Willie Huber
William Henry " Willie " Smith ( born January 15, 1958 in Straßkirchen, Germany, † June 28, 2010 in Hamilton, Ontario ) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defender of German origin, who, in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers Vancouver Canucks and Philadelphia Flyers was active.
Career
Born in Germany, his parents emigrated to Canada when he was ten months old. He began his career in 1975 at the Hamilton Fincups from the Canadian junior league OMJHL and won in his first season with the Fincups the J. Ross Robertson Cup, as winners of the OMJHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup. After he not been struck in his first season, he developed much further in the 1976/77 season and showed with 34 points in 36 games especially his skills as an attacking defender. In the same season he also participated with the Canadian junior national team at the World Junior Championships and won the silver medal.
In his third year at the Junior Huber was able to make in-house advertising. For one, he proved with twelve gates and 45 assists continue his qualities on the offensive to other conceded the Fincups in the season, the fewest goals in the league and went again into the finals of the playoffs, where they but the Peterborough Petes documents. In addition, the bronze medal came at the Junior World Championship in 1978.
Due to its good performance Huber was finally selected in the NHL Amateur Draft in 1978 by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round at position nine. In October of the same year he made his debut in the NHL and was, with the exception of ten games in the CHL unterklassigen the farm team of the Red Wings, the entire season in the squad of Detroit.
Huber, who was the greatest player in the NHL with his height of 1.96 meters long, quickly established himself in Detroit and formed together with Reed Larson then the strongest defensive line with the Red Wings, especially in the power play could set the tone. From 1979 to 1983 he reached in four consecutive seasons for the feeble Red Wings, the 40 -point mark, scoring at least 14 goals per season, which is why he was invited to the 1982/83 season to the NHL All-Star Game. In addition, he was appointed in 1981 to the squad of the Canadian national team for the World Cup.
Disputes about the contract of Willie Huber during the summer of 1983 finally to the fact that the Red Wings transferred him to the New York Rangers. In New York, he was able to build on his good performances, but it lacked in the first two seasons because of knee injuries in each case for more than 30 games. When he could play through the 1985/86 season largely injury-free, but he got into a Schwächphase and totaled only 15 points from 70 games far behind the values of his time in Detroit. The following year, but he was able to overcome its crisis and was back to old form.
Shortly after the start of the 1987/88 season he was transferred to the Vancouver Canucks, but where he remained only a few months since he was sent to a further transfer business to the Philadelphia Flyers. For New York and Vancouver, he had already completed 46 games with even by his standards five goals and 13 assists in the season, but in Philadelphia he was again on top form and collected 13 points scorer in ten games.
As the Philadelphia Flyers offered him a contract in the summer of 1988, which was more than one-third below its previous references, Huber refused to sign the contract and went on strike during the 1988/89 season, before he ended his career in 1989.
On June 28, 2010 Willie Huber died at the age of 52 years due to a heart attack.