Doug Wickenheiser

Doug Wickenheiser
Date of birth	March 30, 1961
place of birth	Regina , Saskatchewan , Canada
date of death	January 12, 1999
Place of death	St. Louis , Missouri , USA
size	185 cm
Weight	89 kg
position	center
Shot hand	Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft	1980 , 1st lap, 1st position Montréal Canadiens
Career stations
1976-1977	Regina Blues
1977-1980	Regina Pats
1980-1983	Montréal Canadiens
1983-1987	St. Louis Blues
1987-1988	Vancouver Canucks
1988-1989	Flint Spirits Team Canada
1989-1990	Washington Capitals
1990-1991	HC Asiago
1991-1992	EC KAC
1992-1993	Peoria Rivermen
1993-1994	Fort Wayne Comet

Douglas Peter Wickenheiser (born March 30, 1961 in Regina , Saskatchewan , † January 12, 1999 in St. Louis , Missouri ) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Montréal Canadiens , St. Louis Blues , New York Rangers , Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals .

Career

Doug Wickenheiser began his career in 1977 in the junior league WCHL, which a little later became the Western Hockey League (WHL). There he played for the Regina Pats and developed into a star there. In 1980 he reached the finals of the Memorial Cup with the Pats and was named best player in the Canadian Hockey League . The press also hailed him as an upcoming NHL star.

He was then selected in the first round in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Montréal Canadiens . A few years later, many critics said that Wickenheiser was one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the NHL Entry Draft . Especially the French Canadians complained in retrospect, because with Denis Savard , a player from the French-speaking was third in Quebec City from Chicago drafted, which developed a superstar.

After Wickenheiser had scored 115 points in 202 games in his first three and a half years in Montréal and was thus below the expectations of fans and coaches, he was transferred to the St. Louis Blues . There he gained importance. Although he couldn't match his achievements as a top scorer in his youth, he played an important role in St. Louis on the defensive and in bullies .

In his sophomore year he came to 43 points, the second best value of his NHL career. But a serious injury cost him almost a year and he could only play 36 games in the 1985/86 regular season . In the subsequent playoffs , Wickenheiser became a star for one night. The Blues had advanced to the conference final and were behind with 2-3 after five games. In the sixth game it was Wickenheiser who scored the decisive goal for 6-5 in extra time. After the nerve-wracking game you couldn't win the seventh game and were eliminated. In the following season Wickenheiser was able to play all games for St. Louis, but his contract was not extended.

For the next few years Wickenheiser did not come to rest. After he had completed the 1987/88 season completely for the Vancouver Canucks . He played a game for the New York Rangers in 1988/89 , then in the IHL for the Flint Spirits and for a while for the Canadian national team , before he received a contract with the Washington Capitals in February 1989 in the NHL. In addition to appearances in the NHL, he also played with the Capitals farm team in the AHL for the Baltimore Skipjacks .

In the summer of 1990 his time in Washington was over and went to Italy to play for HC Asiago . There he got 57 points in 32 games back to his values ​​from the time he played in the WHL. However, the Italian league could not be compared with the level of the major North American leagues. In 1991/92 he played briefly in Germany for SV Bayreuth before landing in Austria at Klagenfurt AC . But even here he only stayed until the summer of 1992.

At the beginning of the 1992/93 season he was back in the USA , to be there in the lower class IHL for the Peoria Rivermen with 75 points in 80 games, and in 1993/94 he played his last season of his career for the IHL team Fort Wayne Comet .

After retirement

After his career ended, Wickenheiser returned to St. Louis to work and live with his wife and three children. In August 1994, he had to have an operation because a cyst had to be removed from his wrist. It turned out to be a rare form of cancer .

Three years later it was found that the cancer had spread to Wickenheiser's lungs. Since the tumor could not be removed by surgery, Wickenheiser fought against the disease before he died on January 12, 1999.

The St. Louis Blues then opened the "Fourteen Found" in memory of Wickenheiser, who had worn the number 14 during his time in St. Louis. In addition, the Blues hung a banner with Wickenheiser's number in their ice rink and his number is unofficially no longer assigned.

The WHL has named a prize in memory of Doug Wickenheiser, the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy , which is awarded for fairness and human behavior.

Wickenheiser's cousin Hayley Wickenheiser won the Olympic ice hockey tournament with Team Canada in 2002 and 2006 and is considered one of the best players in the world.

NHL statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	10	556	111	165	276	286
Playoffs	4th	41	4th	7th	11	18th

Achievements and Awards

• 1980 Brownridge Trophy
• 1980 Four Broncos Memorial Trophy
• 1980 CHL Player of the Year

Web links

• Doug Wickenheiser at legendsofhockey.net (English)
• "The Monday Night Miracle"
• Blues 14 Fund website