Pat Stapleton (ice hockey)

Patrick James " Pat" Stapleton ( born July 4, 1940 in Sarnia, Ontario ) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player (defender), who from 1961 to 1978 for the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League and the Chicago Cougars, Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers played in the World Hockey Association.

Career

As a junior he played together with Stan Mikita at the St. Catharines Teepees in the Ontario Hockey Association. Here he was with his 1.72 m often the smallest player in the squad. Both the St. Catharines Teepees as well as his next team, the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds in the EPHL were farm team of the Chicago Blackhawks.

In the Intra -League Draft in 1961, in which it was the weaker teams allowed to commit players to the strong teams that were there only used in the farm team, undertook the Boston Bruins Stapleton.

The Bruins gave him a contract on probation for 18 months. He played there from the 1961/62 season but could not properly set in the NHL and was first sent back to the EPHL to the Kingston Frontenacs and later in the Western Hockey League with the Portland Buckaroos. During this time he often played as a center and was one of the stars of his team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs brought him together with Andy Hebenton in June 1965 by the Bruins to just one day later in the Intra -League Draft in 1965 to the Chicago Blackhawks come. He started the season in the CPhl with the St. Louis Braves, but soon managed to make the leap to the NHL. Here he met several players, with whom he had played in his junior time together.

Already in his first year with the Hawks, he was elected to the Second All-Star Team. Together with Bill White, he formed one of the best defenders of his time. They had the backing of the Hawks in the years around 1970 and so the two also played together at the Summit Series in 1972. Stapleton was also on the ice when Paul Henderson scored the winning goal in the highly acclaimed series.

For the 1973/74 season, he moved along with Ralph Backstrom in the WHA to the Chicago Cougars. There he served as player-coach, and was elected in his first season at the best defenders in the league. With Frank Mahovlich and Paul Henderson, he was one of three players who were after 1972 and in the Summit Series in 1974 again with it. As in the season 1974/75 the Cougars faced financial ruin, it was Pat Stapleton, Dave Dryden and Ralph Backstrom, who took over the team. There they failed the team about the end of the season to keep alive.

He moved to the WHA still for two seasons on the Indianapolis Racers, before he played with the Cincinnati Stingers the last season of his career.

Statistics

Sporting successes

Personal Awards

  • OHA -Jr. First All -Star Team: 1959 and 1960
  • EPHL First All -Star Team: 1961
  • EPHL Second All-Star Team: 1963
  • WHL First All -Star Team: 1965
  • WHL Second All-Star Team: 1964
  • Hal Laycoe Cup ( Best Defender - WHL): 1965
  • Second All-Star Team: 1966, 1971 and 1972
  • WHA First All -Star Team: 1974
  • Dennis A. Murphy Trophy: 1974
  • Participate in the NHL All-Star Game: 1967, 1969, 1971 and 1972

Records

  • 6 assists as a defender in a game (March 30, 1969; Blackhawks - Red Wings 9:5 ) together with 5 other players.
Sault Thunderbirds 1961–62 NHL season Western Hockey League (1952–74) NHL All-Star Team Bill White (ice hockey) 1973–74 WHA season 1974 Summit Series 1974–75 WHA season 22nd National Hockey League All-Star Game
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