Doug Wickenheiser

Doug Wickenheiser
Wickenheiser in 1988
Born	(1961-03-30)March 30, 1961 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	January 12, 1999(1999-01-12) (aged 37) St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Washington Capitals New York Rangers Vancouver Canucks St. Louis Blues Montreal Canadiens
NHL draft	1st overall, 1980 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1980–1994

Douglas Peter Wickenheiser (March 30, 1961 – January 12, 1999) was a Canadian ice hockey player, who was drafted first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.

Career

Wickenheiser was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. A superstar in Major Junior hockey with the Regina Pats, he led the Western Hockey League in goal scoring (89) during the 1979–80 WHL season, captained the Pats to a berth in the Memorial Cup, and was the CHL Player of the Year. Wickenheiser was rated by The Hockey News as the top draft prospect in 1980 and was subsequently selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Many Canadiens' fans, particularly French Canadian fans who desperately wanted the club to select francophone star Denis Savard, were unhappy with the selection, and Montreal media attention soon turned negative. While Wickenheiser struggled to adjust to the NHL game, Savard (drafted third overall) would quickly become a superstar with the Chicago Blackhawks, further angering some Montreal fans.

In his fourth season with the Canadiens, the club lost patience with Wickenheiser's slow development and traded him to the St. Louis Blues. Probably his most famous moment with the Blues was during the 1985–86 playoffs in a game dubbed the "Monday Night Miracle" on May 12, 1986, when after St. Louis made a large comeback against the Calgary Flames, Wickenheiser scored the overtime winner to force a Game 7 in the Campbell Conference Finals. The Blues would however, lose the deciding game 2–1.

During his NHL career, Wickenheiser also played for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, but did not play in the NHL after the 1989-90 season, spending his last four professional seasons in the minors and overseas. In 556 games, he scored 111 goals and 165 assists.

Cancer

In August 1994, Wickenheiser had an epithelioid sarcoma (a rare form of cancer) which he had first noticed four years earlier, removed from his wrist. Three years later, in October 1997, the cancer came back and had spread to his lungs, at which point it was inoperable. He died on January 12, 1999, at the age of 37 in St. Louis. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. His life story was remembered in the book The Last Face Off: The Doug Wickenheiser Story written in March 2000 by Ted Pepple, Wickenheiser's father-in-law. The Mid-States Club Hockey Association, the governing body for high school hockey in St. Louis, named their championship trophy for small school/second division teams in his honor. He is interred at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Affton, Missouri - Section 043 Lot 0877.

Legacy

Wickenheiser playing for the New York Rangers in 1988

An arena in his hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan, has been named Doug Wickenheiser Arena in his honor. The arena is located at the corner of Arnason St. & Rochdale Blvd. in the city's northwest corner.

His cousin, Hayley Wickenheiser, is the former captain of Team Canada's women's hockey team, leading the women's hockey team to gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She was named an alternate captain for the 2014 Winter Olympics. His daughter, Carly, the youngest of three, 1, is, as of 2015, a midfielder for the Texas Tech Red Raiders women's soccer team. 2

While the St. Louis Blues did not retire his number 14, Blues' players wore a special helmet decal with the wick of a candle and the number 14 during parts of the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons. In 1999 a banner with that logo, which became the symbol of The Fourteen Fund, the official Blues charity established in his memory, was permanently placed in the rafters at the Blues home rink. The emblem was worn by all NHL players in the 1999 All-Star Game, and was also sold to the public for a small donation and became a popular trend among youth hockey players in St. Louis. One of the two high school state championships played at Scottrade Center is named after him. (The Wickenheiser Cup). (www.midstateshockey.org)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1976–77	Regina Blues	SJHL		59	42	46	88	63		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	Regina Pats	WCJHL		68	37	51	88	49		13	4	5	9	4
1978–79	Regina Pats	WHL		68	32	62	94	141		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Regina Pats	WHL		71	89	81	170	99		18	14	26	40	20
1979–80	Regina Pats	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		4	1	4	5	8
1980–81	Montréal Canadiens	NHL		41	7	8	15	20		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Montréal Canadiens	NHL		56	12	23	35	43		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Montréal Canadiens	NHL		78	25	30	55	49		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Montréal Canadiens	NHL		27	5	5	10	6		—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	St. Louis Blues	NHL		46	7	21	28	19		11	2	2	4	2
1984–85	St. Louis Blues	NHL		68	23	20	43	36		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	St. Louis Blues	NHL		36	8	11	19	16		19	2	5	7	12
1986–87	St. Louis Blues	NHL		80	13	15	28	37		6	0	0	0	2
1987–88	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		80	7	19	26	36		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	New York Rangers	NHL		1	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Flint Spirits	IHL		21	9	7	16	8		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Canada	Nat-Tm		26	7	15	22	40		—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Washington Capitals	NHL		16	2	5	7	4		5	0	0	0	2
1988–89	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		2	0	5	5	0		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Washington Capitals	NHL		27	1	8	9	20		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL		35	9	19	28	22		12	2	5	7	22
1990–91	HC Asiago	Serie A		35	25	32	57	9		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	EHC Unna	3.GBun		8	14	6	20	36		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	SV Bayreuth	2.GBun		4	4	3	7	6		—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Klagenfurter AC	AUS		22	7	12	19	—		—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	Peoria Rivermen	IHL		80	30	45	75	30		4	0	2	2	2
1993–94	Fort Wayne Komets	IHL		73	22	37	59	22		14	2	2	4	4
NHL totals				556	111	165	276	286		41	4	7	11	18

External links

• Doug Wickenheiser career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Doug Wickenheiser at Find a Grave