John Blue (ice hockey)


John Thomas Blue is a former ice hockey goaltender. During the 1983–84 season he played in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers. He was drafted in the tenth round, 197th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. Blue made his NHL debut on January 7, 1993 vs. the Quebec Nordiques. He played in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres and was the first Californian goaltender in the history of the National Hockey League.
Blue was born in Huntington Beach, California, then left for Spokane, Washington at age 5. He began ice skating in Spokane, then after his family moved to San Jose, he became youth goaltender for the Santa Clara Blackhawks in Northern California.
Blue was the starting goaltender for each of his three seasons on the University of Minnesota hockey team. He was named a WCHA First Team All-Star in 1986 and won 64 games during his Gopher career, the fourth highest win total in team history. He was a backup goalie for the U.S. national team in the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Throughout his career, he called Huntington Beach his offseason home. He currently works as a pastor after having become deeply involved in religious studies during his playing days.

Awards and honors