The city of Trail, BC knows a lot about hockey. The Trail Smoke Eaters were a successful senior team that won the Allan Cup in 1938 and 1962. More recent hockey fans in Canada know another reason to celebrate -- resident Shawn Horcoff. Born in Trail September 17, 1978, Shawn's comes by his hockey ability honestly -- his father John was an outstanding hockey player in university, and was a member of the University of Alberta Golden Bear team that won the CIAU University Cup in 1975. Shawn played one season of junior hockey in BC, but dominated so thoroughly that he scored 49 goals and 96 assists for a league-best 145 points, was named to the First All-Star Team and was named the BCJHL's Player of the Year. Then, Shawn enrolled at Michigan State for four years, contining to play responsible hockey with a leaning to offense. In 1998, the Edmonton Oilers chose Horcoff 99th overall in the Entry Draft. Horcoff exploded offensively during his final season at Michigan State, recording a league-best 65 points on 14 goals and 51 assists during 1999-2000. That season culminated in Horcoff's selection as a CCHA First Team All-Star and the league's Player of the Year as well as being named to the NCAA West's First All-American Team. Horcoff was also a nominee for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate hockey player.



After 24 games with Edmonton's AHL affiliate in Hamilton in 2000-01, Horcoff received the call he had dreamed of all his life and joined the NHL. His first game as an Oiler occurred on December 6, 2000 versus the Nashville Predators. The dream was sweetened when Horcoff earned an assist during the game. The former Spartan completed his rookie season with 16 points in 49 games. In his first four seasons with the Oilers, Horcoff has seen his point totals increase each year. On the international stage, Horcoff is a two-time gold medalist with Canada's World Championship team (2003-2004).