An explosive scorer in junior, Jeff O'Neill started slowly in the NHL but eventually came into his own with the Carolina Hurricanes. His strong skating and playmaking ability were accompanied by a nasty streak that would not allow opposing checkers to take liberties with him. A native of Richmond Hill, Ontario, O'Neill scored 190 points in 78 games in Midget then starred for Thornhill in the MTHL. As he progressed his offensive prowess continued with 120 goals in three seasons with the Guelph Storm of the OHL. O'Neill was selected fifth overall by the Hartford Whalers at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He returned for one last year of junior and helped his team reach the Memorial Cup tournament. He also helped Canada win its third consecutive gold medal at the 1995 World Junior Championships.



O'Neill debuted with the Hartford Whalers in 1995-96 and remained with the franchise when it relocated to Carolina in 1997. During his first three seasons his goal total increased slowly from eight to 14 to 19. O'Neill rebounded from a 31-point season in 1998-99 with 25 goals and 63 points in 1999-00 then burst forth as one of the NHL's elite snipers with a 41-goal effort in 2000-01. After leading Carolina to their first Stanley Cup final in franchise history in 2002, O'Neill notched his third consecutive 30 plus goal season and fourth straight 20 plus in 2002-03. Injuries limited O'Neill offensive ouput in 2003-04, as the former OHL star had his lowest point total since the 1998-99 season. Follwoing a lock out year in 2004-05, O'Neill was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer of 2005. O'Neill was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 30, 2005 for a conditional 2006 draft pick. The 30-year-old had expressed a desire to play for the Maple Leafs before the signing of the new CBA. It was a fortunate move for O'Neill in part for the traditional reasons of teams improving themselves, but also because his brother, Donny O'Neill, 33, had died nine days before in a road accident in Vaughan, Ontario. The move allowed O'Neill to be closer to his family. Because of the passing of his brother Donny, the 2005-06 season was a hard on O'Neill. When questioned by the media following a Toronto Maple Leaf game, Head Coach Pat Quinn hinted that the 2005-06 season could be O'Neill's last.