Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Mike Craig

At least 10 NHL Games

December 22, 1984 Buffalo Sabres vs Quebec Nordiques. 1-3 loss.
December 23, 1984 Buffalo Sabres vs St. Louis Blues. 3-2 win.
December 26, 1984 Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs. 6-0 win.
December 28, 1984 Buffalo Sabres vs Winnipeg Jets. 4-0 win.
December 29, 1984 Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils. 2-1 win.
December 31, 1984 Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils. 6-4 win.
April 4, 1985 Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins. 3-5 loss.
April 6, 1985 Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs. 5-2 win.
April 7, 1985 Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens. 4-5 loss.
November 1, 1985 Buffalo Sabres vs Edmonton Oilers. 2-0 win.




   November, 1984 Mike Craig was recalled to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres when Bob Sauve was injured. Craig dressed as backup to Tom Barrasso. "Just to be up there is a thrill," said to a local newspaper Craig when asked about his promotion from Flint to Buffalo. Christmas, 1984 Mike Craig was an NHL goalie and remained with the NHL club until early January. 

   Early April, 1985 Buffalo Sabres All-Star goalie Tom Barrasso was sidelined with an allergic reaction to his left leg. With just three games left in the regular season, the Sabres sent Barrasso to the doctor and then rested him in preparation for the post-season. Mike Craig was recalled from the AHL to dress as a backup to Bob Sauve to end the season. 

   Mike Craig was recalled for a final time to the Sabres a few months later. During the 1985/86 season he spent time as backup to Tom Barrasso. One of those included a match against Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers.

   As a junior player Mike Craig shared 1979/1980 Alberta Junior Hockey League Top GAA award with future NHL star Mike Vernon. After playing three seasons with the University of Calgary Dinos, Mike Craig embarked on a pro hockey career in 1984. He was signed by the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent and would spend the next three seasons tending net for their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. 

   In 1987 Craig retired from pro hockey. He returned to Calgary and began a career as a school teacher. 

   In 2017 I was able to get in touch with Mike Craig in regards to his career in the NHL. "I was called up to Buffalo twice, each for about 1 month," said Craig. "Arenas I visited included the Quebec Coliseum, Boston Gardens, Maple Leafs Gardens, New Jersey Meadowlands etc. My best memories were the classy NHLers. Gilbert Perrault and others treated me like a teammate. Pete Peeters, Kelly Hrudy and other goalies made a point of making me feel welcome to the NHL!" 

  • Wore #35 with Sabres in 1984/85 and #31 in 1985/86

Career stats from hockeydb.com
Born Nov 1 1962 -- Calgary, ALTA
Height 6.00 -- Weight 165 
Drafted by Buffalo Sabres - round 10 #205 overall 1982 NHL Entry Draft

RS Scoring
RS Goalie StatsPO Scoring
SeasonTeamLgeGPAPIMMinGAENSOGAAWLTSvsPctGPAPIM
1978-79Calgary CanucksAJHL000
1979-80Calgary CanucksAJHL3300183093013.0522100
1979-80Calgary WranglersWHL100604004.00010320.889---
1981-82Calgary WranglersWHL2600143688003.68141006630.883---
1981-82Billings BighornsWHL110050653006.284402760.839---
1983-84U. of CalgaryCWUAA00277075005.8411104980.869
1984-85Flint GeneralsIHL800---
1984-85Rochester AmericansAHL2906143188003.6911736470.880400
1985-86Rochester AmericansAHL47242573183404.271621513740.882---
1986-87Rochester AmericansAHL2318119282204.1381025240.865---
1986-87Flint SpiritsIHL200---

November 1, 1985 Program featuring Mike Craig:
November, 1984 Newspaper article

1 comment:

  1. I was watching a Buffalo Sabres October 1985 contest when I noticed the back-up goalie was someone I did not recognize and could not locate information on a number "31 Craig" goalie in two Sabres data bases that I used.

    At first I thought, "Jim Craig?", but because of a link in an article from a "In the Crease" email I was able to come to your blog and wow...what an awesome Historical Hockey reference...back-up goalies...too cool.

    Thanks for this compilation of valuable information, your time and efforts are appreciated.

    ReplyDelete