Known as one of the top offensive defensemen in the country, Phil Housley made the leap from South St. Paul High School to the professional ranks at age 18. During his senior season at South St. Paul High School, he registered 65 points (31-34) in 22 games. Housley was selected in the first round, sixth overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1982 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

After 1,495 regular-season games played, the most by any American, Housley was the top scoring U.S. – born player, with 1,232 points (338-894), and was listed behind only Bryan Trottier and Brett Hull in scoring among American players in the NHL. Housley began his NHL career with Buffalo in 1982, where he compiled 558 points (178-380) in 608 goals. In his rookie season he was tied for fourth in goals (19) and ranked fourth in points (66) by a rookie defenseman. Housley played for eight different NHL teams in his 21-year career, including the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, and Chicago Blackhawks and finished with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2003. He was ranked fourth in all-time goals scored by a defenseman with 338 and fifth in assists by a defenseman with 894. Housley ranked 16th among all-time assist leaders, and second in that category among Americans.

In 1982, Housley competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship and skated for the U.S. at the IIHF Men's World Championship. In 1986 Housley once again donned the USA sweater in the World Championship, where he recorded two goals and six assists in 10 games. Housley was a seven-time member of the United States Men's National Team (1982, 1986, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2003), as well as a member of the U.S. 2002 Olympic Men's Team that competed in Salt Lake City, Utah. He helped Team USA to a 4-1-1 record and the silver medal. Housley recorded five points (1-4) in six games, and registered the game-winning goal in the semifinal round in a 3-2 victory over Russia. In 2000, Housley was the team's leading scorer at the World Championship in Russia, with five points (2-3) in nine games. He was a member of the 2001 U.S. Men's National Team that finished fourth at the World Championship in Germany and was a member of the historic championship-winning U.S. team that competed in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Housley recently served as an assistant coach with the U.S. National Under-18 Team at the Four Nations Cup in November 2003 Hutwill, Switzerland. The team registered a 2-1-0 record and brought home the silver medal.

Housley was awarded USA Hockey's 2000 Bob Johnson Award, presented by Bauer Nike, for excellence in international competition. His jersey was the first retired at South St. Paul High School in a ceremony in February of 2004.