Allan Bester

Alan Bester
Born	(1964-03-26) March 26, 1964 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings Dallas Stars
NHL draft	48th overall, 1983 Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1983–1998

Alan Bester (born March 26, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Dallas Stars between 1984 and 1996.

Playing career

Bester was born in Hamilton, Ontario. He played with the Brantford Alexanders of the OHL for three seasons before moving on to professional hockey. He was drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round (48th overall) of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.

Bester spent parts of 11 seasons in the NHL, beginning in 1983–84. He spent eight years in Toronto, and then was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1991. He spent most of his career moving between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL). In 1992, Bester won a Calder Cup with the Adirondack Red Wings. He was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP. Bester made a short return to the NHL after a four-year absence, playing ten games for the Dallas Stars in the mid-1990s.

Bester ended his career in the International Hockey League (IHL). He played with both the San Diego Gulls and Orlando Solar Bears before announcing his retirement in August 1998.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1981–82	Brantford Alexanders	OHL		19	4	11	0	970	68	0	4.21	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Brantford Alexanders	OHL		56	29	21	3	3210	188	0	3.51	—		8	3	3	480	20	1	2.50	—
1983–84	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		32	11	16	4	1848	134	0	4.35	.883		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Brantford Alexanders	OHL		23	12	9	1	1271	71	1	3.35	—		1	0	1	60	5	0	5.00	—
1984–85	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		15	3	9	1	767	54	1	4.22	.874		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	St. Catharines Saints	AHL		30	9	18	1	1669	133	0	4.78	.866		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		1	0	0	0	20	2	0	6.00	.600		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	St. Catharines Saints	AHL		50	23	23	3	2855	173	1	3.64	.881		11	7	3	637	27	0	2.54	—
1986–87	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		36	10	14	3	1808	110	2	3.65	.889		1	0	0	39	1	0	1.54	.941
1986–87	Newmarket Saints	AHL		3	1	0	0	190	6	0	1.89	.937		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1987–88	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		30	8	12	5	1607	102	2	3.81	.884		5	2	3	253	21	0	4.98	.844
1988–89	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		43	17	20	3	2460	156	2	3.80	.890		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		42	20	16	0	2206	165	0	4.49	.873		4	0	3	196	14	0	4.29	.883
1989–90	Newmarket Saints	AHL		5	2	1	1	264	18	0	4.09	.891		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		6	0	4	0	247	18	0	4.37	.860		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Newmarket Saints	AHL		19	7	8	4	1157	58	1	3.01	.909		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		3	0	3	0	178	13	0	4.38	.869		1	0	0	20	1	0	3.00	.917
1991–92	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		1	0	0	0	31	2	0	3.87	.778		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		22	13	8	0	1268	78	0	3.69	.879		19	14	5	1174	50	1	2.56	.915
1992–93	Adirondack Red Wings	AHL		41	16	15	5	2268	133	1	3.52	.896		10	7	3	633	26	1	2.46	—
1993–94	San Diego Gulls	IHL		46	22	14	6	2543	150	1	3.54	.891		8	4	4	419	28	0	4.00	.891
1994–95	San Diego Gulls	IHL		58	28	23	5	3250	183	1	3.38	.894		4	2	2	272	13	0	2.86	.925
1995–96	Orlando Solar Bears	IHL		51	32	16	2	2947	176	1	3.58	.889		23	11	12	1343	65	2	2.90	.906
1995–96	Dallas Stars	NHL		10	4	5	1	601	30	0	3.00	.899		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Orlando Solar Bears	IHL		61	37	13	3	3115	132	2	2.54	.903		10	4	4	512	27	0	3.16	.904
1997–98	Orlando Solar Bears	IHL		26	13	8	1	1330	66	1	2.98	.895		2	1	0	76	6	0	4.68	.860
NHL totals				219	73	99	17	11773	786	7	4.01	.883		11	2	6	508	37	0	4.37	.870

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
1984	Canada	WJC		2	2	0	0	120	2	1	1.00	—
Junior totals				2	2	0	0	120	2	1	1.00	—

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• Allan Bester at hockeygoalies.org