Marty McSorley
He was the ultimate hockey enforcer, a feared protector who shadowed Wayne Gretzky and became infamous for a stick-swinging incident that changed NHL rules.
Born 1963 (age 63)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: May 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Marty McSorley carved out a unique and controversial space in hockey history not with scoring titles, but with his fists and a formidable presence. Emerging from the Ontario junior leagues, his professional path was defined early by a specific role: the enforcer. His career became intertwined with Wayne Gretzky's, first in Edmonton and then in Los Angeles, where his primary job was to ensure the game's greatest star had the space to operate. McSorley was more than a mere goon; he developed into a serviceable defenseman who logged significant minutes, even scoring a career-high 15 goals one season. However, his legacy is permanently marked by a 2000 incident where, playing for the Boston Bruins, he struck an opponent in the head with his stick, leading to a criminal assault conviction and a massive suspension that effectively ended his career. That moment became a stark symbol of hockey's violence and prompted a league-wide reckoning.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Marty was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Marty Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Marty's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in 1987 and 1988.
- Recorded a career-high 359 penalty minutes in the 1992-93 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings.
- Served as an alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings during their 1993 Stanley Cup Final run.
- Played in over 900 NHL regular season games, amassing over 3,300 penalty minutes.
Did You Know?
He was the last player to wear number 99 before it was league-wide retired for Wayne Gretzky, doing so briefly with the Erie Blades of the AHL.
His criminal trial for on-ice assault in Vancouver was the first of its kind in Canada in over 20 years.
After his playing career, he coached the Springfield Falcons of the AHL for two seasons.
He played both forward and defense regularly throughout his NHL career.
“I knew my role, and I played it to the letter.”
