Background and early career

Corson was born in Midland, Ontario, but grew up in Barrie, Ontario. He played in the OHL for the Brantford Alexanders (1983-84) and Hamilton Steelhawks (1984-86). The Montreal Canadiens drafted him in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He played briefly with the Canadiens in the 1985-86 season, and joined the team full-time the following year.

NHL playing career

Corson was a regular contributor for the Canadiens from 1986 until 1992, when he was traded to the Oilers in exchange for Vincent Damphousse. He played with Edmonton for three full seasons, before leaving the team for the Blues. His time in Edmonton was marred by some controversy, as head coach George Burnett chose him as the team's captain during the 1994-95 season (Jan.-Mar.1995). Burnett would later strip Corson of the captaincy. He was signed by the Blues as a free agent in 1995, and the Oilers received the rights to Curtis Joseph as compensation. During the 1996-97 season, the Blues traded him back to Montreal, where he played until 2000. The Leafs then signed him as a free agent, and he spent three full seasons in Toronto before "resigning" in the middle of the post-season partly because of his ulcerative colitis.

In a particularly fierce 2002 playoff series against the New York Islanders, Corson was involved in a fight with New York's Eric Cairns, with Cairns being the undisputed winner of the bout. During the official's attempt to separate Cairns and Corson after the bout, Corson attempted to kick Cairns after losing a fight against him, erasing any respect Corson may have had as a player. The NHL subsequently suspended Corson for the deciding Game 7 of the playoff series between New York and Toronto. The Stars signed him during the last part of the 2003-04 season in order to add some grit and leadership for their playoff run, but the team was unsuccessful (losing in the first round to the Colorado Avalanche), and Corson retired afterwards.

Notable achievements

Shayne Corson captained two NHL clubs during his 19 season professional career. He has also played for Team Canada at the Canada Cup, World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, World Cup of Hockey, and 1998 Winter Olympics. Corson was known as a gritty player, with good instincts both offensively and defensively, and a good leader. Corson represented his teams three times at the NHL All-Star Game. He scored 693 points and earned 2357 penalty minutes during his 1156 game regular season NHL career. In addition, he scored 87 points and earned 291 penalty minutes in 140 playoff games.

Personal life

Corson suffers from ulcerative colitis, a chronic digestive disorder that can cause severe pain and significant weight loss. During the later stages of his career, Corson began to suffer from panic attacks, a condition that he has not attributed to any single event, but which may have been precipitated by his battles with colitis and the premature death of his father, Paul Corson, from throat cancer in 1993.

Corson's sister, Shannon, is married to former Toronto Maple Leaf teammate Darcy Tucker. In retirement, Corson (often with Tucker) has been a prominent proponent of building a cancer care facility, the Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre, as part of Barrie's Royal Victoria Hospital.

Corson opened his first restaurant in 2007 with partner Armando Russo in the Distillery District of Toronto, called Tappo Wine Bar & Restaurant. They opened a second restaurant in Barrie, Ontario named Corson's, which began as a family restaurant but was converted to a Sports Bar & Grill which displays his jerseys and other hockey memorabilia. (Mom's Pantry, an older restaurant in Barrie, was opened by Shayne Corson's father, but is no longer run by the Corson family.)

Awards and honors

• All-Star selection, forward, 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
• Selected to three NHL All-Star Games: 1990, 1994 and 1998

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1983-84	Brantford Alexanders	OHL		66	25	46	71	165		6	4	1	5	26
1984-85	Hamilton Steelhawks	OHL		54	27	63	90	154		11	3	7	10	19
1985-86	Hamilton Steelhawks	OHL		47	41	57	98	153		—	—	—	—	—
1985-86	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		3	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1986-87	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		55	12	11	23	144		17	6	5	11	30
1987-88	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		71	12	27	39	152		3	1	0	1	12
1988-89	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	26	24	50	193		21	4	5	9	65
1989-90	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		76	31	44	75	144		11	2	8	10	20
1990-91	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		71	23	24	47	138		13	9	6	15	36
1991-92	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		64	17	36	53	118		10	2	5	7	15
1992-93	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		80	16	31	47	209		—	—	—	—	—
1993-94	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		64	25	29	54	118		—	—	—	—	—
1994-95	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		48	12	24	36	86		—	—	—	—	—
1995-96	St. Louis Blues	NHL		77	18	28	46	192		13	8	6	14	22
1996-97	St. Louis Blues	NHL		11	2	1	3	24		—	—	—	—	—
1996-97	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		47	6	15	21	80		5	1	0	1	4
1997-98	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	21	34	55	108		10	3	6	9	26
1998-99	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		63	12	20	32	147		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		70	8	20	28	115		—	—	—	—	—
2000-01	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		77	8	18	26	189		11	1	1	2	14
2001-02	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		74	12	21	33	120		19	1	6	7	33
2002-03	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		46	7	8	15	49		2	0	0	0	2
2003-04	Dallas Stars	NHL		17	5	5	10	29		5	0	1	1	12
NHL totals				1156	273	420	693	2357		140	38	49	87	291

[ Source: Wikipedia ]