Tim Tookey

Drafted by the Washington Capitals in 1979, Tim Tookey was a gifted scorer and one of the top point producers in the history of the American Hockey League.

Tookey suited up for parts of seven seasons in the NHL but made his mark in the AHL, primarily with the storied Hershey Bears. He quickly earned a reputation as a dangerous offensive threat, racking up 58 points and 129 penalty minutes in just 47 games as a rookie in 1980-81. He moved on to the Fredericton Express and Baltimore Skipjacks before returning to Hershey, where he would have back-to-back breakthrough campaigns.

In 1985-86, Tookey led the AHL with 62 assists and finished tied for third with 97 points, then scored a league-high 11 goals during the postseason. The Bears lost to Adirondack in a six-game Finals series, but Tookey’s effort still earned him the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 1986 Calder Cup Playoffs. He remains the only player to capture the award without playing on the Cup- winning team.

Tookey came back with a monster year in 1986-87, setting career benchmarks with 51 goals, 73 assists and 124 points, one point shy of the AHL record at the time. He was named a First Team AHL All-Star and captured the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s MVP. He also participated in 10 playoff games for the Philadelphia Flyers that spring, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

After a stint in New Haven, Tookey returned for his third tour of duty in Hershey. He kept up his scoring pace through two injury-shortened campaigns, then erupted to put up nearly identical totals in 1991-92 (36-69-105) and 1992-93 (38-70-108) while playing in all 80 games each season. Tookey became just the third player in league history with three 100-point seasons to his credit, and in 1993 was presented with the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.

Tookey notched 32 goals and 89 points in 66 games for Hershey in 1993-94, then finished his career as a player/assistant coach with the Providence Bruins, contributing 44 points in 50 contests. When the AHL revived its All-Star Game in 1995 after a 35-year absence, Tookey was selected as one of the team captains for the contest, which was played in Providence.

The Edmonton native retired after the 1995 playoffs as the fourth-leading scorer in AHL history with 974 points, also ranking fourth in assists (621) and ninth in goals (353) over 824 games. And although he never won a Calder Cup, his AHL postseason numbers were exceptional as well, with 82 points in 78 playoff games.

With 693 points in just 529 games, Tookey ranks second all-time in scoring for the venerable Hershey Bears franchise, which retired his number 9 in 1997.

Career AHL Statistics – Tim Tookey
Regular Season Playoffs
Season Team GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1980-81 Hershey Bears 47 20 38 58 129 -- -- -- -- --
1981-82 Hershey Bears 14 4 9 13 10 -- -- -- -- --
Fredericton Express 16 6 10 16 16 -- -- -- -- --
1982-83 Fredericton Express 53 24 43 67 24 9 5 4 9 0
1983-84 Baltimore Skipjacks 58 16 28 44 25 8 1 1 2 2
1984-85 Baltimore Skipjacks 74 25 43 68 74 15 8 10 18 13
1985-86 Hershey Bears 69 35 62 97 66 18 11 8 19 10
1986-87 Hershey Bears 80 51 73 124 45 5 5 4 9 0
1987-88 New Haven Nighthawks 11 6 7 13 2 -- -- -- -- --
1988-89 New Haven Nighthawks 33 11 18 29 30 -- -- -- -- --
1989-90 Hershey Bears 42 18 22 40 28 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 Hershey Bears 51 17 42 59 43 5 0 5 5 0
1991-92 Hershey Bears 80 36 69 105 63 6 4 2 6 4
1992-93 Hershey Bears 80 38 70 108 63 -- -- -- -- --
1993-94 Hershey Bears 66 32 57 89 43 11 4 9 13 8
1994-95 Providence Bruins 50 14 30 44 28 1 0 1 1 2
AHL Totals 824 353 621 974 689 78 38 44 82 39

Tim Tookey