Skip to main content

Edmonton Oilers forward Anson Carter is having a breakout season. The right winger, in his sixth National Hockey League campaign, is on pace for career numbers in goals, assists, points and games played.

Quite impressive for a guy who almost quit hockey at 16 to concentrate on baseball. Thankfully, his parents, Horace and Velma, talked the two-sport athlete out of deserting hockey.

"I was going to quit, but my mom told me to stick with it and my dad seconded that notion," the soft-spoken Carter said. "He told me to play one more year of hockey and if I still didn't like it then I could take up baseball full-time."

Carter then proceeded to have his best year in minor hockey. He credits his parents, coach Randy Ward, and a more serious approach to off-ice training for his success that season.

Carter then rejected offers to play in the Ontario Hockey League and opted instead to skate for Tier II Wexford under coach Stan Butler. He subsequently earned a scholarship to Michigan State University.

"We won the city championship and we were one of the best Wexford teams of all-time. Coach Butler did a great job of preparing me for the next level with weight training and nutrition."

Carter didn't aspire to play in the NHL at the time and the OHL didn't appeal to him.

"It's pretty simple. I wasn't ready to leave home when I was 16. I was having too much fun at home and in high school and didn't want to leave my family," said the graduate of Agincourt Collegiate in Scarborough.

That year of Tier 11 junior A resulted in Carter being drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 10th round, 220th overall, in 1992. It is not exactly the draft position of most future NHL stars, but Carter is in the company of players such as Luc Robitaille and Gary Suter, who were late-round draft picks.

So hockey was finally his sport of choice, but when Carter's friends heard he was going to Michigan State, they thought he was going to be the shortstop and leadoff hitter on the Spartans baseball team.

"My friends didn't know I played hockey at a high level. It wasn't one of the things we talked about. I played hockey for fun and when I wasn't playing it, I didn't think much about it."

Originally, Carter planned to play hockey and baseball at Michigan State, but he was too exhausted after hockey season to pick up a ball and glove.

He would go on to have a standout career at MSU. In addition to being a Central Collegiate Hockey Association first all-star in 1994 and 1995, he was a National Collegiate Athletic Association second team All-American in 1995 and a finalist for the Hobey Baker award as top U.S. collegiate player.

Carter was now ready for the pros, but the Nordiques were now in Colorado and the Avalanche were on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup, leaving little room for rookies. So he was traded to Washington in the spring of 1996 and learned the ropes of pro hockey in the Capitals organization.

But just as he thought he was becoming an important cog with the Caps, he was involved in a blockbuster trade in 1997 in which Carter, Jason Allison and Jim Carey were sent to the Boston Bruins for Adam Oates, Rick Tocchet and Bill Ranford.

Carter became a regular in Boston before holding out in 2000, looking for a better contract offer. He was then traded again, this time to Edmonton for Bill Guerin.

The trade in November of last season surprised many, but both clubs were financially motivated to do the deal. Guerin, who became a star in Edmonton playing with Doug Weight, was in the last year of his contract and headed for unrestricted free agency. The fiscally challenged Oilers knew there was no hope of re-signing him.

"Carter was a guy we had our eyes on for a while," Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe said. "We thought he was a good fit in terms of a replacement for Bill. It didn't happen overnight, we had talked for some months about it. But I think the Bruins were satisfied [Carter]wasn't coming back, so that helped the process."

Like so many Bruins before and after him, Carter was sent packing because of a contractual impasse with the notoriously stingy Boston management team of Mike O'Connell and Harry Sinden. Looking for more money while playing for the Bruins is a bad combination.

"That's how they do their business and you can't really do anything about it," said Carter, who had plenty to say on the subject.

"It's nice to get the opportunity to play in other places. I was in Washington, too, and saw how they did things. I saw how they did things in Boston and now Edmonton. . . . Mac T [Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish]and Kevin played on great teams and they're trying to continue that tradition with the guys here in terms of chemistry.

"I think that's something that's understated in sports today, chemistry. They realize that as an organization, and are trying to build that with the guys we have in the dressing room today."

Carter is so pleased to have been traded to Edmonton that he holds no grudge against the Bruins whatsoever.

"I'm very happy with my current situation in Edmonton and it was time to turn the page. I was glad to get the opportunity to play in an original six town, but I can't be in a better spot right now. Great organization, great teammates."

And the feeling is more than mutual. The Oilers couldn't be more pleased to have Carter in their lineup to help make up for the absence of Guerin's scoring touch.

"Anson has played terrifically right from the start of training camp," MacTavish said. "He's a highly motivated guy. He came in and had worked very hard in the summer and knew that he was going to have added responsibility here, and he's thrived."

The fact the Oilers are a small-market team doesn't concern Carter.

"I can't see there being a better place, to tell you the truth. We practise at the Coliseum 90 per cent of the time. We've got great ice for 41 games. Fans are awesome, and the people are friendly there. More importantly, the Oilers know what it takes to win. Its not just lip service."

The Oilers swapped first-round draft picks with Boston in the trade and also received a second-round choice in last June's entry draft, selecting Ales Hemsky and Doug Lynch, respectively.

It took Carter a while to get going in Edmonton as a nagging shoulder injury kept him from being at his best when he first arrived.

"I wasn't very confident last year. I wasn't strong along the wall and in the corners and that affected my game a little bit. I tried to make due with the situation and I knew it would take time. I was happy to come to camp on time this year and being strong both physically and mentally has helped my game as well."

His style of play has also changed. When Carter gets the puck, he shoots it.

"Last year, I was more of a passer. I was trying to feel my way into the situation. Now I'm trying to take charge, with Weight being gone, and trying to carry the workload. I'm not going to pass up many shots."

Carter is receiving rave reviews for his play, but most importantly he has impressed his coach.

"There are not a lot of things that he can't do," MacTavish said. "Anson is the consummate professional. He's very well trained, focused and dedicated to the game."

"Sometimes the puck just goes your way and you gain a lot of confidence, and sometimes it doesn't," Carter said.

He recently reached the 200-point and 100-goal plateaus in his career and doesn't take those numbers for granted.

"I hope the next 200 come quicker," he joked. "The first 200 points and 100 goals are nice milestones. To get a point or just play a game in the NHL is a great achievement. I'm not taking any milestone lightly."

And the Team Canada hopeful has chosen the perfect season to get hot early. He's now in the running to play for Canada at the Olympic Games in February.

"I've always been a slow starter, usually I pick it up in the second half. This year, it was really important to get off to a good start coming off major surgery on my wrist and shoulder and just trying to establish some confidence mentally."

"He's going to have to keep it up to really have an opportunity," said Lowe, who is also Team Canada's assistant general manager. "One of his best attributes is that he's a good defensive player as well. So unlike a lot of guys who just score goals, you can rely on Anson to play the last shift of a close game or count on him to make the right play all the time."

He has represented his country twice before, winning gold medals at the world junior championship in 1994 and at the world championship in 1997. If Carter keeps it up, he may be in a position to make it a gold medal hat trick. Heath Brown writes for TSNMAX.ca

Interact with The Globe