Michigan State University in East Lansing has one of the most storied programs in the history of NCAA Division I hockey. The Spartans’ first hockey team suited up for action in 1922. Over the course of the program’s history, Michigan State appeared in the NCAA Tournament 28 times, reaching the Frozen Four 11 times. The Spartans’ three NCAA Tournament championships came in 1966, 1986, and 2007. They currently compete in the Big Ten with archrival University of Michigan. Before joining the Big Ten, Michigan State competed in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Conference from 1981 to 2013.
Michigan State is a proven pipeline for the development of NHL talent. The university has numerous accomplished NHL players in its pool of notable alumni, including Stanley Cup winners and numerous individual award winners. Out of the many Spartans who appeared in NHL games, five former players have appeared in over 1,000 NHL games.
Rod Brind’Amour
Rod Brind’Amour just completed his sixth season as head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. Before entering the coaching ranks of professional hockey, the British Columbia native played in 1,484 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers, and Hurricanes. The former center was captain of the 2005-06 Hurricanes team that defeated the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game series. He followed up his championship-winning season with an offensive breakout campaign, recording 82 points (26 goals and 56 assists) in 78 games. He was also highly effective defensively that season, capturing the Frank J. Selke Trophy, an honor annually bestowed upon the NHL’s top defensive forward. After parts of 21 seasons in the NHL, Brind’Amour retired with a career total of 1,184 points. From 2005 to 2009, he wore the captain’s “C” for Carolina.
Related: 10 Lake Superior State Players With Over 100 NHL Games
Despite only playing one season at Michigan State, the forward certainly made his mark on the university. In 42 games played during the 1988-89 season, Brind’Amour scored 27 goals and tallied 32 assists on his way to CCHA All-Rookie Team and Rookie of the Year honors. He was also a member of the Spartans team that captured a CCHA Tournament championship. Drafted by the Blues ninth overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Brind’Amour joined St. Louis for five Stanley Cup Playoff games following the 1988-89 Spartans’ season.
Duncan Keith
Duncan Keith is a true hero in Chicago Blackhawks’ franchise history. An alternate captain for 14 seasons and three-time Stanley Cup champion, the defenseman appeared in 1,192 games for the club, recording 625 points between the 2005-06 and 2020-21 seasons. His only time in the NHL outside of the “Windy City” was his final season in the league, when he played in 64 games for the Oilers before hanging up his skates after the 2021-22 campaign. His professional resume is loaded with honors, including a Conn Smythe Trophy, two James Norris Memorial Trophies, four NHL All-Star Game appearances, and two Olympic gold medals.
Before his storied NHL career began, Keith played in parts of two seasons with Michigan State. He scored six goals in 56 games with the Spartans, tallied 18 assists, and recorded 26 penalty minutes. Selected 54th overall by the Blackhawks in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Keith left Michigan State during his second season with the Spartans, the 2002-03 campaign, to join the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kelowna Rockets. With the Rockets, the blueliner had 46 points (11 goals and 35 assists) and 60 penalty minutes in 37 appearances.
Kelly Miller
A Spartan with deep family ties to the university and its hockey program, Kelly Miller was a player and coach for Michigan State. Selected by the New York Rangers during the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, the Lansing, Michigan native played four seasons with the Spartans between 1981 and 1985. An alternate captain during his junior season and captain during his senior campaign, the left-winger won CCHA Tournament titles all four years in East Lansing. He had 49 points during the 1983-84 season and 50 points the following campaign.
Miller played 15 seasons in the NHL, appearing in 1,057 games for the Rangers and Washington Capitals. Throughout an NHL career from 1985 to 1999, the forward compiled 181 goals and 282 assists. He retired from professional hockey after appearing in 26 games for the International Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins during the 1999-00 campaign as a player-assistant coach. After a brief stint as an assistant coach in the NHL, Miller returned to his alma mater, where he served as assistant coach for the Spartans from 2011 to 2017.
