Dale McCourt
Born (1957-01-26) January 26, 1957
Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Detroit Red Wings
Buffalo Sabres
Toronto Maple Leafs
HC Ambrì-Piotta
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 1st overall, 1977
Detroit Red Wings
WHA Draft 35th overall, 1977
Indianapolis Racers
Playing career 1977–1991

Dale Allen McCourt (born January 26, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1977 and 1984. He later played with HC Ambrì–Piotta in the Swiss Nationalliga A between 1985 and 1992. He was selected first overall by the Red Wings in the 1977 NHL amateur draft.[1] Internationally McCourt played for the Canadian national team at the 1979 and 1981 World Championships.

Junior hockey

McCourt played major junior in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA, renamed OMJHL during his tenure, today's OHL). As a 15-year-old, he was already playing Tier II junior hockey when called up by the Sudbury Wolves for part of the 1972–73 OHA season. He joined the Hamilton Red Wings for the full 1973–74 OHA season, and was team captain by the time the (renamed) Hamilton Fincups won the 1975–76 OMJHL Championship and then the national 1976 Memorial Cup championship.

In 1976–77, McCourt led the relocated St. Catharines Fincups as the team won the OMJHL Regular Season Championship. That season, McCourt was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as the league's Most Outstanding Player and was voted the nationwide CHL Player of the Year. Dale was also awarded the William Hanley Trophy as the OMJHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player in both 1975–76 and 1976–77.

In the 1977 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, McCourt scored 18 points, a Canadian record he shares with Brayden Schenn and one point more than Eric Lindros and Wayne Gretzky.

McCourt was drafted 1st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1977 NHL amateur draft. He made an impression on the Detroit Red Wings after being the first NHL amateur pick in 1977. He successfully scored 33 goals in the first year with the team.[2]

Professional career

McCourt led the Red Wings in scoring during his 1977–78 rookie season, finishing second to Calder Memorial Trophy winner Mike Bossy for rookie scoring in the NHL that year.

Before the start of the 1978–79 season, Red Wings general manager Ted Lindsay signed goaltender Rogatien Vachon of the Los Angeles Kings, who was a restricted free agent at that time. An NHL arbitrator ruled that McCourt should be the compensation given the Kings for Vachon's loss, but McCourt refused to report to the Kings. Ultimately, this led to McCourt suing the NHL, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), the Red Wings, and the Kings to prevent being sent to the Los Angeles Kings as a part of any compensation package. During this lawsuit, McCourt remained playing for the Red Wings, finishing the season second in Red Wing scoring (by two points) for 1978-79. The matter was eventually resolved and McCourt remained in Detroit, but he felt betrayed by the fact that his own NHLPA, led by executive director Alan Eagleson, did not back him against the owners during the lawsuit.[3] His legal case created a huge impact on sport and was the first sports case to challenge the antitrust laws during the bargaining agreement.[4]

Trade

McCourt continued to be the Red Wings' top scorer in both his third (1979–80) and fourth (1980–81) seasons. Despite this, and while leading the team in scoring a third of the way through the 1981–82 season, management did not feel he had achieved their overall expectations, trading McCourt to the Buffalo Sabres in December 1981—having produced at a point-a-game pace during his time with the Red Wings but failing to make the playoffs for three of his four years with the team. He played with Buffalo before being claimed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs in October 1983, finishing his NHL career at the end of the 1983–84 NHL season, with 478 points in 532 games played.

McCourt then played for 8 seasons for HC Ambrì-Piotta, in the top Swiss league. Ambrì-Piotta retired McCourt's number 15 jersey.

Hockey family

McCourt's brother Dan was an NHL linesman during the 1980s and early 1990s.

McCourt's uncle is Hockey Hall of Fame member George Armstrong. Armstrong won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHA's Most Outstanding Player in both 1947–48 and 1949–50, the same award that McCourt received in 1976–77. Armstrong was the coach of the Toronto Marlboros when they won the national Memorial Cup Championship in 1973 and 1975, the same championship that McCourt won as a player with the Hamilton Fincups in 1976.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1972–73 Welland Sabres SOJHL 3435286339 —————
1972–73 Sudbury Wolves OHA 26611170 40110
1973–74 Hamilton Red Wings OHA 6920385845 —————
1974–75 Hamilton Fincups OMJHL 69527412657 171017270
1975–76 Hamilton Fincups OMJHL 66558413919 142082812
1975–76 Hamilton Fincups M-Cup ————— 30442
1976–77 St. Catharines Fincups OMJHL 66607913926 14713206
1977–78 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7633397210 74262
1978–79 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7928437114 —————
1979–80 Detroit Red Wings NHL 8030518112 —————
1980–81 Detroit Red Wings NHL 8030568650 —————
1981–82 Detroit Red Wings NHL 261314276 —————
1981–82 Buffalo Sabres NHL 5220224212 42350
1982–83 Buffalo Sabres NHL 6220325210 103254
1983–84 Buffalo Sabres NHL 51340 —————
1983–84 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 7219244310 —————
1984–85 HC Ambrì–Piotta NLB 40332659 —————
1985–86 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 3242175922 —————
1986–87 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 3625285342 552720
1987–88 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 3629204922 666124
1988–89 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 3641246539 61450
1989–90 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 2818264426 20000
1990–91 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 3519143358 —————
1991–92 HC Ambrì–Piotta NDA 54152 —————
NDA totals 208178130308211 1912122424
NHL totals 532194284478124 2197166

International

Year Team Event GPGAPtsPIM
1977 Canada WJC 71081814
1979 Canada WC 70116
1981 Canada WC 41012
Junior totals 71081814
Senior totals 111128

Awards and honours

References

  1. ↑ Shaw, Warren. "The Dale McCourt Saga: The Beginning Of The End Of Team Loyalty". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  2. ↑ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Dale McCourt". www.legendsofhockey.net. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  3. ↑ "The Ups and Downs of Dale McCourt". TSN. 2016-12-24. 3:03 min:sec mark. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  4. ↑ Berry, Robert C.; Gould, William B.; Staudohar, Paul D. (1986). Labor Relations in Professional Sports. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780865691377.
  5. ↑ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p.510, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
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