Rich Pilon
| Rich Pilon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 30, 1968 Saskatoon, SK, Can |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | New York Islanders (1988–1999) New York Rangers (1999–2001) St. Louis Blues (2001) |
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| NHL Draft | 143rd overall, 1986 New York Islanders |
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| Playing career | 1988–2001 | ||
Richard Brian Pilon (born April 30, 1968 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a retired NHL ice hockey player. A stay-at-home defenceman, Pilon played for three teams during his 15-year NHL career, the New York Islanders, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues, but is primarily recognized for his time with the Islanders.
The New York Islanders drafted him in the seventh round, 143rd overall, in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.
Pilon made his debut in the 1988–89 NHL season, playing 62 games, recording 14 assists and 242 penalty minutes for the New York Islanders. He would play 10 season there before being claimed on waivers December 1, 1999, by the New York Rangers. He played parts of two seasons as a Ranger. He was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a seventh round draft pick, days before he became an unrestricted free agent in 2001. He was then signed by the St. Louis Blues on July 10, 2001. He played eight games for the Blues before he suffered a broken left wrist in a game against the Rangers that subsequently ended his NHL career.
On May 14, 1993, during game seven of the Patrick Division finals between the New York Islanders and the favoured defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins not only saw one of the greatest upsets in NHL playoff history (with the Islanders' David Volek's overtime goal) but one of the worst freak accidents to ever occur on the ice.
Early in the first period, the puck went into the Islanders' corner. The Penguins' star power-forward, Kevin Stevens, skated in hard and attempted to hit Pilon but instead was met by Pilon's visor which knocked Stevens unconscious in mid-air. The unprotected fall left Stevens to smash his face on the ice upon impact. Stevens laid motionless on the ice for several seconds with the referee and Penguins teammates concerned, a pool of blood forming around Stevens' head, before the team trainer attended to him. Stevens was carted off the ice in a stretcher with a neck brace around his head. He required immediate surgery on his crushed face, injuries that ended up being a broken sinus bone and nose, as well as many facial lacerations and bruises. Stevens' face required over one-hundred stitches that left him unrecognizable, even to his own family, for the next few weeks until the swelling went down.
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