How does a guy who graduated from Harvard get to be known as a tough guy in the NHL? Neil Sheehy did just that and was known as a defenceman that was able to shut down some of the opposition's top players.
After four years at Harvard University, Sheehy signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames in 1983 but he spent just one game in the NHL and the rest of the season in the CHL with the Colorado Flames. The 1984-85 season saw him split the year with Calgary and the AHL's Moncton Golden Flames, as well as representing the United States in the World Championships. Sheehy's next season was a career-year in points and assists while playing 22 games in the playoffs as the Flames disrupted their rival Edmonton Oilers Cup run by knocking them out of the Cup hunt in the division finals. The team pressed on to the Stanley Cup finals, only to fall to the Montreal Canadiens.
Sheehy spent another season in Calgary before being traded to the Hartford Whalers in the middle of the 1987-88 season. His time in Hartford was short lived as he was traded in the off-season to the Washington Capitals where he stayed for three seasons. He made it back to where he started his NHL career in Calgary when he signed with the Flames for the 1991-92 season and finished his NHL career with them.
