Tom Kurvers was a professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for over a decade. He was born on September 14, 1962, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up playing hockey in the state. Kurvers played college hockey at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he was a standout defenseman.
After college, Kurvers was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the seventh round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the next few years playing in the minor leagues before making his NHL debut with the Canadiens in the 1984-85 season. Kurvers played in 13 games for Montreal that season, scoring one goal and four assists.
Kurvers was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the middle of the 1985-86 season, where he played in 38 games and scored 10 points. He was then traded to the New Jersey Devils in the offseason, where he would spend the next four seasons. Kurvers had his best season in 1988-89, when he scored 66 points (18 goals, 48 assists) in 79 games and was named to the NHL All-Star Game.
In 1991, Kurvers was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he played for two seasons. He then played for the Vancouver Canucks for one season before being traded to the New York Islanders in 1994. Kurvers played in just 11 games for the Islanders before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks, where he finished his NHL career in the 1994-95 season.
Throughout his NHL career, Kurvers was known for his offensive skills as a defenseman. He scored 93 goals and 328 assists for a total of 421 points in 659 career games. Kurvers also played in 44 playoff games, scoring six goals and 18 assists.
After retiring from playing, Kurvers worked in various roles in the NHL. He was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes and the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he also worked in player development for the Lightning and the Minnesota Wild. In 2018, Kurvers was named the assistant general manager of the Minnesota Wild.
Kurvers was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 and passed away on June 21, 2021, at the age of 58. He is remembered as a skilled defenseman and a respected member of the hockey community.
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