Bill Derlago

Bill Derlago
Born	(1958-08-25) August 25, 1958 Birtle, MB, CAN
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	NHL Quebec Nordiques Winnipeg Jets Boston Bruins Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks AHL Fredericton Express
NHL draft	4th overall, 1978 Vancouver Canucks
Playing career	1978–1987

William Anthony Derlago (born August 25, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League from 1978 to 1987 with the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets and Quebec Nordiques. Derlago was born in Birtle, Manitoba, but grew up in Beulah, Manitoba.

Career

Growing up, Derlago excelled at multiple sports, including golf, tennis, baseball, and hockey. He achieved best success with ice hockey, playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings and setting a number of WCJHL records. He was selected fourth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft.

As a rookie with the Canucks in 1978–79, Derlago badly injured his knee and was limited to just 9 games, though he did score 8 points. Though he played well in Vancouver, he was unable to live up to team expectations, and was traded to Toronto along with Rick Vaive for Tiger Williams and Jerry Butler on February 18, 1980.

In Toronto Derlago, raised to a star status, worked particularly well with Vaive. Though successful on the ice, it was speculated that Derlago could have achieved more.

On October 11, 1985, he was traded to the Boston Bruins for Tom Fergus. In Boston, he played as a defensive forward on the third- and fourth-line. After only 39 games in Boston he was again traded, this time to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Wade Campbell. In the later stages of his career Derlago, was sent to the Quebec Nordiques in 1987. Finally, Derlago was relegated to the Fredericton Express of the AHL. Derlago spent one additional season in Switzerland before announcing his retirement in 1988.

Derlago currently resides in Concord, Ontario, and operates a Chrysler dealership.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1974–75	Brandon Travellers	MJHL		45	38	21	59	87		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	Brandon Wheat Kings	WCHL		17	0	4	4	2		5	1	1	2	0
1975–76	Brandon Wheat Kings	WCHL		68	49	54	103	43		5	3	3	6	0
1976–77	Brandon Wheat Kings	WCHL		72	96	82	178	63		16	14	16	30	31
1977–78	Brandon Wheat Kings	WCHL		52	89	63	152	105		8	9	13	22	10
1978–79	Dallas Black Hawks	CHL		11	5	8	13	9		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		9	4	4	8	2		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		54	11	15	26	27		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		23	5	12	17	13		3	0	0	0	4
1980–81	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		80	35	39	74	26		3	1	0	1	2
1981–82	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		75	34	50	84	42		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		58	13	24	37	27		4	3	0	3	2
1983–84	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		79	40	20	60	50		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		62	31	31	62	21		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Boston Bruins	NHL		39	5	16	21	15		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		27	5	5	10	6		3	1	0	1	0
1986–87	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		18	3	5	8	6		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Fredericton Express	AHL		16	7	8	15	2		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		30	3	6	9	12		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				555	189	227	416	247		13	5	0	5	8
WCHL totals				209	234	203	437	213		34	27	33	60	41

Awards and achievements

• 1977: WCHL Scoring Champion
• 1977: WCHL First All-Star Team
• 1977: WCHL Goals Leader
• 1978: WCHL Goals Leader
• 1978: WCHL Second All-Star Team
• “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame

External links

• Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
• Bill Derlago career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Bill Derlago's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame