1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot Jersey

Born on this date in 1962, John Chabot, an Algonquin Aboriginal, played in the Quebec Major Junior League for the Hull Olympiques after being drafted first overall in the 1979 QMJHL draft. In his first season with Hull, Chabot scored 26 goals and 57 assists for 83 points in 68 games. Following that season, he was selected by the Montreal Canadiens 40th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He exceeded his point totals in all categories the following year with 27 goals, 62 assists and 89 points.

The 1981-82 season saw Chabot move to the Sherbrooke Beavers, where he raised his game with a new high of 34 goals, but exploded in the assist category with a remarkable 109 in 62 games to lead the league, giving him 143 points for the season. He was named the winner of the CCM QMJHL Player of the Year as well as the recipient of the Michel Briere Memorial Trophy as league MVP, an award won by Dale Hawerchuk and Denis Savard in the two previous seasons and in subsequent seasons by Pat Lafontaine and Mario Lemieux.

He spent the 1982-83 season in the American Hockey League with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs proving he was ready for the NHL with 89 points in 76 games.

His NHL debut came in 1983-84 with the Canadiens, dressing for 56 games, scoring 18 goals and 43 points plus seeing action in 11 playoff games.

Ten games into the following season Chabot was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penuins, where he racked up assists on a regular basis to finish the season with 60 points from 51 assists in 77 games.

After another season with the Penguins, Chabot signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent for the 1987-88 campaign. There, he scored an NHL career high 57 points from 13 goals and 44 assists, plus an additional 19 points in 16 playoff contests as the Red Wings advanced to the conference finals.

Chabot had a rough season in 1988-89, playing only 52 games with Detroit and registering a meager 12 points, as well as an eight game stint with Adirondack in the AHL, where he scored just under two points a game.

He found his game again in 1989-90, playing the full season in Detroit and scoring 49 points in 69 games, but 1990-91 was split between Adirondack and Detroit, with 27 games for each, scoring the final 10 points of his NHL career.

1991-92 saw him appear in eight games for the Canadian National Team before moving to Italy with HC Devils Milano, where he dominated with 45 points in 17 games before adding 17 points in 13 playoff games as Milan won the Italian Serie A championship.

1991-92 HC Devils Milano

After beginning the season with Milan, Chabot moved to the Berlin Capitals of the German Bundesliga. He would play for the Capitals for five seasons, which saw the formation of the new Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in 1994, and average 1.37 points per game, with a high of 81 points in 50 games.

The 1997-98 season had Chabot on the move to the Frankfurt Lions where he led the DEL in scoring with 63 points. He became team captain and was able to maintain his average of more than a point per game in the DEL with 1.05 points per game while with Frankfurt with a high of 64 points in 57 games in 1998-99.

Chabot played his final season in 2000-01 with the Berlin Polar Bears and completed his career with 1188 games played, 315 goals and 902 assists for 1217 points in 18 professional seasons. His final NHL totals were 508 games, 84 goals and 228 assists for 312 points, which currently ranks sixth all time for players born in Prince Edward Island.

Today's featured jersey is a 1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot jersey. This jersey features a number of sponsorship logos typical of European jerseys and also sports the captain's "C" and 2000 DEL playoff logo on the right chest.

Unlike North American jersey standards, this jersey has Chabot's name placed below the numbers rather than above.

Today's first video features Chabot scoring a power play goal while playing for the Penguins, followed by a breakaway goal from 1985 with a nice celebration move afterwards.

Look out Loretta, Chabot scores against the Oilers in 1987.

Next, coach Chabot teaches youngsters how to do a proper wrist shot. There are additional videos featuring Chabot on skating and stickhandling. Most recently, Chabot was an assistant coach for the New York Islanders in the 2008-09 season.

1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot Jersey

July by the Numbers returns to Germany for jersey #11.

Founded in 1959 as part of the Eintracht Frankfurt sports club, the Frankfurt Lions, the hockey club became it's own separate entity in 1991 and was renamed Frankfurter ESC Die Löwen (The Lions). When the DEL came into being in 1994, the club name was simplified to the Frankfurt Lions.

