Shane Churla

Shane Churla (born June 24, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted in the sixth round, 110th overall, by the Hartford Whalers in the 1985 NHL entry draft. He is currently the director of amateur scouting for the Florida Panthers. The elbow was dubbed by Don Cherry as "the mother of all elbows." He was once described by Hartford Whalers General Manager Emile Francis as "having the guts of a slaughter house".

Post-retirement After retirement, Churla continued working in the hockey industry. In 2005, he became a scout for the Dallas Stars, identifying and evaluating draft-eligible players. In 2013, he moved to the Montreal Canadiens in a similar capacity and eventually became the director of amateur scouting. After 7 years in Montreal, Churla left to join the Florida Panthers as their director of amateur scouting.

When the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup in , Churla's name was engraved on the Stanley Cup for his role as the team's director of amateur scouting.

Personal life Churla is the cousin of former National Football League quarterback Mark Rypien.

Churla's younger brother, Russ, also played in the WHL for one season, but has since retired.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1983–84 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 48 3 7 10 115 14 1 5 6 41 1984–85 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 70 14 20 34 370 9 1 0 1 55 1985–86 Binghamton Whalers AHL 52 4 10 14 306 3 0 0 0 22 1986–87 Hartford Whalers NHL 20 0 1 1 78 2 0 0 0 42 1986–87 Binghamton Whalers AHL 24 1 5 6 249 — — — — — 1987–88 Hartford Whalers NHL 2 0 0 0 14 — — — — — 1987–88 Binghamton Whalers AHL 25 5 8 13 168 — — — — — 1987–88 Calgary Flames NHL 29 1 5 6 132 7 0 1 1 17 1988–89 Calgary Flames NHL 5 0 0 0 25 — — — — — 1988–89 Salt Lake Golden Eagles IHL 32 3 13 16 278 — — — — — 1988–89 Minnesota North Stars NHL 13 1 0 1 54 — — — — — 1989–90 Minnesota North Stars NHL 52 2 3 5 292 7 0 0 0 44 1990–91 Minnesota North Stars NHL 40 2 2 4 286 22 2 1 3 90 1991–92 Minnesota North Stars NHL 57 4 1 5 278 — — — — — 1992–93 Minnesota North Stars NHL 73 5 16 21 286 — — — — — 1993–94 Dallas Stars NHL 69 6 7 13 333 9 1 3 4 35 1994–95 Dallas Stars NHL 27 1 3 4 186 5 0 0 0 20 1995–96 Dallas Stars NHL 34 3 4 7 168 — — — — — 1995–96 Los Angeles Kings NHL 11 1 2 3 37 — — — — — 1995–96 New York Rangers NHL 10 0 0 0 26 11 2 2 4 14 1996–97 New York Rangers NHL 45 0 1 1 106 15 0 0 0 20 NHL totals 488 26 45 71 2,301 78 5 7 12 282