Jay Caufield

Raised in Towamencin Township just outside Lansdale, Jay Caufield took a roundabout route to the NHL, combining junior stops and college sports before turning professional. He finished high school at North Penn and moved through lower-tier junior and collegiate programs rather than a straight major-junior pipeline.

In 1979–80 Caufield played for the Milton Flyers in the OHA-B, then skated at Hibbing Community College. He later enrolled at the University of North Dakota where he concentrated on football and appeared in one hockey game during the 1984–85 season. After completing his studies he signed with the New York Rangers in 1985 and began his pro career in the minors, including a stint with the Toledo Goaldiggers of the IHL.

Caufield reached the NHL in 1986–87, appearing in 13 games for the Rangers and collecting 45 penalty minutes. Traded before the 1987–88 season, he spent time with the Kalamazoo Wings and bounced between major and minor leagues until joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. Over nearly five seasons with Pittsburgh he played 194 games, scored three goals and averaged close to four penalty minutes per game. He was part of Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1991 and 1992. After being sent back to the IHL for 1993–94, he retired at the end of that season.

Following his playing days Caufield had a small film role as the Penguins’ goalie Brad Tolliver in Sudden Death, worked as a personal trainer — notably with Mario Lemieux during comeback periods — and serves as an analyst on Penguins Pregame, Intermission & Postgame on SportsNet Pittsburgh.