Buzz Schneider

Last updated
Buzz Schneider
Born (1954-09-14) September 14, 1954 (age 69)
Grand Rapids, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for AHL
Springfield Indians
WHA
Birmingham Bulls
CHL
Oklahoma City Blazers
SHL
Hampton Gulls
IHL
Milwaukee Admirals
NDA
SC Bern
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL draft 98th overall, 1974
Pittsburgh Penguins
WHA draft 44th overall, 1974
Minnesota Fighting Saints
Playing career 1972–1982
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1980 Lake Placid Team

William Conrad "Buzz" Schneider (born September 14, 1954) is an American former ice hockey player best remembered for his role on the US Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. He was also a member of the US Olympic hockey team at the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Contents

College career

Schneider is from Croatian ancestry. His nickname "Buzz" comes from his grandmother calling him the Croatian word for "brother" when he was a baby, which sounds like "buzz." [1] He grew up in Babbitt, Minnesota, where he played hockey, baseball and football at Babbitt High School.

After attending the University of Minnesota, where he played on the Golden Gophers under Herb Brooks and won the 1974 NCAA Hockey Championship, Schneider was drafted 98th overall in the 1974 NHL amateur draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins and 73rd overall in the 1974 WHA amateur draft by the Minnesota Fighting Saints.

International and later career

Schneider played for the United States national team from 1974–76 at the 1974, 1975 and 1976 Ice Hockey World Championships, as well as the 1976 Olympic team) before turning professional. He played in a variety of minor leagues before playing four games for the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association (WHA) during the 1976-77 season. After the end of the WHA season, he returned to play for the US national team at the 1977 World Ice Hockey Championships tournament in Vienna. Schneider returned to the minor leagues in 1977–78. He played two seasons in the International Hockey League (IHL) before getting back to the national team in 1979 to prepare for the 1980 Olympics.

During the 1979–80 season, Schneider played 62 games for the national team scoring 27 goals. During the Miracle on Ice run in the Olympics, he scored five goals and notched three assists in seven games en route to the gold medal. Schneider played on the Olympic team's top-scoring "Iron Rangers" or "Conehead" line with John Harrington and Mark Pavelich. [2]

After the Olympics he played in Bern, Switzerland, until 1983. Schneider returned to the U.S. national hockey team for the 1982 Ice Hockey World Championships tournament in Helsinki.

Post-playing career

After retiring from the game in 1983, Schneider returned to Minneapolis and worked as a sales executive for a semi-trailer company. He quit his job in 2001 to gain a commercial real estate license.

Schneider was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003 as a member of the 1980 Olympic team. He has two sons, Billy and Neal. He is now the coordinator of the Turkey men's national ice hockey team.

In the 1981 TV movie Miracle on Ice , Schneider is played by Jonathan Segal.

Buzz's son Billy portrayed him in the 2004 Disney movie Miracle . When director Gavin O'Connor was made aware of the family connection, he stated that he immediately wanted to offer Billy a role in the film. [3]

On the animated TV series American Dad , Buzz is also alluded to as Roger's persona "Chex Lemineux" in the episode "Return of the Bling". This is unconfirmed,[ citation needed ] but he is one of the only players not referenced in the episode. Roger is also present in place of Buzz in several photos shown in the slide show at the 1980 Olympic team reunion in the episode.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

   Regular season   Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1971–72 Babbitt J F Kennedy High School HS-MN
1972–73 University of Minnesota WCHA 34791626—————
1973–74 University of MinnesotaWCHA4024153938—————
1974–75 University of MinnesotaWCHA4119173663—————
1975–76 United States Intl6439317088—————
1976–77 Springfield Indians AHL 70002—————
1976–77 Birmingham Bulls WHA 40002—————
1976–77 Hampton Gulls SHL 4214223638—————
1976–77 Oklahoma City Blazers CHL 10000—————
1977–78 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 561613292951122
1978–79 Milwaukee AdmiralsIHL671223358020114
1979–80United StatesIntl5222123444—————
1980–81 SC Bern NDA ——————————
1981–82 SC BernNDA——————————
IHL totals12328366410971236

International

YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1975 United States WC 1080810
1976 United States OG 63256
1976 United StatesWC102136
1977 United StatesWC101122
1980 United StatesOG75384
1982 United StatesWC71122
Senior totals502082830

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References

  1. ↑ GohpherHole.com. "Special Q&A: Buzz Schneider Talks Gophers, Olympics, Beating Russia & Life After Hockey". GopherHole.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  2. ↑ "ESPN Classic - College kids perform Olympic miracle". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  3. ↑ Miracle Special Features - "From Hockey to Hollywood: The Actors' Journey"
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