Dwight Foster (ice hockey)

Dwight Alexander Foster (born 2 April 1957 in Toronto, Ontario) is a retired Canadian ice hockey player. He was drafted to the National Hockey League (NHL) in the first round, 16th overall in 1977 by the Boston Bruins. Besides Boston, he played for the Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, before retiring in 1987 because of knee injuries.

Bio

Having led the tough Ontario Hockey League in scoring, Foster was a highly rated prospect going into the 1977 NHL Entry Draft. The New York Islanders seriously considered selecting him fifteenth overall, but settled on future Hall Of Fame forward Mike Bossy instead. Foster was known as a strong defensive forward with marginal offensive ability, while Bossy was a prolific scorer who was not very physical. In the end, Islanders coach Al Arbour convinced general manager Bill Torrey that he should pick Bossy, arguing that it was easier to teach a scorer how to check.

Foster went next to Boston. That same year, he helped Team Canada win the silver medal at the World Junior Championships.

A solid two-way centre, Foster would play in the NHL until 1987, finishing with 274 points in 541 career games.

Foster is a father of four: Dwayne, Peter, Alex and Genevieve. Foster's son Alex is also a professional ice hockey player. Foster's son Peter got a scholarship to the United States Air Force as a goaltender, played for four years and is now stationed in Boston, Massachusetts, with the Air Force.

Team records

• 1976–77: Most points – Kitchener Rangers (143)
• 1976–77: Most assists – Kitchener Rangers (83)
• All-time most points – Kitchener Rangers (382)
• Most goals in a game – Kitchener Rangers 1976–77 (5)

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1973–74	Kitchener Rangers	OHA		67	23	32	55	61		–	–	–	–	–
1974–75	Kitchener Rangers	OMJHL		70	39	51	90	88		–	–	–	–	–
1975–76	Kitchener Rangers	OMJHL		61	36	58	94	110		8	4	6	10	28
1976–77	Kitchener Rangers	OMJHL		64	60	83	143	88		3	2	4	6	2
1976–77	Team Canada	WJC		7	2	5	7	4		–	–	–	–	–
1977–78	Boston Bruins	NHL		14	2	1	3	6		–	–	–	–	–
1977–78	Rochester Americans	AHL		3	0	3	3	2		–	–	–	–	–
1978–79	Boston Bruins	NHL		44	11	13	24	14		11	1	3	4	0
1978–79	Rochester Americans	AHL		21	11	18	29	8		–	–	–	–	–
1979–80	Boston Bruins	NHL		57	10	28	38	42		9	3	5	8	2
1979–80	Binghamton Dusters	AHL		7	1	3	4	2		–	–	–	–	–
1980–81	Boston Bruins	NHL		77	24	28	52	62		3	1	1	2	0
1981–82	Colorado Rockies	NHL		70	12	19	31	41		–	–	–	–	–
1982–83	Wichita Wind	CHL		2	0	1	1	2		–	–	–	–	–
1982–83	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		58	17	22	39	58		–	–	–	–	–
1983–84	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		52	9	12	21	50		3	0	1	1	0
1984–85	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		50	16	16	32	56		3	0	0	0	0
1985–86	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		55	6	12	18	48		–	–	–	–	–
1985–86	Boston Bruins	NHL		13	0	0	0	4		3	0	2	2	2
1986–87	Boston Bruins	NHL		47	4	12	16	37		3	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				541	111	163	274	420		35	5	12	17	4

External links

• Dwight Foster career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Dwight Foster biography at Legends of Hockey (archived)