Carter says Sault Ste. Marie played key role in his hockey journey

Returning to Sault Ste. Marie, former NHL star and two-time Stanley Cup champion Jeff Carter is looking back fondly at his years with the Soo Greyhounds.

“A big part of my life is here in Sault Ste. Marie.”

In the days and hours leading up to the retirement of his jersey number by the Soo Greyhounds, Jeff Carter has had a lot of time to reflect on four seasons spent with the team.

“It’s right up near the top,” Carter said when asked where the Sault falls for him as he looks back on his life and hockey career. “I came here as a 16-year-old kid (and) left as a 20-year-old man if you will. It’s kind of where I grew up.”

Looking back on being selected by the Greyhounds in the 2001 OHL Priority Selection, Carter remembers some uncertainty on where he could have been drafted to.

“I didn’t really know what was going to happen, where I was going to go,” Carther said.

The day would ultimately see the London product get selected by the Greyhounds third overall.

“I’d never been up here and didn’t know anything about it,” Carter said. “I knew the Greyhounds from going to Knights games and watching them, but knew nothing about the city and really about anything up here to be honest.”

Carter said he remembers receiving a phone call from then-Greyhounds coach Craig Hartsburg after being selected.

“He called the house and talked to my dad and my mom for a while and then I talked to him,” Carter said. “A couple of weeks later, we drove up for the development camp. I’m just grateful for how everything worked out.”

The draft that year produced a number of players in addition to Carter that went on to successful NHL careers, including Mike Richards and Corey Perry, who were selected with the two picks immediately following Carter by Kitchener and London respectively.

Carter and Richards would become teammates in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings and won a pair of Stanley Cups together.

“I lucked out with that one, getting traded to L.A. at the right time,” Carter smiled when asked about his Cup wins.

“I can’t even describe (winning),” Carter added. “As a young kid, that’s what you play for. To get a chance to go to L.A. and join that team at the right time and just be a piece of the puzzle is amazing.”

Reflecting on his time in the NHL, in addition to his Stanley Cups, Carter added that he’s proud of his ability to adapt in his career.

“Obviously, the Cups are the top,” Carter said. “I’m extremely proud of my career and what I was doing, how long I was able to play. As your career goes on, you get older and your roles kind of change too. In Pittsburgh, I was playing on the fourth line, taking faceoffs, killing penalties.”

“Just how I was able to still find a way to contribute and help the team is something that I’m really proud of,” Carter added.

Carter’s 19-year NHL career saw him play in 1,321 games between the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He went on to score 442 goals and 851 points.

In four seasons with the Greyhounds, Carter led the team in scoring three times and produced 123 goals and 246 points in 236 games with the franchise.

The friendships he made with the Greyhounds during those four seasons also stand out for Carter.

“There’s still guys that I talk to to this day,” Carter said. “I see Trevor Daley all the time in Pittsburgh and talk to Smitty (Jordan Smith) a lot. That last year, I think if we had won that first round (against Windsor), we could have maybe done something, but it’s the friendships. Winning is obviously great, and I’m grateful to win two Stanley Cups, but it’s the friendships that you make over the years that really last with you.”

“That’s what it’s all about,” Carter added when asked about his friendships from his time with the Greyhounds. “I see Tyler Kennedy a lot out in Pittsburgh. That’s what it’s all about really for me.”

Carter’s No. 7 was officially raised to the rafters prior to puck drop of Saturday’s game between the Greyhounds and London Knights.

Carter joins a group that includes Hartsburg (No. 4), Adam Foote (No. 5), Ron Francis (No. 10), Joe Thornton (No. 19) and Wayne Gretzky (No. 99).

Around the OHL, Carter’s jersey retirement was one of two in the OHL on Saturday as the Guelph Storm also recognized former forward Dustin Brown in a similar ceremony on Saturday.

Brown and Carter played together with the Kings during Carter’s entire time with the organization.