Long-Timers: Andrew Cassels

In the 102-year history of the National Hockey League, 348 individuals have played 1,000 or more regular season games. 44 of them, or 12.6%, have played some part of their career with the Atlanta or Calgary Flames. We call these players Long-Timers.

Let’s take a look at Andrew Cassels.

An Ontario kid, Cassels was a junior star with the Ottawa 67’s – he had 92 points in his worst season and 151 in his best. He was a first round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in 1987.

He spent a year in the AHL with the Habs farm team in Sherbrooke before grabbing a full-time gig in Montreal in 1990-91. That summer, though, the Canadiens traded him to Hartford for a second round pick (which became Valeri Bure).

Cassels spent six seasons with the Whalers, serving as an alternate captain for four of them. Cassels had three 20 goal seasons with the Whale, plus enjoyed his best career offensive season with 85 points in 1992-93. The franchise relocated to Carolina in 1997 and a month later the Hurricanes traded Cassels to the Flames, with Jean-Sebastian Giguere, in exchange for Gary Roberts and Trevor Kidd. He spent two seasons with the Flames and was solid if unspectacular.

After Calgary, Cassels signed with the Vancouver Canucks and had a strong three season run there. Then he a couple seasons in Columbus, sat out the lockout, and closed out his NHL run with a season in Washington with the Capitals.

After retirement, Cassels briefly served as an assistant coach for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones and is now coaching youth hockey in Columbus. His son Cole was a third round pick of the Canucks in 2013 and is now playing minor pro hockey.

Cassels was never a tippity-top offensive player, but his smarts and two-way player meant that he could play in every situation and he was seemingly always in demand.