Shayne's Biography

A career NHL Player, Shayne Corson played 1156 career NHL games throughout his 19-year NHL career, Corson enjoyed 2 stints with the Montreal Canadiens, while also playing for the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars. A hardworking tough aggressive player who also had excellent leadership skills, Shayne Corson also represented Canada on 6 occasions throughout his career. Shayne Corson is also a known advocate for ulcerative colitis, having battled and managed the disease throughout his NHL career.

Shayne Corson was born in Barrie, Ontario on August 13th, 1966 to Paul and June Corson. As a child, Shayne showed promise in his dream to reach the NHL. While playing for the Junior B Barrie Colts as a 16 year old, Corson would score 42 points in 22 games. Shayne’s success at the Junior B level translated into an opportunity with the Brantford Alexanders of the OHL. It was around this time in his life that Shayne was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Shortly before arriving in Brantford, Shayne lost 20 pounds, did not have a lot of energy and was experiencing frequent pain. “I hid it for about 6 months”, Shayne Corson told the Brantford Expositor in a 2013 interview. “I was scared. I thought it was cancer or something.” Shayne’s mother June got him on the road to recovery and managing ulcerative colitis after discovering him in great pain 1 night. Despite the diagnosis and the fact he was now taking 16 pills a day to control the disease, Shayne was determined as ever to realize his dream. “I wasn’t going to let it hold back from what I wanted to do”, Shayne Corson told the Expositor. “I always had a dream since I was a young boy-I wanted to play in the NHL. I was getting closer to that opportunity and I wasn’t letting anything hold me back.” Now managing his newly diagnosed condition, Shayne reported to Brantford for his first OHL season. During his rookie year in the OHL, Shayne notched 25 goals, 46 assists for 71 points in 66 games. While playing for the Alexanders, Shayne Corson played on a line with future NHL tough guy Bob Probert. Shayne’s success in his first OHL season led him to take a huge step towards realizing his dream of reaching the NHL, he was drafted in the 1st round, 8th overall in the 1984 NHL Draft to the Montreal Canadiens. Shayne would return to the OHL for the 1984/85 season with the Hamilton Steelhawks, who had just relocated from Brantford. His play kept on improving, as he scored 90 points in 54 games for the Steelhawks. Shayne also made his first appearance with Team Canada during this season, playing at the 1985 World Junior Hockey Championships in Finland.

The following season, Shayne realized his childhood dream of playing in the NHL, as he made his debut with the Montreal Canadiens, playing in 3 games with the team. He would spend the rest of the season back with the Steelhawks, once again upping his point totals to 98 points in 47 games. Shayne Corson would also participate in his 2nd World Junior Hockey Championship with Team Canada, notching 14 points in 7 games at the 1986 tournament in his own backyard, Hamilton. The following season, 1986/87, marked Shayne’s rookie NHL season with the Canadiens. Appearing in 55 games, Shayne Corson would score 12 goals, 11 assists for 23 points. Shayne also displayed his toughness and willingness to mix it up, as he accumulated 144 penalty minutes. Shayne Corson really broke out in his 3rd season, netting 26 goals, 24 assists for 50 points while also racking up 193 penalty minutes. Shayne would add 9 points in 21 playoffs games, helping Montreal to the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, where they ultimately lost in 6 games to the Calgary Flames. The following season, 1989/90, Shayne Corson had a career year, scoring 31 goals, 44 assists for a total of 75 points in 76 games. Shayne’s success led him to not only being named to Team Canada for the 1991 Canada Cup, but also being placed on a line with none other then Wayne Gretzky. Shayne Corson would contribute 5 points in 8 games on a stacked Canadian team that, in addition to Gretzky, contained future Hall of Famers such as Paul Coffey, Dale Hawerchuk, Al MacInnis, Mark Messier, Larry Murphy, Brendan Shanahan, Luc Robitaille, Scott Stevens and Ed Belfour. That team would go on to defeat the United States to claim the Canada Cup. Shayne Corson would play 1 more season with the Canadiens, then he’d be traded to the Edmonton Oilers in the 1992 off season in exchange for Vincent Damphousse. He was regarded as a leader in Edmonton, wearing the A for his first 2 seasons as an Oiler and serving as captain in the 1994/95 season, his final campaign with Edmonton. In the 1995 off season, Shayne Corson signed with the St. Louis Blues, where he’d be joined by Gretzky again late in the 1996 season. After starting the 1996/97 season with the Blues, he’d be dealt back to Montreal. Shayne’s second stint in Montreal lasted 3 1Ž2 seasons, during which he served as an alternate captain during the 1999/00 season. In the 2001 offseason, Shayne returned to his home province, signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, with whom he’d play for until midway through the 2002/03 season when he’d step away from hockey. After nearly a year out of competitive hockey, Shayne Corson joined the Dallas Stars in February of 2004. Shayne would end his career on a high note, scoring 10 points in 17 games with the Stars, and appearing in 5 playoff games. 2004 would mark his last season in the NHL.

In retirement, Shayne Corson has partnered Armando Russo, opening a restaurant. The restaurant, located in Distillery District of Toronto, is named Tappo Wine Bar and Restaurant. Besides that, Shayne Corson also continues to be a vocal advocate for ulcerative colitis and was a big supporter of building the Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre as part of Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie.