Joseph Sylvain Dorilla Turgeon (born January 17, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Hartford Whalers, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators between 1983 and 1995.
The older brother of Hockey Hall of Famer Pierre Turgeon, he won the bronze medal with Team Canada at the 1983 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and he was a member of the 1984 NHL All-Rookie Team and played in the 1986 NHL All-Star Game.
In the lead up to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)'s entry draft in 1981, the owner, the Laval Voisins, of the first overall pick debated between selecting Turgeon or Mario Lemieux.
[4][7] He made his NHL debut in the season opener against the Buffalo Sabres on October 5, 1983, playing on a line with Francis and Blaine Stoughton.
[8] He registered his NHL point assisting on a goal by Mike Zuke in a 4–1 loss to the Boston Bruins on October 9.
[10] Turgeon played in 76 games during the 1983–84 season, scoring 40 goals and 72 points[2] and was named to the NHL's 1984 All-Rookie Team.
[4] During his first season, Turgeon was involved in a bizarre event in a game versus the Chicago Black Hawks on October 30, 1983.
[2] Turgeon recorded his second career hat trick on December 18, 1985 against Reggie Lemelin in a 4–3 victory over the Calgary Flames.
[18] The abdominal ailment turned into stomach surgery stemming from an injury to his groin[19] that kept him out of the lineup through the first half of thee 1986–87 season.
[20] That season saw the height of "Whalermania" and Turgeon was a key component of it, playing on a line with Francis and Kevin Dineen.
[22] The Whalers struggled during the 1987–88 season, firing their coach in February 1988[23] and Turgeon reflected that, scoring 23 goals, 49 points in 71 games.
[2] At the end of the season, the first mentions of a possible trade of Turgeon were raised by the Whalers general manager, Emile Francis.
[28] On June 17, 1989, the day of the 1989 NHL entry draft, the new general manager of the Hartford Whalers Eddie Johnston made his first move, trading Turgeon to the New Jersey Devils for Pat Verbeek.
[30] He made his 1989–90 season debut on October 5 and scored his third career hat trick, this time against goaltender Ken Wregget, in a 6–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
[39] Playing on a line with Stéphan Lebeau and Stéphane Richer, Turgeon had two goals and four points in an 8–4 victory over the Jets on January 31, 1991.
[40][41] On February 6, during a game versus the Chicago Blackhawks, Turgeon blocked a shot with his knee and fractured his right kneecap.
[2] Turgeon returned to the lineup on April 19 for the second game of the second round series versus the Boston Bruins in the 1991 playoffs.
[2] Turgeon was in and out of the lineup and grew unhappy playing for the Canadiens, sending his agent, Pierre Lacroix, to talk with management about a possible trade in February.
[48] Turgeon played in the Canadiens' first round series with the Hartford Whalers during the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, making his first appearance in game four.
The Canadiens were searching for scoring and Turgeon and Lebeau were inserted into the lineup, replacing Chris Nilan and Mike McPhee.
[55] In the next game on October 25 versus the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Turgeon's left forearm was fractured in a collision with teammate Dennis Vial in the third period.
Turgeon played in seven games, had four goals and six points as the team finished third in the tournament, winning the bronze medal.