Career
He is best known for his 10-year National Hockey League career, spent with several teams. After retiring from professional hockey, he embarked on a new career as a financial advisor. Jimmy Carson was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1986 National Hockey League Entry Draft as the 2nd overall pick.
He scored 37 goals as an 18-year-old rookie in the 1986-1987 National Hockey League season.
In just his second National Hockey League season he notched 55 goals, and established himself as one of the sport"s top young players. Carson demanded a trade out of Edmonton in November 1989 because among other reasons he could not handle the pressure of being expected to replace Wayne Gretzky.
Carson was traded to his home town of Detroit along with Kevin McClelland and a fifth round draft pick for Adam Graves, Petr Klíma and Joe Murphy. Carson would later return to Los Angeles, in January 1993, following a trade for popular all-star defenceman Paul Coffey.
He played with Gretzky and the Kings for parts of two seasons, but never regained the scoring touch he had early in his career.
He later played for the Vancouver Canucks and the Hartford Whalers, where he ended his National Hockey League career in 1996. From 1996-1998 Carson played for his hometown Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. Carson represented the United States of America in the 1986 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and the 1987 World Ice Hockey Championships.
Carson participated in the Red Wings versus Maple Leafs alumni game during the 2014 National Hockey League Winter Classic at Comerica Park.