{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player}} {{Infobox ice hockey player | image = Steve Kasper.jpg | caption = Kasper with the Boston Bruins in 1980 | position = Centre | shoots = Left | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 8 | weight_lb = 175 | played_for = Boston Bruins<br />Los Angeles Kings<br />Philadelphia Flyers<br />Tampa Bay Lightning | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|09|28|mf=y}} | birth_place = Saint-Lambert, Quebec, Canada | draft = 81st overall | draft_year = 1980 | draft_team = Boston Bruins | career_start = 1980 | career_end = 1993 }}
'''Stephen Neil Kasper''' (born September 28, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played thirteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Kasper won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as top defensive forward during his second season in the NHL. He moved into coaching following his playing career, serving as the Bruins' head coach during the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons.
He has since coached in European leagues, minor leagues and currently is the head coach of Kent Hills School.
==Playing career==
=== Early years === Kasper grew up in the Montreal area in a small town called Saint-Lambert. He began playing hockey at the age of 5 in local out door rinks. He later stated "I was very fortunate we had the climate and the town had the facilities for us. Every day we weren't in school we were out skating."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Malinowski |first=Mark |date=2011-05-15 |title=Steve Kasper |url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/news/steve-kasper |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=The Hockey News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Growing up his favorite player was Jean Beliveau and he enjoyed watching the Montreal Canadians.<ref name=":0" />
At the age of five, Kasper began playing in the Saint-Lambert Minor Hockey Association and continued to play in the league until he was 16.<ref name=":1" /> He then began playing with the Verdun Éperviers and the Sorel Black Hawks in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. After scoring 71 points in his first year with the team in 1977–78, he followed this up with a 100+ point season with 37 goals 67 assists in the 1978–79 QMJHL season. Kasper then followed this up with a second consecutive 100-point campaign scoring 57 goals and 65 assists in the 1979–80 QMJHL season.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Steve Kasper Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com |url=https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=2653 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250222135755/https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=2653 |archive-date=2025-02-22 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.hockeydb.com |language=en}}</ref>
=== Boston Bruins (1980–1989) === thumb|1984 postcard of Steve Kasper for Boston Bruins Following back-to-back 100+ point seasons, Kasper was chosen as the 81st overall pick by the Boston Bruins in the 1980 NHL entry draft. Kasper never played in the minors, immediately earning a spot on the Bruins roster. During his rookie year in the {{nhly|1980}} season, Kasper appeared in 76 games and scored 21 goals with 35 assists for 57 total points.<ref name=":2" /> Kasper also quickly emerged as one of the league’s best checking players of his day. Despite Kasper’s physical stature not being impressive (5’8″ and 175 pounds), he was known for showing tremendous will and effort throughout his career not letting anything get in his way.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Playdon |first=Jeff |date=2021-09-28 |title=Bruins Alumni Birthdays: September 28th, Steve Kasper |url=https://blackngoldhockey.com/2021/09/bruins-alumni-birthdays-september-28th-steve-kasper/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Black N' Gold Hockey |language=en-US}}</ref>
In his second season in {{nhly|1981}}, Kasper continued to show off his defensive/checking abilities while also having a solid scoring touch having another 20-goal season along with 31 assists in 73 total games.<ref name=":2" /> For his defensive prowess, Kasper was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward, beating out Bob Gainey, who had won the trophy the previous four seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-02 |title=NHL Frank J. Selke Trophy Winners {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-frank-j-selke-trophy-winners-complete-list-287904026 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Frank J. Selke Trophy {{!}} NHL Records |url=https://records.nhl.com/awards/trophies/frank-j-selke-trophy |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=records.nhl.com}}</ref> During the Stanley Cup playoffs, Kasper scored his first three postseason goals along with six assists, however the Bruins were eliminated by the Quebec Nordiques in the divisional round.<ref name=":2" />
Kasper would miss all but 24 games of the {{nhly|1982}} season with a torn capsule in his left shoulder. The injury required arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage on November 9, 1982, and then major reconstructive surgery on December 7. He returned for the Bruins playoff run, which saw him score two goals in the second round series Buffalo before playing in just two games of the third round versus the Islanders. Kasper was healthy enough to start the opening games of the {{nhly|1983}} season but became sore in November due to a separated shoulder versus Quebec that saw him miss all of December, January, and most of February when he re-aggravated it in trying to return that month to play as he played in just 27 games, contributing three goals and 11 assists.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=1980 NHL Entry Draft -- Steve Kasper |url=https://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1980/80081.html |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=www.hockeydraftcentral.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=SPORTS PEOPLE; Lafleur Out With Injury |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/12/sports/sports-people-lafleur-out-with-injury.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20150524105909/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/12/sports/sports-people-lafleur-out-with-injury.html |archive-date=2015-05-24 |access-date=2026-01-02 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
Kasper made a full recovery and managed to stay healthy during the {{nhly|1984}} season, scoring a hat trick on November 25, 1984, vs. Montreal.<ref name=":3" /> Kasper would also return to form as one of the top defensive forwards and finished the with 77 total appearances scoring 16 goals and 24 assists.<ref name=":2" /> However, the Bruins were eliminated in the first round of the postseason.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1984-85 Playoff Results {{!}} NHL Records |url=https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/series-results?season=19841985 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=records.nhl.com}}</ref> The 1985-86 seen Kasper appear in all 80 games for the only time in his career scoring 40 points once again with 17 goals and 23 assists.<ref name=":2" /> He and the Bruins once again faced first round elimination in the playoffs.
