Forward John Carter ’86 is the eighth inductee to the Hockey Ring of Honor.
Former student-athlete John Carter ’86 has been chosen to be the eighth inductee into the prestigious Hockey Ring of Honor. A two-time national All-American and the second leading point producer in school history, Carter, a forward who wore number 15, was recognized February 14 prior to the Engineers’ Big Red Freakout game against Yale University.
It was 30 years ago that Carter helped Rensselaer to the 1985 NCAA Championship.
In 131 games at Rensselaer from 1982-83 to 1985-86, Carter scored 117 goals with 108 assists for 225 points. He is second in school history in goals and points, third in hat tricks (13), and sixth in assists. He had six 5-point games and also compiled 207 career penalty minutes, which is 22nd. He was a national All-America First Team honoree in 1983-84 and Second Team the following season. Carter was an All-ECAC choice the same two years, including First Team as a junior in 1984-85 when he helped the Engineers to a 35-2-1 (.934) record, an ECAC Championship, and the NCAA title. In his four seasons, Rensselaer posted a 105-30-2 (.774) overall record and a 63-18-1 (.774) record in league play.
“We are excited to have John Carter join the legends who are our current Ring of Honor recipients,” said Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton. “His contributions to the program over his four-year career were nothing short of incredible and his efforts were key to the National Championship in 1985!”
“We are thrilled to be recognizing the great contributions of John Carter by inducting him into the Ring of Honor,” said men’s ice hockey head coach Seth Appert. “He is one of the best to ever wear the cherry and white while also helping deliver an NCAA title to RPI.”
As a freshman, the Woburn, Mass., native played all 29 games, scoring 16 goals with 22 assists for 38 points. He followed that by playing all 38 games as a sophomore when Rensselaer went 32-6-0 (.842) and won the ECAC Championship. Carter led the team with 35 goals, which is eighth in school history in a single season, and was second in both assists with 39 (10th in school history in a single season) and points with 74 (7th). His 1.95 points per game was second on the team, trailing only Adam Oates ’85, who averaged 2.18.
The 1984-85 campaign saw Carter score a team-high 43 goals, which is second in school history in a single season, with 29 assists for 72 points (10th) in 37 games. He was second in points and third in assists. He had six hat tricks (4th), including an ECAC record four straight games (13 goals), nine game-winning goals, and three game-winning goals in overtime, including in a 6-5 win over the University of Minnesota-Duluth in triple overtime in the national semifinals. That game was the longest in school history at the time. As a senior, Carter had 41 points on 23 goals and 18 assists in 27 games. A captain, he was second in goals and points and first in penalty minutes (68).
Carter went on to play 10 professional seasons, including 244 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He scored 40 goals with 50 assists for 90 points during eight NHL regular seasons, while also scoring seven times with five assists in 31 playoff games. He played six seasons with the Boston Bruins and two with the San Jose Sharks. He also represented the United States, playing on the 1986 national team.
A management major, Carter joins Oates ’85, Joe Juneau ’91, coach Ned Harkness, Frank Chiarelli ’55, Bob Brinkworth ’64, Garry Kearns ’58, and Jerry Knightley ’65 in the Ring of Honor, which is displayed in the Houston Field House rafters.