Keith "Primes" Primeau
Team Captain
Birthdate: 24 November 1971
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height: 6'5
Weight: 220 lbs
Sweater Number: 25
Position: Center
Drafted/Acquired: Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1st round (3rd overall), 1990. Traded with Paul Coffey and 1st round pick to Hartford Whalers for Brendan Shanahan and Brian Glynn. Traded with 5th round pick to Philadelphia Flyers for Rod Brind'Amour, Jean-Marc Pelletier, and 2nd round pick.
Marital Status: Married (Wife: Lisa) with four (!) kids (Kylie, Chayse, Corey, Cayden).
Trivia: His younger brother Wayne plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Career Notes
- 1989-90: OHL Second-Team All-Star center. Led OHL in points (127) and goals (57) and was third in assists (70) with the Niagara Falls Thunder.
- 1990-91: Scored first NHL goal 12/11/90 vs. Buffalo
- 1991-92: Member of AHL Calder Cup Champion Adirondack
- 1993-94: Finished the season with NHL career highs in goals (31), assists (42) and points (73), and penalty minutes (173)
- 1995-96: Sixth in scoring for Red Wings with 52 points (27G, 25A) in 74 games. Registered seven game-winning goals
- 1996-97: Second in goals (26) and in penalty minutes (161) and fourth in points (51) on Whalers. Scored goal, the 100th of his career, against Buffalo 11/9/26. Appeared in his first game as a Whaler against Florida 10/12/96.
- 1997-98: Tied for first on team in goals in (26), assists (37), and points (63). Tied for third on team in power play points with 18 (7G, 11A). Led team in plus/minus (19). Named NHL Player of the Week for the first time in his career (week of 3/23/98-3/29/98) with eight points (4G, 4A) in four games. Led the team in shorthanded goals (3). Played for Team Canada in the 1998 Winter Olympics and was the team's third leading scorer (2G, 2A)
- 1998-99: Named the Carolina's franchise 11th captain on 10/3/98. Led team in points (62), goals (30), and power play goals (9). Second on team in game-winning goals (5). Third on team in assists (32), power play points (15), and multi-point games with (11). Reached the 30-goal plateau for the second time of his career with a tally against New Jersey 4/6/99. Named to North America All-Star Team on 1/12/99, marking his first NHL All-Star selection
- 1999-00: During playoffs, ranked 12th in NHL in points (13, career high). Recorded at least one point (1G, 3A) in three straight games (5/2/00-5/7/00). Played 59:51 and scored the game winning goal in 5 OT game at Pittsburgh 5/4/00. Scored his first career playoff goal as a Flyer 4/18/00 at Buffalo. Scored his first game-winning goal as a Flyer 3/26/00 vs. Pittsburgh. Appeared in his 600th NHL game 1/30/00 at Washington. Scored his first goal as a Flyer 1/29/00 at Montreal. Appeared in his first game as a Flyer 1/27/00 vs. Florida. Acquired from Carolina in Jan 2000 in exchange for Rod Brind'Amour and Jean-Marc Pelletier.
- 2000-01: Won Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award as the Flyer who best illustrates character, dignity and respect for the sport both on and off the ice in a vote of the Phila. chapter of the P.H.W.A. Led the team in goals (34), in power play goals (11) and in shooting percentage (20.6%, 34 goals on 165 shots - second in the NHL). Was second on the team in points (73) and in faceoff winning percentage (53.45%, 968 of 1,811). Was tied for second on the team in power play points with 22 (11G,11A). Was third on the team in assists (39) and in hits (151). Had 50 points (23G,27A) over his last 37 games. Recorded at least a point in 15 of his last 21 games (11G,16A). His 34 goals are a new single season career high. Missed final six games for the regular season after sustaining a Grade Two MCL sprain at Ottawa on 3/26/01. Was scoreless vs. Minnesota on 3/15/01, ending his eight-game point-scoring streak (7G,9A - tied his career high) and his five-game assist streak (7A). Was named First Star after recording three goals, his first career hat trick, an assist and a +4 rating vs. Calgary on 3/8/01. The four points vs. Calgary on 3/8/01 tie his career high for most points in a game (fifth time). Was scoreless vs. Tampa Bay on 2/24/01, ending his six-game point-scoring streak (3G,7A). Registered two power play goals and two assists vs. Florida on 1/20/01. The four points vs. Florida is his most in a game as a Flyer and ties his career high for points in a game. Scored both goals in the Flyers' 2-1 overtime win at St. Louis on 1/8/01. Scored the game-tying goal vs. Atlanta on 1/6/01, his 200th career NHL goal. Scored two goals, including the game-winner, at Atlanta on 1/5/01 after missing the previous three games due to a bruised shoulder sustained at Florida on 12/27/00. Registered an assist on Gagne's GTG at Colorado on 12/13/00. Scored a goal vs. Buffalo on 11/4/00 after missing the previous two games (11/1/00 & 11/2/00) because of headaches. Was a nominee for a 2001 ESPY Award in the category of Most Memorable Moment of the Year for his goal in the fifth overtime of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Pittsburgh.
- 2001-02: Named 13th Flyer Team Captain on 10/23/01.
Profile
(Updated 10/24/01) I'll openly admit that I was less than happy when the Flyers traded one of my all-time favorite players (Rod Brind'Amour) for a player who seemed like another whiny, money-grubbing holdout. Primeau seemed to be a posterboy for spoiled rich hockey players--a second-tier star who had never done much asking for millions upon millions of dollars. It was going to take a lot for me to warm up to the idea of Primeau in the orange and black. . . .and boy, has a lot happened!
In his first half-season with the Flyers, Primeau mostly played quietly in the shadow of the burgeoning Eric Lindros controversy. He had one shining moment during his first months in orange and black. That came during the 2000 playoffs, when Primeau ended the longest game in the NHL's modern era with a goal in the fifth overtime against Pittsburg. It was during the 2000-2001 season, however, that Primeau's career truly ook off under the tutelage of new head coach Bill Barber. He became the club's top center--by default at the time--taking important faceoffs and centering talented wingers such as Mark Recchi and Simon Gagne. Big and strong, with a good touch around the net and a defensive conscience, Primeau raised his game to the next level and challenged his detractors to reconsidering the label "second-tier."
With Eric Desjardins' relinquishment of the "C," Primeau now becomes the 13th captain in Flyers history. (He's the 12th player to serve in that role, as Bob Clarke served twice.) In his short time with the Flyers he has fully integrated himself in the team's quiet veteran core--the core that stubbornly (and mostly successfully) ignored the circus known as Eric Lindros. Unlike certain other tree-tall centers (cough, cough, Eric Lindros), "Primes" doesn't run away from the media when the going gets tough--hence the Class Guy Award. Keith Primeau has become indispensable to the club's present and long-term plans.
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