Dave Silk
Dave Silk | |||
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Born |
Scituate , MA, USA | January 8, 1958||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
Position | Right Wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for |
NHL New York Rangers Boston Bruins Detroit Red Wings Winnipeg Jets Eishockey-Bundesliga Mannheimer ERC BSC Preussen | ||
National team |
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NHL draft |
59th overall, 1978 New York Rangers | ||
Playing career | 1980–1991 |
Olympic medal record | ||
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Representing ![]() | ||
Men's ice hockey | ||
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1980 Lake Placid | Ice hockey |
David Mark "Silky" Silk (born January 1, 1958 in Scituate, Massachusetts) is a retired professional American ice hockey player. His professional career, which spanned 20 years, included 249 NHL regular season games with the Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. Silk is arguably most famous for being a member of the 1980 US Men's hockey team that won the gold medal at the Olympics in Lake Placid. He is the cousin of former NHL and Boston Bruins player Mike Milbury.
Amateur career
Silk attended Thayer Academy in Braintree, where he scored 85 points in his first season. He then moved to Boston University where he became teammates and lifelong friends with future Miracle on Ice members Mike Eruzione, Jim Craig, and Jack O'Callahan. Silk was a dominating force for the Boston University Terriers hockey team, earning all-tournament, athlete of the week, and First- Team-All- New England honors. He won the NCAA Championship in 1978 with Boston University, and was awarded New England Rookie of the Year 1976–1977.
Professional career
Drafted 59th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, Silk signed a contract with the Rangers on March 3, 1980, days after the Olympic gold medal game. He spent the next three seasons as a Ranger, playing mostly at right wing and center. Silk realized a childhood dream when he was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1983[citation needed]. He was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Red Wings the following season. After becoming a free agent in 1985, Silk signed with the Winnipeg Jets, finished his NHL career, and moved on to Germany for the 1986–87 season.
Post playing career
Silk retired from hockey in 1991, returning to his alma mater Boston University where he served as the assistant men’s hockey coach for a couple of years.
Silk has been inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, United States Olympic Hall of Fame, Sports Illustrated, Sportsman of the Year, and also inducted into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame (NHL + Amateur).
While attending Boston University Silk earned a Business degree and is part of the management team at Bear Stearns Investments in Boston. When asked if Silk still ties up the skates he said “I skate maybe once or twice a year for a charity event. I can’t say I miss it. I’m content. I’m good friends with former teammates Jack O’Callahan and also with Jack Hughes and Ralph Cox, who were the last two cuts from the team that year. The friendships, like I said, are the most important things for me to ever come out of my time in hockey” (Carroll).
Awards and achievements
In popular culture
Rick Dano played Silk in the 1981 TV movie Miracle on Ice.
Bobby Hanson played him in the 2004 Disney film Miracle. Hanson played his college hockey at Boston University, where Silk, Jack O'Callahan, and Mike Eruzione had played. After college, Hanson played professional hockey in Europe, before a knee injury ended his career.[1]
Awards and achievements
Award | Year | |
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All-ECAC Hockey Second Team | 1977–78 |
References
- ^ Bobby Hanson biography at the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1395553/bio
External links
- Carroll, Robert. “Dave Silk Reflects on Golden Days Playing Hockey”. Boston Globe, March 11, 2004. 9 October 2006. <http://boston.com/sports/hockey>
- “Dave Silk”. 1987 NHL Amateur Draft. 9 October 2006. <http://www.Hockeydraftcentral.com/1978/78059.html>
- “Dave Silk”. Boston University Hall of Fame. 9 October 2006. <http://goterriers.cstv.com/hallfame/silk-dave.html>
- “Dave Silk”. NHL Player Search. 9 October 2006. <http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=14317>
- Thompson, Harry. “Bay Stater Silk Spun Dream Career Close to Home”. USA Hockey Magazine, February, 2005. 9 October 2006. <http://usahockeymagazine.com>
- 1958 births
- 1980 US Olympic hockey team
- American ice hockey forwards
- Binghamton Whalers players
- Boston Bruins players
- Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players
- Detroit Red Wings players
- Hershey Bears players
- Living people
- Maine Mariners players
- New Haven Nighthawks players
- New York Rangers draft picks
- New York Rangers players
- Olympic ice hockey players of the United States
- Olympic medalists in ice hockey
- People from Scituate, Massachusetts
- Sherbrooke Canadiens players
- Thayer Academy alumni
- Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) players
- Winnipeg Jets (1979–96) players
- Ice hockey people from Massachusetts