Walt Poddubny
Walter Michael Poddubny (February 14, 1960 – March 21, 2009) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and coach who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1981–82 until 1991–92. He played 468 career NHL games, scoring 184 goals and 238 assists for 422 points.
| Walt Poddubny | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 14, 1960 Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died |
March 21, 2009 (aged 49) Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Edmonton Oilers Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers Quebec Nordiques New Jersey Devils | ||
| NHL Draft |
90th overall, 1980 Edmonton Oilers | ||
| Playing career | 1980–1995 | ||
Career
Poddubny was drafted 90th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
He was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs by the New York Rangers for Mike Allison on August 18, 1986, in a trade considered to be Phil Esposito's best during his three years as the team's general manager.[2] Poddubny was the leading scorer in each of his only two Rangers campaigns, with 87 points (40 goals, 47 assists) in 1986–87 and 88 (38 goals, 50 assists) the following season.[3][4] He was the recipient of the New York Rangers Fan Club's Frank Boucher Trophy for the most popular player on and off the ice in both years, and the team's Most Valuable Player Award from the Professional Hockey Writers Association in 1987.[5]
Following a productive season in 1988-89 with the Quebec Nordiques, that saw Poddubny score 38 goals in 72 games played,[6] his playing career began to decline from damaged knees.[7]
After his career in the NHL, Poddubny coached several hockey teams including six seasons as head coach of the Anchorage Aces. Life after the NHL wasn't easy for him, and he once said, "People think if you played in the NHL, you're set for life. It's not like that for everyone."[7]
Poddubny died of a heart attack at the age of 49, collapsing at his sister's house in Thunder Bay.[8][9]
Career statistics
Ice hockey
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1978–79 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 20 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Kitchener Rangers | OMJHL | 19 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Kingston Canadians | OMJHL | 43 | 30 | 17 | 47 | 36 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Wichita Wind | CHL | 70 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 207 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 26 | ||
| 1981–82 | Wichita Wind | CHL | 60 | 35 | 46 | 81 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 72 | 28 | 31 | 59 | 71 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 38 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | St. Catharines Saints | AHL | 8 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 32 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | St. Catharines Saints | AHL | 37 | 28 | 27 | 55 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 33 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1986–87 | New York Rangers | NHL | 75 | 40 | 47 | 87 | 49 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1987–88 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 38 | 50 | 88 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 72 | 38 | 37 | 75 | 107 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Utica Devils | AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 33 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | EC Bad Nauheim | DEU II | 44 | 35 | 41 | 76 | 149 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 15 | ||
| 1993–94 | HC Fassa | ITA | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | EC Bad Nauheim | DEU III | 37 | 40 | 46 | 86 | 115 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Worcester IceCats | AHL | 34 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 468 | 184 | 238 | 422 | 454 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 12 | ||||
Roller hockey
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1994 | Las Vegas Flash | RHI | 19 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 32 | |||||||
| 1995 | Orlando Rollergators | RHI | 10 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 12 | |||||||
| RHI totals | 29 | 28 | 36 | 64 | 44 | |||||||||
Coaching
| Season | Team | League | Type | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pct | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Orlando Rollergators | RHI | Head Coach | 23 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0.304 | ||
| 1995–96 | Daytona Beach Breakers | SHL | Head Coach | 60 | 33 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0.608 | Lost in round 1 | |
| 1996–97 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | Head Coach | 64 | 41 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0.68 | Lost in Finals | |
| 1997–98 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | Head Coach | 64 | 36 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 0.625 | Lost in round 2 | |
| 1998–99 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | Head Coach | 71 | 46 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0.669 | Lost in round 2 | |
| 1999–00 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | Head Coach‡ | 56 | 30 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 0.58 | ||
| 2000–01 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | Head Coach | 72 | 27 | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0.403 | ||
| 2001–02 | Anchorage Aces | WCHL | Head Coach‡ | 40 | 9 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0.287 | Lost in round 1 | |
‡ - Midseason Replacement
References
- 1980 NHL Entry Draft — The Internet Hockey Database.
- Kreiser, John & Friedman, Lou. The New York Rangers: Broadway's Longest-Running Hit. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing, 1996.
- 1986–87 New York Rangers (NHL) – The Internet Hockey Database.
- 1987–88 New York Rangers (NHL) – The Internet Hockey Database.
- New York Rangers 2000–2001 Media Guide.
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4324
- "A man who lived for the game that left him behind". The Globe and Mail. March 23, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- "Former NHL player Walt Poddubny dies". Associated Press. March 21, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- "Former NHLer Poddubny dies suddenly". The Canadian Press. March 21, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database