For their first DEL season, the Lions finished mid-pack in 10th out of 18, improving to 8th in 1995-96. A format change for the league in 1996-97 saw them finish 10th in Phase I of the season and defend their place in the DEL by defeating Ratinger Löwen in three straight games in the relegation playdowns.

A change in ownership over the summer saw new logos and colors adopted and once play began, they improved in 1997-98 to a 4th place in Phase I, before placing second in Phase II of the regular season. In the playoffs, they downed the Hannover Scorpions 3 games to 1, but were swept by defending and eventual champions Adler Manheim.

The following season they finished 4th in the regular season and won their first round playoff series in the full five games before again being knocked out in the Semifinals. 1999-00 saw a 7th place finish and a first round playoff exit before a 10th place finish in 2000-01 followed by 11th place the following season.

The 2002-03 season was a forgettable one for the Lions. They placed 13th out of 14 clubs, which forced them into the relegation playoff against the dreadful Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings, who trailed even the Lions by 25 points in the standings. Shockingly, the Wild Wings defeated the Lions 4 games to 2 to mark the Lions for demotion. The Lions were spared when the Wild Wings entered bankruptcy and had their DEL license cancelled, allowing the Lions to remain in the league after all.

Given their new lease on life, the Lions roared up the standings, raising their win total from 14 to 26 and a 5th place finish, retiring them to the playoffs thanks to league MVP and leading scorer Patrick Lebeau's 69 points. There, they knocked off the favored Cologne Sharks in six games before doing the same to the Hamburg Freezers 3 games to 2, as oddly, the first round is a best of seven, while the semifinals and finals are only a best of five. They then made the most of their second chance after being destined for relegation 12 months earlier when they defeated the Berlin Polar Bears 3 games to 1 to capture the 2004 DEL championship.

The Frankfurt Lions celebrate their 2004 DEL championship

With the 2004-05 NHL season cancelled, the Lions were able to add NHL regulars Stéphane Robidas of the Chicago Blackhawks and Doug Weight from the St. Louis Blues to their roster in mid-season. which aided the Lions in finishing first overall for the first time during the regular season with a team record 103 points from a 35-17 record. While they won their first round series, they were upset in the semifinals, costing them a chance to defend their championship.

Doug Weight while with the Lions

The club dropped to a 9th place n 2006 and came 8th in 2007, winning a preliminary round playoff series before dropping out in the first round. Success returned in 2007-08 with a 4th place finish and a quarterfinal playoff round win before dropping hard fought five game series to the Sharks, with four of the five games decided by a goal, two of which went into overtime.

Turmoil for the club began in August of 2008 when team co-founder and principal owner Gerd Schröder died at the age of 49 after having been in a coma following a stroke earlier in the year.

2008-09 had the Lions finishing 9th and then felled in the preliminary round of the playoffs. 2009-10 again saw the Lions among the league's elite teams, finishing second overall with 98 points, led by DEL scoring champion Canadian Jeff Ulmer's 37 goals and 74 points in 56 games, only to be eliminated in the quarterfinals 3 games to 1.

Jeff Ulmer

Sadly, their success on the ice was not reflected in the club's finances, and they were forced to cease operations following the 2010 playoffs, bringing to an end 51 years of hockey.

In the history of the club, Lebeau was their all time leading scorer with 307 points, 111 goals and 196 assists, tops in all three categories.

All-time leading scorer Patrick Lebeau

hoisting the 2004 championship trophy

Today's featured jersey is a 1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot jersey. While a sponsored jersey, this style still manages to maintain the Lions identity, with their Lion head logo still prominent on the front of the jersey despite being overshadowed somewhat by the Arcor logo above it.

On the back, in typical European style, the player name is below the numbers, with the PlayStation name being given top billing across the shoulders.

The jersey is very busy visually thanks more to the ten black, silver and red stripes across the front, and would be better off without the pair of black stripes behind the lion's head.

One very unique feature of the jersey is the skyline of Frankfurt appearing in the sleeve stripes, a simple and effective way to make the jersey a memorable one.

John Chabot was an NHL veteran, having played with Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit from 1983 to 1991 before moving to Germany where he played for nine seasons, three of which were with the Lions, where his veteran experience led to him being named team captain.

Today's video section is Lebeau scoring for the Lions scoring against the Polar Bears in the 2004 DEL finals.

