Mason Raymond

After playing AAA midget with the Strathmore Bisons of the Foothills Bisons Hockey Association,[1] Raymond began a two-year Junior A career with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL in 2003–04.[2] Raymond had been hesitant about pursuing his career due to a lack of interest from major junior teams, but his friend Dan Bertram encouraged him to play with him in Camrose. Bertram also played midget with Raymond and went on to be a Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, three selections after him.[3]

Raymond posted a team-high 27 goals and 62 points as a rookie,[4] including six game winning goals.[5] Following his first junior season, Raymond was recruited by the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).[1] Having earned an athletic scholarship, he had the choice of playing one more season with Camrose or to make the jump to the college ranks.[1] He consulted with Kodiaks head coach Boris Rybalka and was challenged to improve at the Junior A level before moving to Minnesota-Duluth.[1] As a result, Raymond remained in Camrose, signing a letter of intent in November 2004 to join the Minnesota-Duluth the following year for the 2005–06 season.[6] Several other National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) schools had recruited Raymond as well, including the University of Denver, Western Michigan University and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. He chose the Bulldogs because he knew that, with 11 seniors leaving their team the following season, he would have the biggest role with that club.[7]

Raymond went on to lead the AJHL in scoring with 41 goals and was named league MVP in 2004–05.[1] He added 20 points in 15 post-season games as the Kodiaks captured the Rogers Wireless Cup as league champions to advance to the 2005 Doyle Cup, Canada's Pacific Junior A regional championship.[1] During the competition, Raymond was hospitalized with fatigue and dehydration that decreased his weight to 150 pounds. Though he missed the final against the British Columbia Hockey League's Surrey Eagles, the Kodiaks won without him and advanced to the 2005 Royal Bank Cup, Canada's national Junior A tournament. Raymond returned to action as the Kodiaks advanced to the national level at the 2005 Royal Bank Cup. He led the tournament in scoring with 10 points (4 goals and 6 assists) over 5 games as Camrose finished as runner-up to the tournament host Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.[8] The Kodiaks later retired Raymond's number 9 prior to their season-opening game against the Okotoks Oilers on September 10, 2010.[2]

Raymond was selected in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks in the second round, 51st overall. He was draft-eligible in 2004, but opted out due to his low ranking at the time.[3][9] He was scouted by Canucks general manager Dave Nonis as a fast skater with the puck who needed to work on his strength.

Following his draft, he joined the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Scoring 11 goals and 28 points over 40 games, he was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team for the 2005–06 season.[5] In his sophomore campaign, Raymond led the Bulldogs in scoring with 14 goals, 32 assists and 46 points. Raymond's points total was good for second in league scoring behind Jonathan Toews.[10] He received WCHA Player of the Week honours twice and was awarded the Mike Seiler Award, as the Bulldogs' Most Valuable Player.[11] His college career ended after the Bulldogs were eliminated by the St. Cloud State Huskies in the second round of the WCHA playoffs.[11]

Raymond skates with linemate Ryan Kesler prior to a game in February 2011.

Raymond chose to forgo his final two years of college eligibility to turn professional and signed an amateur tryout contract with the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. He scored his first AHL goal in his debut with the Moose on March 23, 2007. The goal was the game winner against goaltender Stefan Liv with four minutes remaining in a 3–2 victory against the Grand Rapids Griffins.[12] Following his second AHL game, the Canucks signed him to an NHL contract.[11] He completed his 11-game regular season in the AHL with two goals and two assists. In the subsequent 2007 playoffs, he added an assist in 13 games, as the Moose were eliminated by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the second round.

The following season, Raymond made the Canucks' roster out of training camp and made his NHL debut on the team's top line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin.[13] He picked up his first NHL point, an assist, in the season-opener against the San Jose Sharks on October 5, 2007.[14] Soon thereafter, he was sent down to the Moose for a two-day assignment after having been a healthy scratch.[15][16] He returned to the Canucks on October 18, 2007, and was later returned to the Moose at the end of the month for a longer assignment.[15]

Succeeding at the AHL level, Raymond recorded a five-point game with a hat trick and two assists during a match against the Rochester Americans on November 21, 2007.[17] The Canucks recalled him the following month on December 11 following injuries to forwards Brendan Morrison and Brad Isbister.[15][18] The next day, he scored his first NHL goal in his first game back against goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère of the Anaheim Ducks.[18] The goal came assisted on a one-timer pass from Moose teammate Jason Jaffray, who had been called up from Manitoba the same day as Raymond.[18] Later that game, he also assisted Jaffray's first NHL goal in the third period.[18] The Canucks went on to win the game, 3–2.[18]

Known for his skating ability, Raymond won the fastest skater segment of the Canucks' 2008 SuperSkills Competition with a time of 14.283 seconds.[19] A week later, he was reassigned to the Moose one last time on January 13, 2008, for three days, before remaining with the Canucks.[15] On March 17, 2008, he suffered an injury after a knee-on-knee collision with defenceman Keith Ballard in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes, sidelining him for the final eight games of the season.[15][20] He finished his rookie NHL campaign with 21 points in 49 games with the Canucks, while also recording seven goals and 17 points in 20 games with the Moose.

Raymond had a quick start to his second season in 2008–09, scoring 10 points in his first 13 games,[10] but trailed off to add just 13 points for the remainder of the campaign. Midway through the season, he was named to the 2009 YoungStars Game in Montreal,[21] helping the sophomores beat the rookie team 9–5.[22] He finished his second NHL season with 11 goals and 12 assists in 72 games. In the ensuing 2009 playoffs, where the Canucks entered as the third seed in the Western Conference, Raymond scored his first NHL post-season goal in game three of the second round against the Chicago Blackhawks, a 3–1 win for the Canucks.[23] Vancouver went on to be eliminated by the Blackhawks in six games.[24] Raymond finished with two goals and an assist in 10 post-season contests.

