Dale Hunter

Dale Robert Hunter ( born July 31, 1960 in Petrolia, Ontario ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who. 1980-1999 Quebec Nordiques for the Washington Capitals and played the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League

Career as a player

Dale Hunter began his career in 1977 in the Canadian Junior Football League OHA ( from 1980 OHL ) with the Kitchener Rangers for whom he played a year before he for the Sudbury Wolves went on the ice in 1978. There he accomplished in his first year 110 points and was therefore the talent scouts in the NHL draw attention to themselves. In the NHL Entry Draft in 1979, he was selected in the second round at position 41 of the Quebec Nordiques.

After another year in Sudbury, he joined then in the fall of 1980, the Nordiques to. In his first season he came in 80 games on 63 points, but also to 226 penalty minutes. In his second season he cashed even 272 penalty minutes, which should constitute for him the highest level in his career.

During his time in Quebec City he kept his points values ​​constant at a good level. Its lowest value was 63, his highest at 79 points. Also, the time that he spent a season on the penalty bench, he held constant and that at least 200 minutes. Only in the 1986/87 season he deviated from his line, as it turned out 34 games because of a broken leg. Since Hunter loved the game hard and sometimes let fists fly, he would especially with the players of the local rivals Montreal Canadiens a tough rivalry.

In 1987 he was transferred to the Washington Capitals. There he was in his first four years not so good points, as in Quebec, but by being physically tough game, he still had great significance for the team. 1991/92 he found his Scorer qualities again and managed 78 points the second highest in his career. The following year, he scored 79 points, what he had done nine years earlier. But this season, Hunter also wrote headlines again for his hard game. In the playoffs, the Capitals met the New York Islanders in the first round and were after five games back with 2-3. In the sixth game, it did not look good for the Capitals, and after a goal the Islanders broke Hunter jubilant goal scorers Pierre Turgeon with a cross-check against the gang collarbone. Dale Hunter was banned for this challenge for the first 21 games of the season 1993/94.

1994 Dale Hunter was named team captain of the Washington Capitals. Hunter scored in the following years, become less and also collected less penalty minutes. But in 1997, he came to his first appointment to the NHL All-Star Game. The next highlight was followed a year later, when he could move in with the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals, but there the Detroit Red Wings documents.

The following season 1998/99 was for the most part negative. In 50 games Hunter had collected just five points. Hunters former team from Quebec had to show no sporting successes over the years and also financially it was not going well, so the team relocated to Denver in the summer of 1995, and the name had accepted Colorado Avalanche. In March 1999, Hunter was transferred to the Avalanche and thus to the franchise where he started his career. Hunter was in the remaining 12 games of the regular season and scored two goals and four assists in 50 more points than games in Washington. In the playoffs, the team moved to the final one of the Western Conference, but where is the later Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars were beaten in seven games themselves.

Hunter then ended his career. In 1407 games he was able to achieve 1020 points. On 11 March 2000, the Washington Capitals suspended in a ceremony prior to a NHL game a banner with the jersey number 32 in honor of Dale Hunter at the ceiling of the ice rink. The number is assigned to no more players in the capital and is the greatest honor you can send a player a team.

Career as a coach

Directly after end of his career Hunter got a job with the Capitals as director of player development, he exercised some time. In May 2000, Hunter and his brother Mark bought the junior team the London Knights in the Ontario Canadian Hockey League. While Dale Hunter took over the post as coach, practiced his brother the post of General Manager.

Within three years, he led the Knights to the top of the league, but had to concede defeat in the Conference Finals yet. Nevertheless, Hunter was awarded the Matt Leyden Trophy as the best coach of the OHL and with the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award as the best coach of the CHL. 2004/ 05 won the Knights finally the sovereign J. Ross Robertson Cup, and subsequently also the Memorial Cup. Within the season, the Knights denied a total of 90 games, of which they challenged 79 victorious and lost nine. Once again, Hunter was then given the Matt Leyden Trophy.

In the following two years, the Knights were still the top of the OHL and failed in 2006 only in the finals of the playoffs and 2007 in the Conference Finals. The season 2007/ 08 she experienced a step back, as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Under Hunter played in London, among others, today's NHL player Corey Perry and Sam Gagner and that the aggregate of the NHL Entry Draft in 2007, Patrick Kane.

After the dismissal Bruce Boudreau as head coach of the Washington Capitals Hunter was presented on 28 November 2011 and its successors. With Washington Hunter reached the Eastern Conference semifinals, where he failed his team to the New York Rangers. Two days after leaving, he announced his retirement from coaching job.

Awards and achievements

As a player

As a coach

  • 2004 OHL First All - Star Team
  • 2004 Matt Leyden Trophy
  • 2004 Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award
  • 2005 J. Ross Robertson Cup win with the London Knights
  • 2005 OHL First All - Star Team
  • 2005 Memorial Cup win with the London Knights
  • 2005 Matt Leyden Trophy
  • 2006 OHL Second All- Star Team
  • 2010 OHL First All - Star Team
  • 2013 J. Ross Robertson Cup win with the London Knights

Family

Dale Hunter has two brothers who also played in the NHL. His older Dave graduated 746 games in the NHL, scoring 323 points. 1984, 1985 and 1987, he could win the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. Two years younger than Dale is his second brother. Mark played 628 times in the NHL while achieving 384 points. In 1989 he won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames.

Dylan Hunter, Dale's son was active also as a professional hockey player.

Others

  • Dale Hunter spent his entire NHL career 3565 minutes in the penalty box. Tiger Williams is the only player in the history of the NHL, who had collected more penalty minutes.
  • His reputation as a tough guy, he kept even after his career as a player. Especially as a coach in the OHL he is repeatedly noticed negative. In September 2005 he received a suspension for four games after he had a player sent in a test match on the ice, which should trigger a brawl. In January 2006, Hunter was suspended for two games because of his behavior towards the referee. In May 2006 he had to pay a $ 5,000 penalty, because he had the referee heavily criticized after his team was eliminated from the playoffs. In July 2006 he was arrested and convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. In September 2006, he was suspended for two games, as the ice he sent Matt Davis to mitzumischen in a brawl.
  • Dale Hunter holds 186 games the record for most playoff games without winning a Stanley Cup.

NHL stats

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