1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot Jersey

July by the Numbers returns to Germany for jersey #11.

Founded in 1959 as part of the Eintracht Frankfurt sports club, the Frankfurt Lions, the hockey club became it's own separate entity in 1991 and was renamed Frankfurter ESC Die Löwen (The Lions). When the DEL came into being in 1994, the club name was simplified to the Frankfurt Lions.

For their first DEL season, the Lions finished mid-pack in 10th out of 18, improving to 8th in 1995-96. A format change for the league in 1996-97 saw them finish 10th in Phase I of the season and defend their place in the DEL by defeating Ratinger Löwen in three straight games in the relegation playdowns.

A change in ownership over the summer saw new logos and colors adopted and once play began, they improved in 1997-98 to a 4th place in Phase I, before placing second in Phase II of the regular season. In the playoffs, they downed the Hannover Scorpions 3 games to 1, but were swept by defending and eventual champions Adler Manheim.

The following season they finished 4th in the regular season and won their first round playoff series in the full five games before again being knocked out in the Semifinals. 1999-00 saw a 7th place finish and a first round playoff exit before a 10th place finish in 2000-01 followed by 11th place the following season.

The 2002-03 season was a forgettable one for the Lions. They placed 13th out of 14 clubs, which forced them into the relegation playoff against the dreadful Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings, who trailed even the Lions by 25 points in the standings. Shockingly, the Wild Wings defeated the Lions 4 games to 2 to mark the Lions for demotion. The Lions were spared when the Wild Wings entered bankruptcy and had their DEL license cancelled, allowing the Lions to remain in the league after all.

Given their new lease on life, the Kions roared up the standings, raising their win total from 14 to 26 and a 5th place finish, retiring them to the playoffs thanks to league MVP and leading scorer Patrick Lebeau's 69 points. There, they knocked off the favored Cologne Sharks in six games before doing the same to the Hamburg Freezers 3 games to 2, as oddly, the first round is a best of seven, while the semifinals and finals are only a best of five. They then made the most of their second chance after being destined for relegation 12 months earlier when they defeated the Berlin Polar Bears 3 games to 1 to capture the 2004 DEL championship.

The Frankfurt Lions celebrate their 2004 DEL championship

With the 2004-05 NHL season cancelled, the Lions were able to add NHL regulars Stéphane Robidas of the Chicago Blackhawks and Doug Weight from the St. Louis Blues to their roster in mid-season. which aided the Lions in finishing first overall for the first time during the regular season with a team record 103 points from a 35-17 record. While they won their first round series, they were upset in the semifinals, costing them a chance to defend their championship.

Doug Weight while with the Lions

The club dropped to a 9th place n 2006 and came 8th in 2007, winning a preliminary round playoff series before dropping out in the first round. Success returned in 2007-08 with a 4th place finish and a quarterfinal playoff round win before dropping hard fought five game series to the Sharks, with four of the five games decided by a goal, two of which went into overtime.

Turmoil for the club began in August of 2008 when team co-founder and principal owner Gerd Schröder died at the age of 49 after having been in a coma following a stroke earlier in the year.

2008-09 had the Lions finishing 9th and then felled in the preliminary round of the playoffs. 2009-10 again saw the Lions among the league's elite teams, finishing second overall with 98 points, led by DEL scoring champion Canadian Jeff Ulmer's 37 goals and 74 points in 56 games, only to be eliminated in the quarterfinals 3 games to 1.

Jeff Ulmer

Sadly, their success on the ice was not reflected in the club's finances, and they were forced to cease operations following the 2010 playoffs, bringing to an end 51 years of hockey.

In the history of the club, Lebeau was their all time leading scorer with 307 points, 111 goals and 196 assists, tops in all three categories.

All-time leading scorer Patrick Lebeau

hoisting the 2004 championship trophy

Today's featured jersey is a 1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot jersey. While a sponsored jersey, this style still manages to maintain the Lions identity, with their Lion head logo still prominent on the front of the jersey despite being overshadowed somewhat by the Arcor logo above it.

On the back, in typical European style, the player name is below the numbers, with the PlayStation name being given top billing across the shoulders.

The jersey is very busy visually thanks more to the ten black, silver and red stripes across the front, and would be better off without the pair of black stripes behind the lion's head.

