Dave Delich

Last updated
Dave Delich
Born (1956-12-27) December 27, 1956 (age 68)
Eveleth, Minnesota, USA
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for Colorado College
Flint Generals
Oklahoma City Stars
Baltimore Clippers
SC Herisau
National teamFlag of the United States.svg  United States
NHL draft 93rd overall, 1976
Minnesota North Stars
Playing career 19751983

David Delich is an American former ice hockey center and real estate developer who is the all-time leading scorer for Colorado College. [1]

Contents

Career

Ice hockey

After graduating from Eveleth-Gilbert High School in 1975, Delich began attending Colorado College in the fall and swiftly became a key contributor on the school's ice hockey team. Delich led the Tigers in scoring as a freshman, being names as the WCHA Freshman of the Year for his efforts. [2] That summer, the Minnesota North Stars selected Delich in the 6th round of the NHL draft. [3] Unfortunately, Delich's tenure with the Tigers came during a long stretch of poor results for the program, however, during his junior year he was able to help the team reach the 1978 NCAA tournament, the program's only appearance for a 38-year span. Despite the team's overall poor performance, Delich was one of college hockey's more prolific scorers, finishing his career with 285 points in just 153 games. His totals far exceed any other player in program history with second place (Brian Swanson) being more than 50 points behind despite playing more games. Additionally, as of 2025 he sits 9th all-time in career points for all of college hockey. In spite of his gaudy totals, Delich was never named as an All-American and only appeared on the WCHA's second All-Star team. [4]

After graduating, Delich continued his playing career by joining the US national team in the run up to the 1980 Winter Olympics. Delich played only 13 games beffore being cut from the squad and then signed his first professional contract. Over a three-year span, Delich played for three teams in three separate North American leagues before heading over to Europe in 1981. After a short stint in the Swiss B league, Delich returned to the states and joined the national team for a second time, posting ten points in seven games to help the US earn a promotion back to the top level at the 1983 World Championships.

Delich was inducted into the Colorado College athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. [5]

Real estate

After finishing his playing career, Delich eventually returned to Colorado Springs and began working in real estate. He became President of Sierra Properties Inc. in 1989 and continues to serve in that capacity to this day. [6] During that time he also served as the President for Sierra Commercial Real Estate Inc. for eleven years. In 2008, at the age of 51, Delich achieved a bit of notoriety when he qualified for the U.S. Senior Open. [7] He was able to do this by finishing the day with 74 shots after going over par on three of the first four holes.

Personal

Dave's two brothers, Chuck and Joe also played college hockey with both playing four year at Air Force. While Joe had a respectable career, Chuck is the Falcons' all-time leader in goals and points and later served as the program's head coach for 12 years. [8]

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

  Regular Season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1975–76 Colorado College WCHA 3823264926
1976–77 Colorado College WCHA 3829437234
1977–78 Colorado College WCHA 4127538020
1978–79 Colorado College WCHA 3632528426
1979–80 Team USA International134264
1979–80 Oklahoma City Stars CHL 7120345422
1979–80 Flint Generals IHL 15481241135818
1980–81 Oklahoma City Stars EHL 113415
1980–81 Baltimore Clippers CHL 501238501730114
1981–82 SC Herisau NLB statistics missing
NCAA totals153111174285106

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
1983 United States WC–B 71910

Awards and honors

AwardYear
All-WCHA Second Team 1977–78 [4]
All-WCHA Second Team 1978–79 [4]

References

  1. "COLORADO COLLEGE TIGER HOCKEY RECORD BOOK" (PDF). Colorado College Tigers. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  2. "WCHA Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  3. "Dave Delich". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  5. "Colorado College athletic Hall of Fame". Colorado College Tigers. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  6. "David Delich". Linked In. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  7. "Former CC hockey player Delich qualifies for U.S. Senior Open". The Gazette. June 30, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  8. "Air Force Hockey 2018-19 Record Book" (PDF). Air Force Falcons. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by WCHA Freshman of the Year
1975–76
Succeeded by