Ken Block (ice hockey)

Kenneth Richard Block (born March 18, 1944) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 455 games in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and one game in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Ken Block
Born (1944-03-18) March 18, 1944
Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Vancouver Canucks
New York Raiders
New York Golden Blades
Jersey Knights
San Diego Mariners
Indianapolis Racers
Playing career 1964–1979

Playing career

After a solid junior career with the Flin Flon Bombers, Block turned pro in 1964 and spent three seasons in the New York Rangers farm system without seeing any NHL action before being selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. Two days after the draft he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the rights to Hall of Famer Red Kelly, who had retired as a player but accepted a job coaching the Kings. Opportunities to break into a deep Toronto squad were slim, and Block spent the next five seasons toiling for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, where he played on the same blueline with and was later coached by Don Cherry.

Block caught a break in 1970 when the owners of the WHL Vancouver Canucks were granted an NHL expansion franchise of the same name. Since the Canucks still owned his WHL rights from a stint there several years prior, his NHL rights were transferred to Vancouver. In 1970–71, Vancouver's inaugural season, Block played only NHL game.

Well-established as one of the better offensive defenders in the AHL, Block jumped at the chance to play at a higher level and moved to the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972, joining the New York Raiders. His first season in the WHA was the best of his career, as he recorded 5 goals and 53 assists for 58 points, good for third among WHA defenders in assists and sixth in points. He had another strong season in 1973–74, recording 3 goals and 43 assists for 46 points. However, the franchise proved unstable, moving first to New Jersey and then to San Diego for the 1974–75 season.

Midway through the 1974–75 campaign, Block was dealt to the Indianapolis Racers, where he would play his final five seasons before retiring in 1979. In his last season, he played briefly with a young Wayne Gretzky before Gretzky was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers. With the dissolution of the WHA in 1979 and merger with the NHL, Block was one of the few players to stay in the WHA throughout its entire existence.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1962–63 Flin Flon Bombers SJHL 54 5 11 16 34 6 2 5 7 4
1963–64 Flin Flon Bombers MJHL 62 14 43 57 59 2 1 3 4 0
1964–65 New York Rovers EHL 70 5 31 36 51 — — — — —
1964–65 Baltimore Clippers AHL 5 0 2 2 2 5 1 0 1 2
1965–66 Baltimore Clippers AHL 37 2 8 10 6 — — — — —
1965–66 Minnesota Rangers CPHL 30 0 6 6 8 — — — — —
1966–67 Omaha Knights CPHL 10 0 4 4 6 — — — — —
1966–67 Vancouver Canucks WHL 62 8 22 30 18 8 1 3 4 0
1967–68 Memphis South Stars CPHL 18 5 5 10 24 — — — — —
1967–68 Vancouver Canucks WHL 17 2 6 8 4 — — — — —
1967–68 Rochester Americans AHL 24 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
1968–69 Vancouver Canucks WHL 22 1 2 3 6 — — — — —
1968–69 Rochester Americans AHL 45 4 15 19 10 — — — — —
1969–70 Rochester Americans AHL 69 9 35 44 51 — — — — —
1970–71 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1970–71 Rochester Americans AHL 71 5 33 38 38 — — — — —
1971–72 Rochester Americans AHL 71 4 29 33 69 — — — — —
1972–73 New York Raiders WHA 78 5 53 58 43 — — — — —
1973–74 New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights WHA 74 3 43 46 22 — — — — —
1974–75 San Diego Mariners WHA 36 1 11 12 12 — — — — —
1974–75 Indianapolis Racers WHA 37 0 17 17 18 — — — — —
1975–76 Indianapolis Racers WHA 79 1 25 26 28 7 0 4 4 2
1976–77 Indianapolis Racers WHA 52 3 10 13 25 9 0 2 2 6
1977–78 Indianapolis Racers WHA 77 1 25 26 34 — — — — —
1978–79 Indianapolis Racers WHA 22 2 3 5 10 — — — — —
NHL totals 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
WHA totals 455 16 187 203 192 16 0 6 6 8
AHL totals 322 25 123 148 178 5 1 0 1 2
WHL totals 101 11 30 41 28 8 1 3 4 0
CPHL totals 48 5 11 16 30 — — — — —
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See also
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