Steve Larmer

Growing up in Peterborough, Steve Larmer moved from neighbourhood rinks to national junior hockey by way of the local church leagues and the 1974 Quebec Pee-Wee Tournament. He earned a roster spot with the Peterborough Petes as a walk-on, then was traded to the Niagara Falls Flyers where back-to-back 100-point seasons made him an attractive NHL prospect.

Chicago selected him 120th overall in the 1980 draft. Larmer split time between the NHL and minors early on, appearing in a handful of games in 1980–81 and 1981–82 and winning the Calder Cup in 1982 with the New Brunswick Hawks. He became an everyday player in 1982–83, scoring 43 goals and collecting the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie.

Larmer’s tenure in Chicago defined his prime years: five 40-goal campaigns, eleven consecutive 70-point seasons, and a streak of 884 straight games with the Blackhawks from 1982 to 1993—an NHL record for consecutive games with the same club at the time. He earned All-Star selections in 1990 and 1991 and posted his lone 100-point season in 1990–91. Contract disputes in 1993 ended his streak and set in motion a multi-player trade that moved him to the New York Rangers.

Joining the Rangers in 1993–94, Larmer scored in his first game and served as an alternate captain while helping New York to the 1994 Stanley Cup; he contributed nine goals and seven assists in that playoff run. The following season he reached the 1,000-point milestone and played his 1,000th game, then retired quietly in July 1995 with over 400 career goals.

Internationally, Larmer represented Canada in 1991 at both the World Championships and the Canada Cup, leading the Cup in goals and scoring the go-ahead goal in the final. Known for strong two-way skating and dependable decision-making, he earned repeated Selke Trophy votes and left a lasting statistical legacy with the Blackhawks.