Sergio Momesso
Momesso with the St. Louis Blues in 1990
Born (1965-09-04) September 4, 1965
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Vancouver Canucks
Toronto Maple Leafs
New York Rangers
St Louis Blues
Nürnberg Ice Tigers
Kölner Haie
NHL Draft 27th overall, 1983
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 19832001

Sergio Francesco Momesso (born September 4, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent 13 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1983 and 1997.

Playing career

Momesso played his junior hockey for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL, and was drafted 27th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft by his hometown Montreal Canadiens. He made his NHL debut the following season at the age of 18, playing a single game for the Canadiens, but remained in junior for most of the following two seasons. In 1984–85, he recorded 56 goals and 146 points in 64 games, along with 216 penalty minutes, and was named QMJHL Player of the Year.

For the 1985–86 NHL season, Momesso made the Habs' roster out of training camp and meshed well on a line with Brian Skrudland and Mike McPhee, recording 8 goals and 15 points in his first 24 games to start his career. However, he suffered a knee injury in December 1985 against the Boston Bruins that shelved him for the rest of the season; it also cost him an opportunity to engrave his name on the Stanley Cup as Montreal went on to win that season. Montreal still include Momesso on the 1986 Montreal Canadiens team winning picture, and gave him a Stanley Cup ring.

Momesso would spend two more seasons in Montreal but never recaptured the form of his rookie year. At the conclusion of the 1987–88 season, he was dealt to the St. Louis Blues in a multi-player trade.

After his first season in St. Louis during which he recorded 26 points in 53 games, Momesso's career took an upward turn in 1989–90 when he was placed on a line with Brett Hull and Adam Oates. Spending much of the season on the Blues' top line, Momesso turned in the most productive year of his career, finishing with 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points, along with 199 penalty minutes. However, he would lose his spot on the top line in 1990–91, and recorded just 10 goals through his first 59 appearances.

Vancouver Canucks

At the trade deadline in 1991, Momesso was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks in a six-player deal along with Geoff Courtnall, Cliff Ronning, and Robert Dirk for Garth Butcher and Dan Quinn. The deal would prove to favor Vancouver, as all four players they acquired would be significant contributors for several seasons.[1][2][3] Momesso got his Canuck career off to a fine start, recording 6 goals in 11 games to help the team on a successful late-season push to qualify for the playoffs.

Momesso's stay in Vancouver would be the longest stop of his career. Through his first two seasons in Vancouver, he played largely on a line with Jim Sandlak and his former St. Louis teammate Cliff Ronning, with the two large wingers used to create space for Ronning. (As a result, the line would be known as 'the Twin Towers'). In 1991–92, he played some of the best hockey of his career to finish with 20 goals and 43 points despite missing 26 games due to injury. In 1992–93, he had another solid year to finish with 18 goals and 38 points, as well as a career-high 200 penalty minutes.

1993–94 would be a struggle for Momesso, as he finished with just 27 points, his lowest total since 1989. However, he redeemed himself in the 1994 playoffs, as his strong physical play on a line with Martin Gelinas and Nathan LaFayette was one of the catalysts for Vancouver's run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Along the way, he scored an overtime winner against the Dallas Stars.

After Vancouver

After a solid performance during the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season with 25 points in 48 games, Momesso was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Mike Ridley. He never found his legs in Toronto and was dealt after only 54 games to the New York Rangers, finishing the season with 11 goals and 23 points in 73 games. In 1996–97, he was dealt mid-season back to the St. Louis Blues, and finished the year with 1 goal and 4 points in 40 games.

Unable to get another NHL contract, Momesso signed with Kölner Haie in Germany and enjoyed four successful seasons in the DEL before retiring in 2001. He finished his NHL career with totals of 152 goals and 193 assists for 345 points in 710 games, along with 1557 penalty minutes. He never missed the NHL playoffs in his career, and recorded 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points in 119 postseason games.

He returned to North America to act as an assistant coach at Concordia University and for Shawinigan. Momesso's family owns a restaurant in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district and Sergio has opened his own restaurant, Cafe Momesso.

On September 16, 2010, it was announced that Momesso would join the broadcast team with CJAD radio as colour commentator and game analyst for Montreal Canadiens broadcasts.[4]

Momesso is now an analyst with TSN690 and regularly joins Off the Cuff with Chris Nilan on a weekly basis.

Personal life

Momesso's Italian-born father, Alessandro was an all-star soccer player in Montreal. Two of Momesso's nephews, Marco and Giulio Scandella, are professional ice hockey players.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1980–81 Montreal-Concordia QMAAA 48181735 3011
1981–82 Montreal-Concordia QMAAA 45303868 58412
1982–83 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 7027426993 1054955
1983–84 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 684288130235 644813
1983–84 Montreal Canadiens NHL 10000
1983–84 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 80224
1984–85 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 645690146216 8781537
1984–85 Shawinigan Cataractes M-Cup 414518
1985–86 Montreal Canadiens NHL 24871546
1986–87 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5914173196 1113431
1986–87 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 616710
1987–88 Montreal Canadiens NHL 5371421101 602216
1988–89 St. Louis Blues NHL 5391726139 1025724
1989–90 St. Louis Blues NHL 79243256199 1232563
1990–91 St. Louis Blues NHL 59101828131
1990–91 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1162843 603325
1991–92 Vancouver Canucks NHL 59202343198 1305530
1992–93 Vancouver Canucks NHL 84182038200 1230330
1993–94 Vancouver Canucks NHL 68141327149 2434756
1994–95 HC Devils Milano AL 437104
1994–95 HC Devils Milano ITA 21452
1994–95 Vancouver Canucks NHL 4810152565 1131416
1995–96 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 547815112
1995–96 New York Rangers NHL 1944830 1131414
1996–97 New York Rangers NHL 900011
1996–97 St. Louis Blues NHL 3113437 30006
1997–98 Kölner Haie DEL 42141933193 31234
1998–99 Nürnberg Ice Tigers DEL 48263359212 13471124
1999–00 Kölner Haie DEL 51162137165 94156
2000–01 Kölner Haie DEL 316111776 20004
NHL totals 7111521933451557 119182644311

Post playing media career

He has been giving radio commentary for Montreal Canadiens hockey on the English-language radio station with the play-by-play rights working for CJAD until the end of the 2010-2011 season. For the 2011-2012 season, Team 990 the Montreal TSN Radio station obtained English language rights for games and Momesso currently provides commentary for them.

References

  1. "Blogs".
  2. "Masters of Disaster: The Worst NHL Trade Deadline GMs Ever". 12 March 2014.
  3. "The most lopsided trade deadline deals ever | Ottawa Citizen".
  4. "Popular Habs' Alumnus Joins CJAD 800 Broadcast Team". CJAD. 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  5. "Canadian juniors advance to gold-medal game". 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
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