653

| 124

| 0

| 2.80

| —

1993–94

| Binghamton Rangers

| AHL

| 10

| 5

| 4

| 1

| 610

| 38

| 0

| 3.74

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1994–95

| Binghamton Rangers

| AHL

| 57

| 31

| 20

| 5

| 3371

| 175

| 0

| 3.11

| .894

| —

1995–96

| Vancouver Canucks

| NHL

| 41

| 17

| 14

| 6

| 2338

| 114

| 1

| 2.93

| .903

| 6

| 2

| 3

| 338

| 21

| 0

| 3.73

| .873

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1996–97

| Vancouver Canucks

| NHL

| 39

| 12

| 20

| 4

| 2127

| 116

| 2

| 3.27

| .894

| —

1997–98

| Vancouver Canucks

| NHL

| 1

| 0

| 50

| 5

| 0

| 6.00

| .853

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1997–98

| Syracuse Crunch

| AHL

| 60

| 30

| 22

| 6

| 3512

| 187

| 1

| 3.19

| .902

| 5

| 2

| 3

| 297

| 10

| 1

| 2.02

| —

1998–99

| Vancouver Canucks

| NHL

| 20

| 3

| 8

| 3

| 919

| 48

| 1

| 3.13

| .890

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1998–99

| Syracuse Crunch

| AHL

| 5

| 2

| 3

| 0

| 300

| 14

| 0

| 2.80

| .909

| —

1999–2000

| Milwaukee Admirals

| IHL

| 19

| 9

| 8

| 1

| 1098

| 49

| 0

| 2.68

| .891

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1999–2000

| Utah Grizzlies

| IHL

| 17

| 9

| 5

| 1

| 937

| 42

| 3

| 2.69

| .914

| 2

| 0

| 2

| 121

| 4

| 0

| 1.98

| —

2000–01

| Albany River Rats

| AHL

| 4

| 0

| 4

| 0

| 199

| 19

| 0

| 5.73

| .862

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2000–01

| Washington Capitals

| NHL

| 1

| 0

| 20

| 0

| 0.00

| 1.000

| —

2000–01

| Cincinnati Cyclones

| IHL

| 13

| 11

| 2

| 0

| 783

| 28

| 1

| 2.15

| .935

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2000–01

| Portland Pirates

| AHL

| 36

| 17

| 2

| 2142

| 104

| 1

| 2.91

| .912

| 2

| 0

| 2

| 118

| 7

| 0

| 3.56

| .915

2001–02

| Portland Pirates

| AHL

| 23

| 6

| 12

| 5

| 1395

| 62

| 1

| 2.67

| .920

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2001–02

| Philadelphia Phantoms

| AHL

| 5

| 2

| 3

| 0

| 299

| 14

| 1

| 2.81

| .883

| —

2002–03

| Dallas Stars

| NHL

| 2

| 0

| 1

| 0

| 97

| 4

| 0

| 2.47

| .897

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2002–03

| Utah Grizzlies

| AHL

| 35

| 14

| 16

| 2

| 1953

| 86

| 0

| 2.64

| .921

| 1

| 0

| 1

| 60

| 5

| 0

| 5.00

| .904

2003–04

| Timrå IK

| SEL

| 5

| 2

| 3

| 0

| 312

| 11

| 1

| 1.73

| .932

| 7

| 3

| 364

| 11

| 0

| 1.81

| .934

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2004–05

| Kassel Huskies

| DEL

| 12

| —

| 695

| 31

| 0

| 2.68

| .920

| —

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" | AHL totals

! 281

! 142

! 105

! 26

! 16,473

! 824

! 5

! 3.00

! —

! 22

! 9

! 13

! 1306

! 68

! 1

! 3.12

! —

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" | NHL totals

! 108

! 34

! 45

! 14

! 5775

! 301

! 4

! 3.13

! .896

! 6

! 2

! 3

! 338

! 21

! 0

! 3.73

! .873

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" | IHL totals

! 49

! 29

! 15

! 2

! 2818

! 119

! 4

! 2.53

! .913

! 2

! 0

! 2

! 121

! 4

! 0

! 1.98

! —

=International=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"

ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Year

! Team

! Event

! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! GP

! W

! L

! T

! MIN

! GA

! SO

! GAA

1994

| Canada

| OG

| 8

| 5

| 2

| 1

| 495

| 18

| 0

| 2.18

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 1995

| Canada

| WC

| 8

| 4

| 3

| 1

| 488

| 21

| 0

| 2.58

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" | Senior totals

! 16

! 9

! 5

! 2

! 983

! 39

! 0

! 2.38

References

External links

{{icehockeystats|legends=18291}}

{{succession box | before = Félix Potvin | title = Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award | years = 1992–93| after = Frédéric Chabot}}

Category:1972 births

Category:Albany River Rats players

Category:Binghamton Rangers players

Category:Calgary Canucks players

Category:Cincinnati Cyclones (IHL) players

Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders

Category:Dallas Stars players

Category:Ice hockey players at the 1994 Winter Olympics

Category:Kamloops Blazers players

Category:Kassel Huskies players

Category:Living people

Category:Malmö Redhawks players

Category:Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) players

Category:Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics

Category:New York Rangers draft picks

Category:New York Rangers players

Category:Olympic ice hockey players for Canada

Category:Olympic medalists in ice hockey

Category:Olympic silver medalists for Canada

Category:Ice hockey people from Medicine Hat

Category:People with obsessive–compulsive disorder

Category:Philadelphia Phantoms players

Category:Portland Pirates players

Category:St. Louis Blues coaches

Category:Syracuse Crunch players

Category:Timrå IK players

Category:Toronto Maple Leafs coaches

Category:Utah Grizzlies (IHL) players

Category:Utah Grizzlies (AHL) players

Category:Vancouver Canucks players

Category:Washington Capitals players

Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches

Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States

Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden

Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Germany