Kasper missed the first game of the {{nhly|1986}} season to go back to Montreal so he could be with his wife as she gave birth to their first child.<ref name=":3" /> From here he did not miss another game and was put on the same line as Cam Neely. The two would stay on the same line for the remainder of Kasper's tenure with Boston.<ref name=":3" /> In 79 total games, Kasper scored 20 goals and collected 30 assists,<ref name=":2" /> but once again he and the Bruins were beaten in the first round. The following year in the {{nhly|1987}} season, Kasper would have his best statistical season with 70 points in 76 games (26 goals and 44 assists).<ref name=":2" /> He would recorded a four-point game (with two goals and assists each) in a Bruins 8-3 victory over Calgary on November 17, 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boston Bruins - Calgary Flames - Nov 17, 1987 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-cgy/1987/11/17/1987020186 |access-date=2026-01-09 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref> During the playoffs, he would contribute 13 points on 7 goals and 6 assists in 23 games as the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final, where they were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers, 4–0 with one tie. He finished the season runner up to Guy Carbonneau for the Selke Trophy.<ref>{{Cite web |title={{!}} NHL Records |url=https://records.nhl.com/history/yearly-playoff-results?year=19871988 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=records.nhl.com}}</ref>
During his time with the Bruins, Kasper’s job was to shadow Wayne Gretzky when the team played Edmonton due to his defensive excellence. During these matchups, he would gain notoriety for being one of the few players that could effectively shut Gretzky down with his shadowing strategy.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Steve Kasper remembers shadowing Wayne Gretzky |url=https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/steve-kasper-remembers-shadowing-wayne-gretzky |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605195326/https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/steve-kasper-remembers-shadowing-wayne-gretzky |archive-date=2024-06-05 |access-date=2025-07-14 |work=edmontonjournal |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Somehow, the names Wayne Gretzky and Steve Kasper get... - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/03/27/Somehow-the-names-Wayne-Gretzky-and-Steve-Kasper-get/3222543819600/ |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref>
=== Los Angeles Kings (1989–1991) === After playing more than half of the {{nhly|1988}} season with the Bruins, Kasper was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Bobby Carpenter. During this tenure he would enjoy some success with the Kings, playing with Wayne Gretzky and Bernie Nicholls.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Boston Bruins Monday acquired center Bobby Carpenter from... - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/01/23/The-Boston-Bruins-Monday-acquired-center-Bobby-Carpenter-from/5185601534800/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref> That year, Kasper appeared in 78 total games finishing with 19 goals and 31 assists.<ref name=":2" /> Kasper scored six points in eleven postseason games as the Kings were eliminated in the divisional round.
