John Purves (ice hockey)

John Purves (born February 12, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played seven games in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals during the 1990–91 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1989 to 2003, was mainly spent in the minor leagues.

Early life
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Purves played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League before joining the Capitals organization in 1989.

Career
Purves was selected by the Capitals, 103rd overall, in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He mostly played in the American Hockey League for the Baltimore Skipjacks but managed to play seven regular season games for Washington during the 1990–91 season, scoring one goal.

After playing in the Eishockey-Bundesliga in Germany for ESV Kaufbeuren, Purves spent the next eight seasons in the International Hockey League, remaining in the league until its closure in 2001. He played for the Fort Wayne Komets, San Francisco Spiders, Kansas City Blades, San Antonio Dragons and the Utah Grizzlies.

After the IHL's demise, Purves followed Utah to the AHL who were one of six IHL teams to join the league for the 2001–02 AHL season. In 2002, he moved to the United Kingdom and signed for the Nottingham Panthers of the Ice Hockey Superleague in his final season before retiring.