Martin Gelinas

Guide Note

Power forward Martin Gelinas was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1988 National Hockey League entry draft, but never played a game with the Kings, as he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in the historic Wayne Gretzky trade. In his rookie season, Gelinas scored 17 goals for the Oilers who went on to win their fifth Stanley Cup in seven years.

Fast Facts

1. Born: June 5, 1970
2. Birth Place: Shawinigan, Quebec
3. Position: Left Wing
4. Shot: Left
5. Jersey number: 23
6. Gelinas signed a one-year, $1.25M contract, with the Nashville Predators in 2007

Gelinas was traded to his home province to play for the Quebec Nordiques in 1993, but didn't live up to expectations and moved to Vancouver after playing only 31 games. During his first year with the Vancouver Canucks, Gelinas was instrumental in helping the team make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He went on to record two consecutive 30-plus goal scoring seasons in 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 and was voted Vancouver's MVP for the latter season.

Early in the 1997-1998 season, Gelinas was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he took on a more defensive role. During the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he scored the winning goal in the Eastern Conference final to lead the team to their first-ever Stanley Cup final competition.

As a free agent, Gelinas was signed by the Calgary Flames in 2002, where he again became a valuable player and was instrumental during the 2003-2004 season, when Calgary reached the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

After the 2004-2005 lockout, Gelinas was signed for a two-year contract with the Florida Panthers. He played a valuable leadership role on the relatively young team before signing with the Nashville Predators for the 2007-2008 season.