One very unique feature of the jersey is the skyline of Frankfurt appearing in the sleeve stripes, a simple and effective way to make the jersey a memorable one.

John Chabot was an NHL veteran, having played with Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit from 1983 to 1991 before moving to Germany where he played for nine seasons, three of which were with the Lions, where his veteran experience led to him being named team captain.

Today's video section is Lebeau scoring for the Lions scoring against the Polar Bears in the 2004 DEL finals.

1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot Jersey

Born on this date in 1962, John Chabot, an Algonquin Aboriginal, played in the Quebec Major Junior League for the Hull Olympiques after being drafted first overall in the 1979 QMJHL draft. In his first season with Hull, Chabot scored 26 goals and 57 assists for 83 points in 68 games. Following that season, he was selected by the Montreal Canadiens 40th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He exceeded his point totals in all categories the following year with 27 goals, 62 assists and 89 points.

The 1981-82 season saw Chabot move to the Sherbrooke Beavers, where he raised his game with a new high of 34 goals, but exploded in the assist category with a remarkable 109 in 62 games to lead the league, giving him 143 points for the season. He was named the winner of the CCM QMJHL Player of the Year as well as the recipient of the Michel Briere Memorial Trophy as league MVP, an award won by Dale Hawerchuk and Denis Savard in the two previous seasons and in subsequent seasons by Pat Lafontaine and Mario Lemieux.

He spent the 1982-83 season in the American Hockey League with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs proving he was ready for the NHL with 89 points in 76 games.

His NHL debut came in 1983-84 with the Canadiens, dressing for 56 games, scoring 18 goals and 43 points plus seeing action in 11 playoff games.

Ten games into the following season Chabot was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penuins, where he racked up assists on a regular basis to finish the season with 60 points from 51 assists in 77 games.

After another season with the Penguins, Chabot signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent for the 1987-88 campaign. There, he scored an NHL career high 57 points from 13 goals and 44 assists, plus an additional 19 points in 16 playoff contests as the Red Wings advanced to the conference finals.

Chabot had a rough season in 1988-89, playing only 52 games with Detroit and registering a meager 12 points, as well as an eight game stint with Adirondack in the AHL, where he scored just under two points a game.

He found his game again in 1989-90, playing the full season in Detroit and scoring 49 points in 69 games, but 1990-91 was split between Adirondack and Detroit, with 27 games for each, scoring the final 10 points of his NHL career.

1991-92 saw him appear in eight games for the Canadian National Team before moving to Italy with HC Devils Milano, where he dominated with 45 points in 17 games before adding 17 points in 13 playoff games as Milan won the Italian Serie A championship.

1991-92 HC Devils Milano

After beginning the season with Milan, Chabot moved to the Berlin Capitals of the German Bundesliga. He would play for the Capitals for five seasons, which saw the formation of the new Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in 1994, and average 1.37 points per game, with a high of 81 points in 50 games.

The 1997-98 season had Chabot on the move to the Frankfurt Lions where he led the DEL in scoring with 63 points. He became team captain and was able to maintain his average of more than a point per game in the DEL with 1.05 points per game while with Frankfurt with a high of 64 points in 57 games in 1998-99.

Chabot played his final season in 2000-01 with the Berlin Polar Bears and completed his career with 1188 games played, 315 goals and 902 assists for 1217 points in 18 professional seasons. His final NHL totals were 508 games, 84 goals and 228 assists for 312 points, which currently ranks sixth all time for players born in Prince Edward Island.

Today's featured jersey is a 1999-00 Frankfurt Lions John Chabot jersey. This jersey features a number of sponsorship logos typical of European jerseys and also sports the captain's "C" and 2000 DEL playoff logo on the right chest.

Unlike North American jersey standards, this jersey has Chabot's name placed below the numbers rather than above.

Today's first video features Chabot scoring a power play goal while playing for the Penguins, followed by a breakaway goal from 1985 with a nice celebration move afterwards.

Look out Loretta, Chabot scores against the Oilers in 1987.

Next, coach Chabot teaches youngsters how to do a proper wrist shot. There are additional videos featuring Chabot on skating and stickhandling. Most recently, Chabot was an assistant coach for the New York Islanders in the 2008-09 season.