Scott Mellanby

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Mellanby played in the 1979 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga.

Collegiate

Mellanby was selected 27th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted, Mellanby went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he played for two seasons. While there, he also competed with Canada's National Hockey Team. He finished his collegiate career with 35 goals and 82 points in 72 games.

Professional

After his second season in the WCHA was finished, he promptly played his first two NHL games. He made his NHL debut on March 22, 1986 against the New York Rangers. In 1989, Mellanby suffered a serious injury in a barroom brawl when he tried to help a friend and he wound up getting a severe cut from a broken beer bottle on his left arm. The cut sliced four tendons, a nerve and an artery in the arm.

Mellanby would play for Philadelphia until the summer of 1991, when he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-player deal that included Jari Kurri going to Philadelphia (though Kurri was traded to the Los Angeles Kings the same day).

Mellanby was left unprotected by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft, allowing him to be claimed by the new Florida Panthers. This was the team where Mellanby would have his best years. In fact he became a fan favorite in Florida when he killed a rat with his hockey stick in the team dressing room, spawning the "rat trick" craze, where fans would litter the ice with thousands of plastic rats after each Panthers goal. He also scored the Panthers' first ever goal in franchise history on October 9, 1993 and played in the 1996 All-Star game.

Mellanby was traded to the St. Louis Blues in February 2001, and the move revitalized his career. He scored 57 points during the 2002–03 season, his highest total since 1996. Mellanby then signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers in the summer of 2004 and he re-signed with Atlanta for the 2006–07 season. On November 23, 2006, he was suspended one game for a fight between the Thrashers and the Washington Capitals.

Retirement

Mellanby announced his retirement on 24 April 2007, becoming the first player to retire as a Thrashers captain (the four previous Thrashers captains, were either traded or signed elsewhere via free agency). Mellanby left the game having played the 3rd most NHL games (1431) without a Stanley Cup victory, only behind Phil Housley (1495) and Mike Gartner (1432). The closest Mellanby came to the cup was when his Philadelphia Flyers lost to Edmonton in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, 4 games to 3.

Following retirement, Mellanby worked for three years in the Vancouver Canucks organization as a special consultant to general manager Mike Gillis and the hockey operations department. Mellanby then spent two years as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues before stepping down following the 2011–12 season to pursue other opportunities in hockey.

On May 28, 2012, Mellanby was hired by the Montreal Canadiens as director of player personnel and became an assistant GM on July 30, 2014. He joined the St. Louis Blues as senior advisor to the general manager on July 11, 2022.

Personal life

Mellanby and his wife, Susan, have a daughter, Courtney, and two sons, Carter and Nicholas. Mellanby is also involved in many autism-related causes as his son Carter is autistic. Along with fellow NHLers Olaf Kolzig and Byron Dafoe, Mellanby is a founder of Athletes Against Autism.

Records

• Most assists in a game by a Florida Panther, (4 – shared with Ray Whitney)
• Most power play goals in a game, (4)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

References

1. (2018). "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA".
2. (June 10, 1984). "Flyers go for youth bulk in NHL draft". Doylestown Intelligencer.
3. (January 4, 1985). "Mellanby and Posa face heavy duty schedule". Madison Capital Times.
4. (February 17, 1985). "Canada raids colleges for Olympic skaters". Madison Wisconsin State Journal.
5. (January 24, 2013). "Scott Mellanby, Steve Alley return as honorary captains".
6. "Scott Mellanby".
7. (August 24, 1989). "Hockey". Winchester Star.
8. (May 31, 1991). "Sports etc.". Santa Ana Orange County Register.
9. (December 6, 2018). "Tales from the Press Box: Looking Back at the Rat Craze".
10. (April 24, 2007). "Thrashers captain Mellanby retires".
11. (November 23, 2006). "NHL suspends three, fines Caps, Thrashers coaches".
12. (2008). "Former NHL'er Mellanby Joins Canucks Front Office". tsn.ca.
13. (2010-06-01). "Mellanby hired as Blues assistant coach". [[St. Louis Blues]].
14. (2012-05-28). "Mellanby joins Habs as director of player personnel".
15. (2014-07-30). "Habs, Subban submit salary figures $3M apart". [[montrealgazette.com]].
16. TSN ca Staff. (2022-07-11). "Scott Mellanby St. Louis Blues Senior Advisor to general manager".
17. (August 28, 2008). "Banding together for a cause".
18. "Inquirer.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes".