Dwayne Norris: One of the Best

Newfoundlander Dwayne Norris was recognized as one of the best skaters in hockey circles, so much so that even Don Cherry referred to him as “one of the best damn skaters to come out of this country.”  Even with Cherry’s approval, Norris’ most notable accomplishment in hockey was helping Team Canada to the gold medal in the 1990 World Junior Championship where he scored 6 points, including the game winner that clinched the gold over Czechoslovakia.

Norris was later drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, selected 127^th overall in the seventh round.  He was more than worth of being drafted when you examine his performance in the CCHA where he played for Michigan State, collecting 105 goals, 113 assists for 218 points over 4 seasons of play.  His performance continued in the AHL where he averaged over a point a game for the Halifax Citadels, collecting 25 goals, 28 assists for 53 points in 50 games.

In the 1993-94 season Norris competed in the Olympics, taking home a silver medal after team Canada lost in a shootout in the gold medal game.

Despite his skill and success on the ice, Dwayne Norris only played 20 games in the NHL, 20 games with the Quebec Nordiques and 4 games for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  However, Norris continued to deliver on the ice, racking up more than a point a game throughout his playing career.  On the ice he was a leader and a scoring threat as one of the original “power forwards” of his time.  Off the ice, he was an ambassador for the game, giving credit to all those who helped him achieve the level of success that he had.

Many have speculated that Norris was drafted at the wrong time when the likes of Owen Nolan, Keith Primeau, Jaromir Jagr and Derian Hatcher were selected.  However, there were many others selected in the draft below Norris had long careers in the NHL so that assessment does not necessarily hold true.  At a point a game, there are players that have played in the NHL that have not had near the success that Norris has.

In our opinion, Dwayne Norris is one of the best players to come out of Newfoundland and Labrador that was never given the opportunity to prove himself at the NHL level.  For whatever reason, this was unfortunate because he was a talented, passionate and skilled player.

When asked about his hockey career, Norris simply says “I went from being a decent player to put into this category of a world champion hockey player.  It was pretty gratifying and fulfilling.”

Dwayne Norris has represented Newfoundland and Labrador as one of the best hockey ambassadors the game can have.

Check out his statistics here: