25 Shjon Podein
 
About the Jersey
1990-94 Cape Breton Oilers
Home CCM Knit, Size 56

This jersey is absolutely destroyed! At least 6 major repairs, dozens of board burns, puck/stick marks, unrepaired holes, stains, general filth, more interior pilling and rust on the fight strap than I've ever seen, multiple repairs where the PHPA patch was removed, original nameplate still attached. Podein spent portions of 4 seasons as a member of the Cape Breton Oilers and I think he may have worn this jersey for all of them.

Shjon Podein's interest in hockey was greatly enhanced by the electricity that surrounds the high school hockey programs of his native Minnesota. He skated for John Marshall High School and then made the leap to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1987. By the end of his first season on campus, he was already the property of the Edmonton Oilers.
He stuck with university until the completion of his junior year and then turned pro with the AHL's Cape Breton Oilers in 1990. But within the Oilers' domain, Podein never really caught on as a big-league regular. Over the course of four years, he appeared in only 68 games, spending most of his time in the AHL where he helped Cape Breton win the Calder Cup in 1992-93.

It wasn't until 1994-95, when he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers, that he finally found his major-league niche. It was in Philly that Podein established himself as a valuable and versatile special-teams man. And although never blessed with great hands or leg speed, he did succeed in combining a vast reserve of intensity and defensive know-how to become a first-rate penalty killer. He also attained the respect of his teammates as a team leader by example in the dressing room.

During his five seasons with the Flyers, Podein helped his club regain a playoff presence that peaked with a trip to the Stanley Cup finals against the Wings in 1997. In 1998-99, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Keith Brown. In Denver, Podein assumed his usual role as one of the Avs' penalty-killing kingpins. His hard work and intensity brought big results in the form of a Stanley Cup victory in 2000-01. Following Colorado's Stanley Cup victory in 2001, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues midway through the 2001-02 season and remains one of the premier defensive players on the Blues roster.

Away from the ice, he has gained notice for his work with the Shjon Podein Children's Foundation and various inner-city youth hockey programs. As acknowledgement, he was awarded the 2001 edition of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership role and off-ice humanitarian contributions.

Tagging and Detail Photos
[ click on individual thumbnails to see larger images ]
Career Statistics

Left Wing
Born: March 5, 1968 -- Rochester, MN
6-2, 200 lbs.

Selected by Edmonton Oilers round 8 #166 overall 1988 NHL Entry Draft

Career Statistics Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1987-88 U. of Minnesota-Duluth 30 4 4 8 48 -- -- -- -- --
1988-89 U. of Minnesota-Duluth 36 7 5 12 46 -- -- -- -- --
1989-90 U. of Minnesota-Duluth 35 21 18 39 36 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 Cape-Breton Oilers 63 14 15 29 65 4 0 0 0 5
1991-92 Cape-Breton Oilers 80 30 24 54 46 5 3 1 4 2
1992-93 Cape-Breton Oilers 38 18 21 39 32 9 2 2 4 29
1992-93 Edmonton Oilers 40 13 6 19 25 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 Cape-Breton Oilers 5 4 4 8 4 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 Edmonton Oilers 28 3 5 8 8 -- -- -- -- --
1994-95 Philadelphia Flyers 44 3 7 10 33 15 1 3 4 10
1995-96 Philadelphia Flyers 79 15 10 25 89 12 1 2 3 50
1996-97 Philadelphia Flyers 82 14 18 32 41 19 4 3 7 16
1997-98 Philadelphia Flyers 82 11 13 24 53 5 0 0 0 10
1998-99 Philadelphia Flyers 14 1 0 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
1998-99 Colorado Avalanche 41 2 6 8 24 19 1 1 2 12
1999-00 Colorado Avalanche 75 11 8 19 29 17 5 0 5 8
2000-01 Colorado Avalanche 82 15 17 32 68 23 2 3 5 14
2001-02 Colorado Avalanche 41 6 6 12 39 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 St. Louis Blues 23 2 4 6 2 10 0 0 0 6
2002-03 St. Louis Blues 68 4 6 10 28 7 0 1 1 6
2004-05 Vaxjo HC 29 9 12 21 38 -- -- -- -- --
 .
NHL Totals 699 100 106 206 439 127 14 13 27 132