Bill Baker (ice hockey, born 1956)

Bill Baker
Born	(1956-11-29) November 29, 1956 (age 68) Grand Rapids, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	Montreal Canadiens Colorado Rockies St. Louis Blues New York Rangers
National team	United States
NHL draft	54th overall, 1976 Montreal Canadiens
WHA draft	49th overall, 1973 New England Whalers
Playing career	1979–1984
Medal record Men's ice hockey Representing the   United States Olympic Games 1980 Lake Placid Team

William Robert Baker (born November 29, 1956) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 143 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers between 1980 and 1983.

Playing career

College career

Bill Baker attended the University of Minnesota and was team captain for the 1978-1979 season. He was originally selected 54th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft. Baker is best known for being a member of the Miracle on Ice 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team that won the Gold Medal in Lake Placid, NY. Specifically, he is known for scoring the tying goal as the extra skater in the final minute forcing a 2–2 tie with Sweden in the opening game. This tie allowed the team to eventually advance to the medal round. Baker's jersey from the famed "Miracle On Ice" is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., U.S. along with a stick autographed by all the members of the team.

Professional career

He joined the Canadiens after the Olympics, and was later traded to the Colorado Rockies in 1981. He also played for Team USA at the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1981 Canada Cup tournaments. Colorado later traded him to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Joe Micheletti and Dick Lamby. Baker spent the full 1982–83 season with the New York Rangers. He spent the 1983-84 season in the CHL playing for the eventual league championships, the Tulsa Oilers coached by Tom Webster. ^[1] He played 59 regular season games for Tulsa Oilers, but was not with team during post-season. ^[2]

Awards and achievements

Award	Year
All-WCHA First Team	1978–79	[3]
AHCA West All-American	1978–79	[4]

• CHL Adams Cup: 1984 (Tulsa Oilers)^{[ citation needed ]}

International play

• 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, New York
• Ice Hockey World Championships, 1979 and 1981
• 1981 Canada Cup

In popular culture

In a 1981 TV movie about the gold medal-winning hockey team entitled Miracle on Ice , Baker is played by David Wallace.

In the 2004 Disney film Miracle , he is portrayed by Nick Postle.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1972–73	Grand Rapids High School	High-MN		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	Grand Rapids High School	High-MN		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1975–76	University of Minnesota	WCHA		44	8	15	23	28		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	University of Minnesota	WCHA		28	0	8	8	42		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	University of Minnesota	WCHA		38	10	23	33	24		—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	University of Minnesota	WCHA		44	12	42	54	38		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	United States	Intl.		60	5	25	30	74		—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Nova Scotia Voyageurs	AHL		12	4	8	12	5		1	0	1	1	0
1980–81	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		11	0	0	0	32		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Nova Scotia Voyageurs	AHL		18	5	12	17	42		—	—	—	—	—
1980–81	Colorado Rockies	NHL		13	0	3	3	12		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Colorado Rockies	NHL		14	0	3	3	17		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	St. Louis Blues	NHL		35	3	5	8	50		4	0	0	0	0
1981–82	Fort Worth Texans	CHL		10	3	12	15	20		—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	New York Rangers	NHL		70	4	14	18	64		2	0	0	0	0
1983–84	Tulsa Oilers	CHL		59	11	22	33	47		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				143	7	25	32	175		6	0	0	0	0

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1979	United States	WC		7	2	1	3	2
1980	United States	OG		7	1	0	1	4
1981	United States	WC		7	0	1	1	8
1981	United States	CC		1	0	0	0	0
Senior totals				22	3	2	5	14

References

1. "Tulsa Oilers 1983-84 hockey team player statistics". hockeydb.com. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
2. "1976 NHL Amateur Draft - Bill Baker". Hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
3. "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
4. "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database
• Bill Baker's bio at hockeydraftcentral