Steven Finn

Steven Finn was a rugged, stay-at-home defenseman for the Quebec Nordiques most of his career. He finished his career with stints in Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, but will always be remembered as an unheralded mainstay blueliner for the Nords.

An aggressive and hardnosed defenseman, Finn was a quiet though effective leader for the Nords. Although he probably lost more fights than he won, he always showed up when the other team was taking too many liberties on one of his teammates. A relentless man in front of his own net, Finn eagerly played the body. However he never was known for crushing people, rather he effectively steered them away from trouble. He was also a good shot blocker.

Toiling with awful teams for most of his career, he was often overlooked and quickly labeled as a stay at home defenseman who would have trouble playing a regular role on the NHL's stronger teams. Not everyone felt that way though. When trade rumors swirled word had it that Oiler's GM Glen Sather always wanted Finn, possibly with a first round pick in an Andy Moog deal which obviously never materialized. Slats felt Finn could have been another Steve Smith perhaps, and that's a good comparison for Finner. Finn would have been best cast as a 4th d-man, not a 2nd like he was asked at times to play in Quebec.

Like Smith, Finn's finesse skills were overlooked because of his aggressiveness. But Finn developed into a strong positional player after constantly over committing in his earlier years. Finn was just an average skater at best, but was smart enough to realize what he could and could not do. He also possessed an accurate shot from the point which he always kept low. Most of his points came from placing the puck in the slot and letting a forward tip it or bang at the rebound. Unfortunately for Finn, his shot didn't have a lot of power.

Drafted 57th overall in 1984, Finn didn't stick with the team until the 1986-87 season when he finished the year strongly as a regular in the playoffs. However Finn brought his physical presence at the wrong time as the Nords were heading downhill into one of the league's worst teams. From 1989 through 1993, the Nords were the league's worst team. Finn however stuck through those lean days and kept battling. When the Nords improved and became a league contender again, Finn's role had been downgraded as he lost a step. The Nords traded Finner less than a year before they won the Stanley Cup as the Colorado Avalanche.