The {{nhly|1989}} season saw Kasper make appear in 77 games, netting 17 goals and 28 assists as he and the Kings were once again beaten in the second round.<ref name=":2" /> Kasper missed part of the following season with a ruptured sinus cavity and a fractured eye socket, which he suffered during a January 2, 1991, game vs. the New York Rangers.<ref name=":3" /> He would go on to finish the year with 9 goals and 19 assists in 67 games played. During the postseason, he scored 10 points in 10 games as the Kings were eliminated by Edmonton in the divisional round.<ref name=":2" />
=== Later career with Philadelphia and Tampa Bay (1991–1993) === Prior to the {{nhly|1991}} season, Kasper along with Steve Duchesne, were dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steve Kasper trades - NHL Trade Tracker |url=https://www.nhltradetracker.com/user/trade_list_by_player/Kasper,Steve |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.nhltradetracker.com}}</ref> Kasper only appeared in 16 games for the Flyers that year after tearing his ACL in his right knee during a game vs Edmonton on November 14, 1991.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1992-11-26 |title=FLYERS MUST FIND WAY TO DEAL WITH DOUBLE DOSE OF ‘CENTER-ITIS’ |url=https://www.mcall.com/1992/11/26/flyers-must-find-way-to-deal-with-double-dose-of-center-itis/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=The Morning Call |language=en-US}}</ref> Kasper made a full recovery the following year and played 21 games for the Flyers before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.<ref>{{Cite web |last=writer |first=Glen Johnson, Associated Press |title=After firing, Kasper sounds relieved |url=https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/sports/1997/04/20/after-firing-kasper-sounds-relieved/50605893007/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=New Bedford Standard-Times |language=en-US}}</ref> He then missed part of the season with a bruised shoulder, which he suffered during Tampa Bay's January 30, 1993 game vs. Minnesota. Kasper then retired at the end of the year due to chronic concussions and other injuries.<ref name=":3" /> He finished his thirteen-year NHL career with 177 goals and 291 assists for 468 total points.
==Coaching career== Kasper returned to Boston as an assistant coach to Brian Sutter. On July 22, 1994, he was named the inaugural head coach of the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. He led the Bruins to a 39-30-11 record during the regular season that saw them lose in the second round of the AHL playoffs. Kasper then again returned to Boston in the 1995–96 season to replace Sutter as head coach. He led the Bruins to a 91-point season, but the team was beaten in the first round by the Florida Panthers. The following year, the Bruins would only win 26 games. Kasper was subsequently fired and replaced by Pat Burns. This marked the first time in 28 years the Bruins had missed the playoffs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=correspondent |first=Mick Colageo, Standard-Times |title=Kasper cut loose |url=https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/sports/1997/04/19/kasper-cut-loose/50606140007/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=New Bedford Standard-Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
On May 3, 2007, Kasper became the new head coach of the Yarmouth Mariners of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League (CJAHL). The team had finished last place the year before he took the position but Kasper's first season saw them go to a first-place finish in the regular season with a 42-12-4 record, winning the Eastlink division Championship and then winning the 2008 Kent Cup championship title vs Woodstock Slammers in six games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hockey Writers Steve Kasper |url=https://thehockeywriters.com/docs/steve-kasper/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2008 MJAHL Season Standings and Stats |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/mjahl/2007-2008 |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.eliteprospects.com}}</ref>
Kasper was then hired as director of pro scouting for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013. He held the position for two years before being fired on April 12, 2015, the day after the team's last game of the season.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/brendan-shanahan-hopes-to-hire-next-leafs-gm-by-nhl-draft-1.3030379| title = Brendan Shanahan hopes to hire next Leafs GM by NHL draft {{!}} CBC Sports}}</ref>
After this, Kasper would go to China, serving as the head coach of the Chinas U18 team in 2017 and coaching them to a 2-2-0 record. He would then move into an assistant position at Kunlun Red Star from 2018 to 2020. He completed the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach responsible for the forward group and penalty killing units. Upon completion of the KHL season, he was hired as the head coach of the Kunlun Red Star MHL team (Juniors) before being asked to return to the KHL in an assistant role to focus on defense and penalty killing.
Kasper would serve as the head coach of DVTK Jegesmedvék for the 2023–24 season. In 2024, Kasper took over as the head coach of HC Presov in Slovakia. Under Kasper’s guidance the team greatly improved and went 27-4 leading them to a first-place finish in the regular season.<ref>Steve Kasper LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-kasper-095b6877</ref> But just before the start of the playoffs, Kasper stepped down as coach to go back to Canada to deal with a serious family issue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Veľká rana pre hokejistov Prešova. Tréner lídra SHL odstúpil z funkcie tesne pred play-off |url=https://sportnet.sme.sk/spravy/hokej-steve-kasper-koniec-trener-hc-presov-tipos-shl-2024-2025/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=sportnet.sme.sk |language=sk}}</ref> The team won the league championship and got promoted to Slovak Extraliga.