Bryan Smolinski
A former captain at Michigan State during the 1992-93 season, Bryan Smolinski was drafted by the Boston Bruins 21st overall in the NHL Entry Draft. In four seasons with the Spartans, the Ohio native recorded 181 total points in 158 games between 1989 and 1993. He was a member of the 1989-90 Spartans squad that captured a CCHA Tournament championship that season. After scoring 31 goals and tallying 37 assists in 40 games during his senior season, he was named a 1993 Hobey Baker Award finalist, an honor annually bestowed upon the best NCAA hockey player.
Throughout 15 NHL seasons, Smolinski appeared in 1,055 games. His career total of 651 points (274 goals and 377 assists) was recorded while playing for eight teams between 1993 and 2008. His best season in the NHL came during the 1995-96 campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins when he notched 24 goals and 40 assists in 81 games. He was also a valuable part of the Penguins’ playoff push that season, recording nine points in 18 games as Pittsburgh made it to the Eastern Conference Final, falling in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers. Smolinski retired from hockey after spending the 2009-10 campaign in the IHL with the Flint Generals.
Shawn Horcoff
From 2000 to 2016, Shawn Horcoff appeared in 1,008 NHL games during 15 seasons with the Oilers, Dallas Stars, and Anaheim Ducks. His coaches and teammates at Michigan State recognized the star forward’s leadership on and off the ice, where he wore the alternate captain’s “A” and captain’s “C” during the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons. With the Spartans, the British Columbia native was an outstanding offensive contributor during his senior season when he recorded 65 points (14 goals and 51 assists) in 42 games. He was also a physical force on the ice that campaign, adding 50 penalty minutes to his season statistical totals. While at Michigan State, Horcoff also helped lead the Spartans to two CCHA Tournament championships in 1998 and 2000.
Drafted 99th overall in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers, Horcoff was called up to the big leagues by Edmonton in December 2000. He scored his first professional goal on Dec. 13, 2000, against the Stars, finishing with 186. During his time in the NHL, the center served nine times as an alternate captain or full captain. A major professional career highlight came during the 2005-06 campaign when his 73 points in 79 regular season games helped propel the Oilers into the postseason. In 24 playoff games, he had seven goals and 12 assists as the Oilers fell to the Hurricanes in a hard-fought seven-game Stanley Cup Final series. A 2008 NHL All-Star, Horcoff retired from professional hockey following the 2015-16 campaign. He has been an executive with the Detroit Red Wings organization since his playing days ended.
Who’s Next to 1,000 Games?
The following two players who have the best shot at joining the fraternity of former Spartans with over 1,000 professional games are Jeff Petry and Torey Krug. Between 2007 and 2010, Petry played three seasons for the Spartans. Over the course of his collegiate career, the defenseman won several individual awards, including All-CCHA Rookie Team honors following the 2007-08 campaign. He was drafted 45th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers and made his NHL debut during the 2010-11 campaign. Since then, he has played in 13 seasons with Edmonton, the Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins, and the Red Wings. The blueliner was a member of the Canadiens team that made it to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1). The 36-year-old has appeared in 937 NHL games and is set to return to the league next season.
Krug has appeared in 778 games during his NHL career. Before turning professional, the defenseman played three seasons with Michigan State, where he recorded 34 points (12 goals and 22 assists) and 51 penalty minutes in 38 games during the 2011-12 campaign. That season, the Michigan native was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. He has appeared in 13 seasons with the Bruins and St. Louis. A 2014 NHL All-Rookie Team member, the blueliner appeared in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with the Bruins. He became the first Bruins player in franchise history to record four points in a Stanley Cup Finals game. In 2020, he signed a seven-year contract with his current club, the Blues.
Michigan State has produced its fair share of notable professional ice hockey players over the years. To date, forty-one former players have appeared in over 100 NHL games. Along with active Spartans Petry and Krug, a handful of talented, young players have the potential to have long and successful careers in the NHL.
