Left-winger Shayne Corson was born in Barrie, Ontario on August 13th, 1966. Corson twice represented his country at the World Junior Hockey Championships during his junior career before turning pro with the Montreal Canadiens. Corson, who played three games with Montreal following the end of his final junior season with the Hamilton Steelhawks in 1986, never played a game in the minors jumping straight to NHL where he steadily developed into a power forward.
Corson scored 26 goals for the Canadiens during the 1988-89 season, a year the Canadiens went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. The next year Corson hit the 30-goal plateau and hit a career high with 75 points. Prior to the 1991-92 season Corson was named to Team Canada for the '91 Canada Cup, a tournament Canada won, thanks in part to Corson's five assists in 8 games. However, that season and the next one his production tailed off and the Canadiens, in need of a consistent scoring presence traded him in the summer of 1992 to the Edmonton Oilers.
With the Oilers Corson filled a large leadership role, eventually becoming the team's captain as well as providing steady offense again hitting 25 goals and 54 point in 64 contests during the 1993-94 season.
The St. Louis Blues, under new General Manager Mike Keenan were in need of a gritty power forward and Keenan, who had coached Corson in the Canada Cup, knew he was the player to provide it. The Blues signed Corson as a free agent in 1995 and Corson delivered the goods, chipping in 18 goals while providing a physical presence on the power play and along the boards. In the playoffs that spring Corson led the Blues with 8 goals and registered 14 points in 13 games.
Despite his success in St. Louis he was on the move early the next season in a blockbuster trade with his former club, the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens, in need of grit and defense traded slick center Pierre Turgeon along with farm hands Rory Fitzpatrick and Craig Conroy in exchange for Corson and blue liner Murray Baron.
Following an injury plagued 1996-97 season, Corson bounced back strongly the next season though, driving the Canadiens power play with 14 goals and managing 55 points in 62 games on the Canadiens top line with Saku Koivu and Mark Recchi. Corson was rewarded with a spot on Canada's Olympic Team at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Corson was unable to build on his success and his point totals dipped in each of his next two seasons with the Canadiens.
A free agent in the summer of 2000 Corson signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the Maple Leafs Corson was reunited with Darcy Tucker, a former teammate with the Canadiens who had married Corson's sister. The brother in-law's provided much of Toronto's physical presence and made up a big part of the Leafs checking core. With the Maple Leafs Corson was no longer depended on to provide offense, instead he often drew defensive assignments and was often counted on to shut down the top line of the opposition.
After the better part of three seasons in Toronto, Corson, who had left the club during the first round of the 2003 playoffs signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars in February of 2004. In the playoffs that season the Stars were eliminated in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche, shortly after Shayne Corson retired from the game.
