Tiger Williams
David James "Tiger" Williams ( born February 3, 1954 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is considered perhaps the best known of all time enforcer in the National Hockey League.
Career
Tiger Williams began his career in 1971 in the Canadian Junior Football League WCHL with the Swift Current Broncos. Already at this time he made a name for himself as enforcer and collected in three years, 854 penalty minutes, but was able to achieve 244 points. In the NHL Amateur Draft 1974, he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round at position 31. At the same time he was drafted in the WHA Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Stingers in the third round at position 33, but he opted for the NHL.
For the season 1974/75 he joined the Organization of the Maple Leafs and also played the same half of the season in the NHL. Immediately he was known as a player who was no discussion of the way and often let fists fly. This he quickly became a fan favorite in Toronto. But he also showed his qualities as a scorer and managed the same in his first 42 NHL games, 29 points. Famous thereby became his goal celebration, in which he took his stick between his legs and " rode " on it over the ice.
In February 1980 he was transferred to the Vancouver Canucks. There he played in 1980/81 his best season. Not because he led all players in the NHL with 343 penalty minutes, but because he was top scorer with 35 goals and 62 points fourth- best scorer of the Canucks. As a reward he was invited to the NHL All-Star Game in the spring of 1981. In the season 1981/82 surprised the Canucks, as they moved to the Stanley Cup final.
In the summer of 1984, it transferred the Canucks to the Detroit Red Wings, but where he did not stay long because in the spring of 1985, he was already forwarded to the Los Angeles Kings. There he managed the 1986/87 his personal record with 358 penalty minutes.
At the beginning of the 1987/88 season he was sold to the Hartford Whalers, who later put him on the Waiverliste and finally dismissed him on 12 February 1988.
Williams finished his career then and still holds the NHL record as the player with the most penalty minutes. In 962 games, he had to spend in the penalty box 3966 minutes.
After the retirement he worked for several years as a contractor, he also acted in the stock market and invested in the oil and gas industry. In 1993, he played a game for the Canadian Roller Hockey Team Vancouver Voodoo. He also was involved in the Special Olympics, especially in the Canadian province of British Columbia, where he lives. In the game between the greatest talents of the highest junior league in Canada CHL in 2002, Williams oversaw one of the teams as a head coach. Williams, who already got his nickname "Tiger" as a five year old goes to show games are still on the ice and is still close friends with many former teammates, as Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald.
NHL stats
Awards and achievements
- Stanley Cup Finals 1982
- NHL All-Star Game in 1981
Records
- Most penalty minutes in the history of the NHL: 3,966 penalty minutes