Ab DeMarco Jr.

Last updated
Ab DeMarco Jr.
Ab DeMarco Jr. action shot.jpg
Born (1949-02-27) February 27, 1949 (age 75)
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for New York Rangers
St. Louis Blues
Pittsburgh Penguins
Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
Edmonton Oilers
Boston Bruins
National teamFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Playing career 19691979

Albert Thomas "Ab" DeMarco Jr. (born February 27, 1949) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) during the 1970s. DeMarco was noted for his shot, considered one of the hardest in the sport at the time. He is the son of Ab DeMarco Sr., who starred for the New York Rangers in the 1940s.

Contents

Playing career

DeMarco was born in the United States while his father was playing for the American Hockey League (AHL) Cleveland Barons, but was raised in North Bay, Ontario. He played his junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers and, after representing Canada at the 1969 Ice Hockey World Championships, he was signed by the New York Rangers, the team with which his father spent the majority of his career.

DeMarco played his first two professional seasons in the CHL minor league, earning brief NHL callups to New York. In 1971–72, he played with the Rangers full-time, appearing in two thirds of the scheduled games, recording 4 goals and 11 points in 48 games. Late in the 1972–73 season, DeMarco was dealt to the St. Louis Blues. Given an opportunity to play more and receive time on the power play, DeMarco responded with 13 points in 14 games, to give him a total of 30 points on the season.

Early into the next season, DeMarco was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This would be the pattern of his career, as he would become something of a nomad, as offense-starved teams would pick him up to help their power play, but eventually grow frustrated at his poor defensive play, and he would find himself on the move again. He finished the 1973–74 season with a career high 31 points in 59 games between St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

Early in the 1974–75 NHL season, DeMarco was traded to the Vancouver Canucks. In Vancouver, he posted a career-high 12 goals, playing a career high 69 (of 78) games, helping the team to a division championship and their first-ever playoff berth. His 9 power play goals for a blueliner that season ranked behind only Bobby Orr and Guy Lapointe.

After a poor offensive start to the 1975–76 NHL season, DeMarco was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, and his offensive output fell to 18 points in 64 games. DeMarco spent most of the 1976–77 season in the minors, appearing in just 33 games for LA and scoring 6 points.

DeMarco then jumped to the rival World Hockey Association, signing with the Edmonton Oilers for the 1977–78 WHA season. He spent just one season in Edmonton, registering 6 goals and 14 points in 47 games.

DeMarco returned to the NHL for the 1978–79 season, signing with the Boston Bruins, but appeared in only three games for the team. After a season in Switzerland, he retired in 1980. He finished his career with totals of 44 goals and 80 assists for 124 points in 344 NHL games over 9 seasons.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1964–65 North Bay Trappers NOJHL 40330906612
1965–66North Bay TrappersNOJHL26419231612010102
1966–67North Bay TrappersNOJHL381135462211010
1967–68 Kitchener Rangers OHA 4993039241913112421
1968–69Ottawa Nationals OHA Sr 848127
1969–70 New York Rangers NHL 3000050002
1969–70 Omaha Knights CHL 606303619
1970–71 New York RangersNHL20110
1970–71 Omaha KnightsCHL5417254218
1971–72 New York RangersNHL484711440110
1972–73 New York RangersNHL514131715
1972–73 St. Louis Blues NHL144913241122
1973–74 St. Louis BluesNHL23391211
1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL34712194
1974–75 Pittsburgh PenguinsNHL82134
1974–75 Vancouver Canucks NHL611014242120000
1975–76 Vancouver CanucksNHL3438112
1975–76 Los Angeles Kings NHL304376900011
1976–77 Los Angeles KingsNHL33336610002
1976–77 Fort Worth Texans CHL314151920
1977–78 Edmonton Oilers WHA 4768142010000
1978–79 Boston Bruins NHL30000
1978–79 HC Ambrì–Piotta NLB 191492339
1979–80 HC Ambrì–PiottaNLB3322204258
WHA totals4768142010000
NHL totals3444480124752512317

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1969 Canada WC 91016
Senior totals91016

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