The 1963 NHL Amateur Draft was the first NHL Entry Draft. It was a draft to assign unaffiliated amateur junior-age players to NHL teams. It was held on June 5 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. It was the first amateur draft, which consisted of 16-year-old players.
The 1996–97 NHL season was the 80th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four games and won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 42 years.
Douglas Bradford "Brad" Park is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A defenceman, Park played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Considered to be one of the best defencemen of his era, he was named to an All-Star team seven times. The most productive years of his career were overshadowed by superstar Bobby Orr, with whom he played for a brief time. Unlike Orr's, however, his teams never hoisted the Stanley Cup. Park was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Henry Charles Boucha is a Native American former professional ice hockey center. Boucha played in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) between 1971 and 1977. In the NHL he played for the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies, while he played for the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA. His career was cut short by an eye injury by Dave Forbes. Internationally Boucha played for the American national team at two World Championships and at the 1972 Winter Olympics, where he won a silver medal.
Richard Allan Smith is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played from 1968 until 1981 in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the World Hockey Association (WHA). He won the Stanley Cup in 1970 with the Boston Bruins.
The 1965–66 NHL season was the 49th season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 70 games. The Montreal Canadiens won their second consecutive Stanley Cup as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to two in the final series.
William Edward Ranford is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and current director of goaltending for the Los Angeles Kings. He was selected in the third round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, 52nd overall, by the Boston Bruins. Over the course of fifteen NHL seasons Ranford played with Boston, the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Detroit Red Wings, winning two Stanley Cups, a Canada Cup, and the 1994 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships while playing for Canada. He is the only goaltender in history to be awarded the MVP of Stanley Cup Playoffs, Canada Cup/World Cup & Men's Ice Hockey World Championship.
Aaron Christian Ward is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played more than 800 games over a span of 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks. He is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, having won twice with Detroit in 1997 and 1998 and once with Carolina in 2006.
Dwight Alexander Foster is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted into 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.
Reginald Joseph Leach is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1970 and 1983. He is best known for his time in Philadelphia, winning a Stanley Cup with the Flyers in 1975 and being a member of the LCB line.
Shane Hnidy is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Between 2000 and 2011, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, and Minnesota Wild. He is currently part of the Vegas Golden Knights broadcast team on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.
Michael Thomas O'Connell is an American former professional ice hockey player and general manager who currently serves as the Director of Pro Development for the Los Angeles Kings. He played 860 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season games between 1977 and 1990 and later served as the general manager of the Boston Bruins from 2000 until 2006. He is the son of former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Tommy O'Connell and brother of former World Hockey Association (WHA) player Tim O'Connell.
Gordon Dennis Roberts is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 1,097 NHL regular season games from 1979 to 1994. He was a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is an honoured member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Steven John Atkinson was a Canadian ice hockey player who played the positions of centre and right wing. He played in both the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association from 1969 to 1976.
James Edward Nill is a Canadian former ice hockey player and the current general manager of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nill played in the NHL throughout the 1980s with the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, and Detroit Red Wings, retiring in 1990. Prior to making his NHL debut Nill also played for Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics. He worked as a scout for the Ottawa Senators before joining the Red Wings in an executive role in 1994, staying with the team before moving to take up the general manager role with Dallas in 2013.
Joseph Lawrence Zanussi is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 149 games in the World Hockey Association and 87 games in the National Hockey League. Zanussi's skating ability and agility earned him the nicknames 'Crazy Legs' and 'Tazmanian Devil' and although small for a pro hockey defenseman, Zanussi was a good bodychecker and possessed a big shot.
The 1975–76 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 50th season. The Rangers would finish in fourth in the Patrick Division and miss the playoffs.
Frederick Allan Berry is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward, who played three games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1976–77 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1976 to 1987, was spent in various minor leagues.
The 1975–76 Los Angeles Kings season was the Kings' ninth season in the National Hockey League.
Eric James Manlow is a former professional ice hockey player who played 37 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders.