In September 2025, Kasper was named head coach of the Kent Hills School (located in Kents Hill, Maine) girls’ Varsity Prep Ice Hockey team. With his family living in Andover, Massachusetts, Kasper was tapped to serve as the Kents Hill community's inaugural "Coach-in-Residence", which aimed to bring talent to the state that saw him live on campus to work with athletes and offer youth clinics during the season.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-26 |title=Kents Hill School Names Steve Kasper as Head Coach of Girls’ Varsity Prep Hockey |url=https://www.kentshill.org/kents-hill-today/kents-hill-today-details/~board/news-from-the-hill/post/kents-hill-school-names-steve-kasper-as-head-coach-of-girls-varsity-prep-hockey |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=www.kentshill.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Awards and achievements==
* Seventh Player Award in 1981 * Frank J. Selke Trophy winner in 1982. * Bruins 3 Stars award in 1987 and 1988 * Defensive player Award In 1990 and 1991 * Saint-Lambert Sports Hall of Fame inductee<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Sports Hall of Fame |url=https://www.saint-lambert.ca/en/sports-hall-of-fame-2 |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Ville de Saint-Lambert |language=en-CA}}</ref> * Named One of the Top 100 Best Bruins Players of all Time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-12 |title=Bruins Announce "Historic 100" Ahead of All-Centennial Team Reveal {{!}} Boston Bruins |url=https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-announce-historic-100-ahead-of-all-centennial-team-reveal |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref> '''As a coach'''
* Kent Cup 2008 * Eastlink division Championship 2008 * Slovenská hokejová liga regular season champion 2025
== Personal life == Kasper is married and has two sons, named Jordan and Michael. Kasper, who enjoyed his time with the Bruins, still resides in Massachusetts in the town of Andover.<ref name=":5" />
Kasper started his own company in 1998 called Kasper Sports Management International. He would serve as a sports agent from 1998 to 2009, and one of his clients was Chris Bourque, the son of his former teammate Ray Bourque.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=With |first=Jon Goode Catching Up |title=Kasper cherishes time with Bruins |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/north/2005/10/23/kasper-cherishes-time-with-bruins/53166172007/ |access-date=2025-07-08 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref> Kasper has also stated Bourque is one of his close friends.<ref name=":0" />
== Career statistics == {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1977–78 | Verdun Éperviers | QMJHL | 63 | 26 | 45 | 71 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | 1978–79 | Verdun Éperviers | QMJHL | 67 | 37 | 67 | 104 | 53 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 22 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1979–80 | Verdun/Sorel Éperviers | QMJHL | 70 | 57 | 65 | 122 | 117 | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" | 1980–81 | Sorel Éperviers | QMJHL | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1980–81 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 76 | 21 | 35 | 56 | 94 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | 1981–82 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 73 | 20 | 31 | 51 | 72 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 22 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1982–83 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 24 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |- ALIGN="center" | 1983–84 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 27 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1984–85 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 77 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |- ALIGN="center" | 1985–86 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 80 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 73 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1986–87 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 79 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 51 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | 1987–88 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 76 | 26 | 44 | 70 | 35 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 10 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1988–89 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 49 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" | 1988–89 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 29 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1989–90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 77 | 17 | 28 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 67 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 33 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1991–92 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 16 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" | 1992–93 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 21 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1992–93 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 47 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 821 ! 177 ! 291 ! 468 ! 554 ! 94 ! 20 ! 28 ! 48 ! 82 |}
==Coaching record== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="6"|Regular season !! colspan="1"|Postseason |- ! G !! W !! L !! T !! Pts !!Finish !! Result |- !BOS||1995–96 |82||40||31||11||91||2nd in Northeast||Lost in First Round |- !BOS||1996–97 |82||26||47||9||61||6th in Northeast||Missed Playoffs |- !Total|| |164||66||78||20 |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ice hockey stats}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box | title = Winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy | years = 1982 | before = Bob Gainey | after = Bobby Clarke}} {{succession box | before = Mike O'Connell | title = Head Coach of the Providence Bruins | years = 1994–95 | after = Bob Francis }} {{succession box | before = Brian Sutter | title = Head coach of the Boston Bruins | years = 1995–97 | after = Pat Burns}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasper, Steve}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Anglophone Quebec people Category:Boston Bruins coaches Category:Boston Bruins draft picks Category:Boston Bruins players Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches Category:Canadian ice hockey centres Category:Frank Selke Trophy winners Category:Ice hockey people from Montérégie Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:Sportspeople from Saint-Lambert, Quebec Category:Philadelphia Flyers players Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players Category:Toronto Maple Leafs scouts Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen