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Jonathan Cheechoo, professional hockey player (born 15 July 1980 in Moose Factory, ON). Jonathan Cheechoo played for 17 seasons, seven of which were with the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators. He scored 170 NHL goals and in the 2005–06 season won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer, having scored 56 goals.
Cheechoo was born in the small Northern Ontario town of Moose Factory. Cheechoo grew up hunting, fishing and learning to respect his Cree culture and heritage. He played his first hockey outdoors and with local teams.
He was signed to play for the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League in 1997. In his first season with the Bulls, the right winger scored an impressive 31 goals and 45 assists. He was named to the 1997–98 OHL’s First All-Rookie Team. Cheechoo’s performance led to his being drafted in the second round by the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks. He scored even more points in his second season with the Bulls.
In the final game of the 1999 playoffs, Cheechoo scored five goals against the London Knights, helping the Bulls secure the league championship. In his final season with the Bulls, he led the team with 91 points. He began to suffer injuries, however, due to his intense, physical style of play.
Professional Hockey Career
In 2000–2001, Cheechoo began his professional hockey career with the Sharks’ American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Kentucky Thoroughblades. He was neither a strong skater nor adept at defensive play but he scored 66 points in 75 games. He was named to the AHL’s 2000–2001 All-Rookie Team. The Sharks moved their AHL affiliate team to Cleveland for the next season and Cheechoo again did well, scoring 46 points in 53 games. Injuries again plagued him, however, and shortened his season.
After beginning the 2002–03 season back with the Cleveland Barons, Cheechoo was called up to the Sharks. He saw limited ice time and served on the third and fourth lines in the 66 NHL games he played but managed to score 16 points.
In the off-season, Cheechoo devoted himself to a healthy diet and vigorous workout regimen. He gained muscle and increased his endurance. The six-foot-tall Cheechoo became a fit 200 pounds. In 2003–04 with the Sharks he scored 28 goals. The NHL lost its next season due to a labour dispute. Cheechoo played in the Swedish Elite League.
Fifteen games into the 2005–06 season, a Sharks trade with the Boston Bruins brought centreman Joe Thornton to Cheechoo’s line. Thornton was a skilled playmaker. That season, Thornton led the league with 125 points and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Thornton and Cheechoo played exceptionally well together. Cheechoo ended the season with a remarkable 56 goals and won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer. In the NHL’s long history, only 31 players have scored more than 56 goals in one season.
Early in the next season, Cheechoo suffered a concussion. He endured surgery for a double hernia, while knee problems and other injuries that affected his play. His goal production slipped. He scored 37 goals in 2006–07, 23 in the subsequent season and then only 12 in the next. Cheechoo was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2009 and was only able to score five goals in 61 games.
Only five years after winning the NHL scoring title, Cheechoo was demoted to the American Hockey League. In 2010, he tried out but failed to earn a position with the Dallas Stars. His contract was purchased by the St. Louis Blues but he remained in the AHL. After four AHL seasons, and little prospect of returning to the NHL, Cheechoo moved to Europe and played four seasons with three teams, in the Kontinental Hockey League. In March 2018, at age 37, he retired. Cheechoo said, “I’m very proud of the career I had. It’s a long way from Moose Factory all the way to San Jose.”
Cheechoo played 17 seasons of professional hockey. He played 501 NHL games and scored 170 goals and 135 assists. He was chosen to participate in the 2007 All-Star Game. He still holds the San Jose Sharks franchise records for most goals in a season (56), most power play goals in a season (24) and most hat tricks in a season (5).
Post Playing Career
In February 2019, Cheechoo was invited back to San Jose for its All-Star Game festivities. The capacity crowd cheered loud and long when Cheechoo walked onto the ice with his son, sporting matching Sharks jerseys. Although Cheechoo, his wife, Ashley, and their son settled in San Jose, he maintains connections to his hometown of Moose Factory. In 2020, he returned to work with over 100 kids aged 5 to 17 at the local arena at a free hockey camp. He also coaches minor hockey in San Jose.