Corey Perry

BIOGRAPHY

Corey Perry was born May 16, 1985, in New Liskeard, Ontario. He is a forward in the NHL.

He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens. During his two campaigns with Dallas and Montreal, Perry lost consecutive Stanley Cup Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, before joining them in that offseason, where he proceeded to lose a third straight Stanley Cup Final. Perry is known for his goal-scoring ability and an abrasive playing style with an ability to get under his opponent's skin; the former earned him the affectionate nickname "Scorey Perry", the latter the less affectionate "the Worm".

He captured a Memorial Cup with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s London Knights and a gold medal with Canada at the World Junior Championships during his major junior career. Perry was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and won the Stanley Cup with the club in 2007. In 2008, he recorded 29 goals and 25 assists. He improved in 2009 to 72 points and was named to his first NHL All-Star Game. Perry continued his ascent in 2010 as he scored 27 goals and had 49 assists. In 2011, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player for the 2010–11 season. He led the NHL with 50 goals and finished third in points behind Daniel Sedin and Martin St. Louis, with 98. He is the first player in NHL history to compete in the Stanley Cup Finals for a different team three years in a row and not win the Stanley Cup.

Internationally, Perry has won gold medals with Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. He became a member of the Triple Gold Club after captaining Canada to gold at the 2016 IIHF World Championships, in addition to previously winning the Stanley Cup and the Olympic gold medal. Perry is only the second player (joining Scott Niedermayer) to combine Triple Gold membership with gold at the World Junior Championships, a Memorial Cup win, and a World Cup of Hockey win.

On July 29, 2021, Perry, having played in two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals losing efforts against the Tampa Bay Lightning, opted to join the back-to-back champions on a two-year, $2 million contract. On the occasion, he said "coming into a team that I've seen firsthand, the last two years. At the end of the day, where I'm at in my career, I want to win. I want to be a part of that and I'm looking forward to it." Shortly after the beginning of the 2021–22 season, he was named an alternate captain.  After a 17-game scoring drought at the start of the season, he recorded his first goal with the Lighting on November 23, 2021 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He would go on to score 19 goals in the regular season, his most since 2016–17, and also 21 assists.

The Lightning qualified for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, and for the second consecutive year Perry faced the Maple Leafs in the first round, again beating them in seven games. The Lightning then swept the Presidents' Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in the second round to reach the Eastern Conference Final. Perry had five goals in the first two rounds, tying Ross Colton for the team lead. His role on the team increased in the course of the playoffs, as injury to Brayden Point lead to him taking Point's place on the top power play unit. The Lightning went on to beat the New York Rangers in a six-game series, advancing to the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals. Perry became only the second player in the history of the NHL to go to the Finals in three consecutive years with three different teams, after Marián Hossa. After scoring a goal in Game 3, Perry became the first player in NHL history to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals with four different teams. Perry went on to lose his third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with a third different team, becoming the first player in NHL history to do so.