Chris Valentine

Center Chris Valentine was a very productive NHL player, but he will be best remembered for his time in the German Elite League.
Valentine earned a reputation as a skilled offensive player when he scored 128 and then 142 points in his two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Despite his incredible production Valentine was a 10th round draft pick of the Washington Capitals. After producing at more than a point-a-game pace in the minors in 1981-82 the Capitals called up their young prospect.

Valentine did not miss a beat pumping in 30 goals and 67 points in his first 60 NHL games. Despite missing 20 games while playing in the minors, Valentine finished tied for fourth in team scoring as rookie. Despite his first year success and producing 17 points in 23 games in year two, Valentine played 51 games in the minors in 1982-83. The next campaign the Capitals put Valentine into 22 games and his production slipped to just 11 points.

In 1984-85 Valentine took his career in a new direction when he signed on with Dusseldorfer EG. This began a highly successful and rewarding stage of his professional career. Valentine provided major production for the club leading the league in scoring seven times during his 12 years in Germany. He also led the club in scoring routinely and led them to four straight championships starting in 1990. He added a fifth title to his resume in 1996. After scoring 903 points in 525 games for Dusseldorfer Chris Valentine retired in 1996 as a champion. The team subsequently retired his #10 in his honour.