Phil Housley (born March 9, 1964 in South St. Paul, Minnesota) was an ice hockey player who played for the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Housley is the top scoring U.S.-born player, with 1,232 points (338-894), and is behind only Bryan Trottier and Brett Hull in scoring among American players in the National Hockey League. Both Trottier and Hull are Canadian born, so Housley is the highest scoring American-born player in NHL history. Housley never won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's Top Defenseman, thanks in large part to playing in the same era and reaching his peak years at the same time as the likes of Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch (the four combined to win ever Norris Trophy between 1985 and 1997). He is considered to be one of the most under-rated defensemen in hockey history and although not widely known, he is considered to be one of the most elite defensemen of the 90's. He is most certainly one of the best American defenseman ever, alongside Norris winners Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch. He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. As for the Hockey Hall of Fame, he does have a chance of being inducted after reaching eligibility in 2006.
