Sheldon Souray (born July 13, 1976) is a Canadian former professional
ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey
League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton
Oilers, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks. He was best known for his
heavy slapshot, once setting a previous unofficial NHL record for the
hardest recorded shot at the Oilers' 2009 Skills Competition.Before
playing in the NHL, Sheldon was a member of the Fort Saskatchewan
Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). He was drafted in
the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round, 71st overall, by the New
Jersey Devils.Souray reported to his second Devils training camp
overweight and out-of-shape, prompting general manager Lou Lamoriello
called him embarrassing, and that he would never play for the team if
it happened again. Souray credits Lamoriello for calling him out, and
says it was exactly what he needed to succeed at such a high level. He
made his NHL debut in the 1997â€"98 season. He finished his rookie
season with modest scoring totals of three goals and ten points in 60
games, but most importantly established that he was capable of being
an NHL regular. He scored his first NHL goal on a powerful slapshot
late in a December 16, 1997, game against the rival New York Rangers
to break a 3â€"3 tie late in the third period and send the Devils to a
4â€"3 win. Souray played in New Jersey from 1997 to midway through the
1999â€"2000 season, earning a reputation as a big, steady, physical
defender with a mean streak and a hard shot. However, with the Devils
preparing to make their Stanley Cup run late in the 1999â€"2000 season
and believing they needed more offence from the blue line, Souray was
traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000, in exchange for
Vladimir Malakhov.Before playing in the NHL, Sheldon was a member of
the Fort Saskatchewan Traders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League
(AJHL). He was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft in the third round,
71st overall, by the New Jersey Devils.Souray reported to his second
Devils training camp overweight and out-of-shape, prompting general
manager Lou Lamoriello called him embarrassing, and that he would
never play for the team if it happened again. Souray credits
Lamoriello for calling him out, and says it was exactly what he needed
to succeed at such a high level. He made his NHL debut in the
1997â€"98 season. He finished his rookie season with modest scoring
totals of three goals and ten points in 60 games, but most importantly
established that he was capable of being an NHL regular. He scored his
first NHL goal on a powerful slapshot late in a December 16, 1997,
game against the rival New York Rangers to break a 3â€"3 tie late in
the third period and send the Devils to a 4â€"3 win. Souray played in
New Jersey from 1997 to midway through the 1999â€"2000 season, earning
a reputation as a big, steady, physical defender with a mean streak
and a hard shot. However, with the Devils preparing to make their
Stanley Cup run late in the 1999â€"2000 season and believing they
needed more offence from the blue line, Souray was traded to the
Montreal Canadiens on March 1, 2000, in exchange for Vladimir
Malakhov.Souray's offence began to improve following his trade to the
Canadiens. At the time of his trade from the Devils, he had just eight
points, all assists. He finished with three goals in 19 games as a
Canadien to tie his career best for goals in a season, and establish a
new career best for points (11) in 71 combined games. More
importantly, he began using his dangerous shot more often once he
arrived in Montreal. In 2000â€"01, injuries limited him to just 52
games, 19 less than the previous year, but Souray still managed to
match his previous season's career bests in goals (3), assists (8) and
points. He got off to a good start in 2001â€"02, threatening to
surpass his previous offensive highs, as he tallied three goals and
five assists in just 34 games while fighting through an injury-plagued
campaign. 2001â€"02 also saw him record his first career power play
goal, as the Canadiens began to realize the value of having a player
on the point who could consistently shoot the puck as hard as Souray.
However, he suffered a wrist injury that plagued him throughout the
year, and though he would play through it much of the season, Souray
would eventually shut it down at the end of the season.The severity of
the wrist injury kept him out the entire 2002â€"03 season while he
recovered and regained his strength. However, in 2003â€"04, Souray
returned to play for the Canadiens and had a breakout season, amassing
a surprising 15 goals and 35 points. He had exceeded expectations with
the sudden development of his offensive game, especially given his
reputation as a defence-first rearguard throughout his NHL career up
to that point. This was of course possible because his powerful
slapshot had returned along with his health, he was using his shot
more often than ever before, and the Canadiens were giving him plenty
of scoring opportunities by using him on the power play and increasing
his overall ice time. During this season, he participated in the 2004
All-Star Game for the first time, and shared a win in the Skills
Competition's hardest shot contest. Both he and Adrian Aucoin recorded
blasts of 102.2 mph in the event. During the 2004â€"05 NHL lockout, he
played for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Elitserien. While in Sweden,
Souray wrote a correspondence in the Montreal Gazette with the
assistance of hockey writer Dave Stubbs. The correspondence chronicled
Souray's experience in a new country, and the different style of play
that is popular overseas compared to the North American style of play.
He also had the chance to represent his home country internationally
by playing for Team Canada in the 2005 IIHF World Championships. Due
to the lockout, this tournament featured a much higher percentage than
usual of NHL players, of which Souray was one. Sheldon Souray Top Movies & Young Movies