Midway through the 2009–10 season, Raymond recorded his first NHL hat trick with the game's final three goals in a 5–1 win against the Calgary Flames on December 27, 2009.[25] Raymond enjoyed a breakout campaign in his third NHL season, playing regularly on the Canucks' second line with centre Ryan Kesler and newly acquired winger Mikael Samuelsson.[26] He finished with a career-high 25 goals, 28 assists and 53 points. Prior to the final game of the regular season, he was voted by the Canucks' booster club to receive the Fred J. Hume Award as the team's "unsung hero".[27] The Canucks entered the 2010 playoffs as the third seed for the second consecutive year. Raymond contributed three goals and an assist over 12 post-season games as Vancouver was eliminated once again in the second round by the Blackhawks.[28]

Raymond in pregame warm-ups during the 2011–12 season

Becoming a restricted free agent on July 1, 2010, Raymond filed for salary arbitration after initially failing to come to terms with the Canucks.[29] However, the two sides later agreed to a two-year, $5.1 million contract on July 26, 2010, before their arbitration hearing scheduled for the same day. The deal pays Raymond $2.5 million in the first year and $2.6 million in the second[30] – a raise from his $760,000 salary from the previous season.[29] It was reported the Canucks had proposed an annual $2.3 million salary, while Raymond had wanted $3.6 million.[31] Several months into the 2010–11 season, he suffered a broken thumb and missed 10 games in December 2010. Raymond struggled in the first year of his new contract and he was often demoted off of the second line.[32] As a result, he finished with diminished season totals of 15 goals, 24 assists and 39 points over 70 games. On a team basis, the Canucks won their first-ever Presidents' Trophy, having accomplished the best regular-season record in the NHL that year. Entering the 2011 playoffs as the first seed in the West, they eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks in the first three rounds to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 17 years. During his first shift of Game 6 against the Boston Bruins, Raymond suffered a fractured vertebra after getting hit by opposing defenceman Johnny Boychuk. With Raymond's body twisted to try to retrieve a loose puck, he was engaged by Boychuk, who proceeded to hit him into the boards after the puck had gone by. Bent over at the time of the hit, Raymond collided with the boards tailbone-first. He was taken to the hospital after initially being helped off the ice.[33][34] Raymond later described the injury as "the most pain [he's] been in ever."[35] No penalty was called on the play nor did Boychuk receive any discipline from the league following the game, which drew public criticism from Canucks general manager Mike Gillis.[34]

Raymond on the bench at Vancouver Canucks practice in 2012

Vancouver went on to lose Games 6 and 7 as Boston won the Stanley Cup. Raymond made an appearance in Rogers Arena prior to the final game of the series. Wearing a plastic corset to support his back, he waved to the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation.[36]

While the injury did not require surgery, Raymond retained the back brace for six weeks and was largely immobile for two months.[37] In late July, he received a text message from Boychuk, explaining that his intention was not to injure with the hit. Unable to train on the ice or with weights, Raymond spent the 2011 off-season largely inactive, with the exception of cardiovascular workouts.[35] Five-and-a-half months after sustaining his back injury, Raymond was set to return to the Canucks' lineup for a game against the Predators on December 1, 2011.[37] However, the team failed to file the proper paperwork to the NHL by the 5 p.m. deadline, delaying Raymond's return until the following game.[38] He recorded six points (three goals and three assists) in his first seven games back, but struggled to produce offensively for the remainder of the season. In March 2012, he was made a healthy scratch for the first time in three years.[39]

On December 26, 2012, Swedish second-league team Örebro HK presented Raymond on an 11-game contract, starting on January 3, 2013. He has as of January 6, 2013, made 1 point, the 1–0 goal against IK Oskarshamn on January 5.

In September 2013, Raymond signed a try-out contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs then a one-year contract with the club. In his first game in Toronto, Raymond scored a goal and 2 assists, and scored the shootout winner. Despite not being a physical player Raymond gained notoriety in Toronto when he threw a hard hit on Chris Neil in the first period. The hit left Neil a little woozy and shaken up. Raymond enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2013–14, scoring 19 goals and 45 points in 82 games, his best statistics since the 2009–10 season with the Vancouver Canucks.[40]

Raymond defends against Patric Hörnqvist of the Penguins during a game in 2014.

The Calgary Flames declined an opportunity to sign Raymond when he was a free agent in 2013, but the departure of Michael Cammalleri in 2014 left the team in need of a veteran forward. Calgary signed Raymond to a three-year contract worth $9.5 million.[41] In the second game of the 2014–15 season, Raymond scored the 100th goal of his NHL career as part of this third career hat trick to lead the Flames to a 5–2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.[42]

On the eve of the 2015–16 season, Raymond was placed on waivers, for the purpose of being sent down to the AHL. He cleared the following day and was assigned to the Stockton Heat. During the season, Raymond appeared in 29 games with the Flames, contributing with 5 points. Despite producing at a point-per-game in the AHL with Stockton, at the conclusion of the year, Raymond was placed on waivers by the Calgary Flames on June 29, 2016, and was bought-out from the final year of his contract the following day.[43]

On July 4, 2016, Raymond signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks.[44] After making the Ducks opening night roster for the 2016–17 season, Raymond appeared in 4 scoreless games in a depth role before he was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. In declining to report to the Gulls, Raymond and the Ducks mutually agreed to terminate the remainder of his contract on November 3, 2016.[45] In an interview with SportsNet on January 3, 2017, Raymond revealed that he refused to report to the AHL largely to spend time with his wife, who had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.[46]

On June 16, 2017, Raymond agreed to a one-year contract with SC Bern of the National League (NL).[47]