1971 NHL Entry Draft Pick
Round Overall
3 33
Bill Hajt
Selected by Buffalo from Saskatoon (WCHL)
Buffalo Sabres Saskatoon Blades
Bill Hajt
 

6-foot-3, 215 pounds

Left-hand shot

Defense

Pre-Draft Statistics

Year Team League GP G A TP PIM
1968-69 Saskatoon WCHL 60 3 18 21 54
1969-70Saskatoon WCHL 60 10 21 31 40
1970-71 Saskatoon WCHL 66 19 53 72 50

Pre-Draft Notes

Played in 1971 WCHL All-Star Game. ... Scored four goals, 14 points in 1967-68.
Canadian • Born Nov. 18, 1951 in Radisson, Saskatchewan • Hometown: Borden, Sask.

Career Vitals

First contract: 1972
Debut: January 24, 1974
(Buffalo vs. Montreal)
Final NHL game: January 24, 1987
(Buffalo at Washington)
Retired: May 7, 1987
Stanley Cup: Never won
Number: 24

Career NHL Statistics

Team: Buffalo
Years: 1974-1987. Playoffs: 1975-1985

Regular Season
  GP G A TP PIM
14 years 854 42 202 244 433
 
Stanley Cup Playoffs
GP G A TP PIM
10 years 80 2 16 18 70
 
Complete statistics available at NHL.com 

Career Highlights

Played on 1972-73 Cincinnati team that won AHL regular-season title. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with Cincinnati in 1973. ... Scored his first NHL goal at 12:21 of the third period of Buffalo's Nov. 24, 1974, game vs. Montreal. The goal came against Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden. ... Played on Buffalo team that lost to Philadelphia in 1975 Stanley Cup Finals. ... Scored his first career playoff goal for Buffalo at 9:56 of the third period, beating Hall of Fame goaltender Bernie Parent to tie score at 4-4 and force overtime in Game 3 of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, also known as the "Fog Game," on May 20, 1975, vs. Philadelphia. Buffalo went on to win the game, which was the first home Stanley Cup Finals game in team history, and Hajt would not score another playoff goal for 10 years ... Set Buffalo record (since tied) for assists by a defenseman in one game with four vs. N.Y. Rangers on Nov. 13, 1976. ... Led Buffalo with plus-39 rating in 1976-77. ... Named to 1981 Wales Conference All-Star team by head coach Scotty Bowman, but did not play in the Feb. 10 game at Los Angeles because he wanted to use the All-Star break to rest for second half of season. ... Named to 1985 Wales Conference All-Star team but missed the Feb. 12 game at Calgary because of shoulder injury. ... Led Buffalo with plus-32 rating in 1984-85. ... Retired with Buffalo record (since broken) for career games played by a defenseman (854). ... Inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2000. ... Inducted into Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
 

The Brief Retirement

During Buffalo's 1983 training camp, a nearly 32-year-old Hajt decided he was no longer capable of going through tough preseason workouts and it was time for him to retire. He announced the decision on Sept. 23, 1983, and left training camp at that time. "I had quit because I was tired and training camp became a drudgery," he said. Five days later, on Sept. 28, Hajt was back at camp after deciding that he wasn't really ready to retire after all. He said that just being home for a few days felt like being in a "morgue", that he felt bad about leaving the Sabres shorthanded when they clearly wanted him on the team, and that he realized he had made a rash decision that he immediately began to regret. He would play another four seasons before retiring for good.

Team Awards and Honors

1974-75:Tim Horton Memorial Award (unsung hero)
1979-80: Charley Barton Memorial Silver Stick Award (dedication to game), Tim Horton Memorial Award (unsung hero)
 

Life Outside the NHL

Full Name: William Albert Hajt
Also Known as: Billy Hajt

Other Post-Draft Teams: Cincinnati (AHL)

Education: Attended University of Saskatchewan, where he majored in commerce.

Career Beyond Hockey: Remained in Amherst, N.Y., after his retirement and worked as a grain merchant for Buffalo-based Lackawanna Products.

Family: Father of former NHL player and major-junior coach Chris Hajt.

Significant Injuries

Missed start of 1978-79 season with shoulder injury, suffered during Buffalo's 1978 training camp. He did not make his 1978-79 season debut until Buffalo's Oct. 18, 1978, game at Toronto. ... Missed part of 1978-79 season with back injury, suffered during Buffalo's Nov. 30, 1978, game vs. Boston. He did not return until Dec. 31, 1978, game vs. Boston. He had three assists in that game. ... Missed part of 1978-79 season with re-aggravation of back injury, suffered during Buffalo's Feb. 3, 1979, game at Minnesota. He did not return until Feb. 14, 1979, game vs. N.Y. Islanders. ... Missed part of 1978-79 season with re-aggravation of back injury, suffered when checked into the goalpost during Feb. 21, 1979, game at Chicago. He did not return until March 23, 1979, game at Vancouver. ... Missed remainder of 1978-79 season and 1979 playoffs with wrist injury, suffered in collision along boards during March 24, 1979, game at Los Angeles. ... Missed part of 1980-81 season with broken bone in right foot, suffered during Buffalo's Nov. 8, 1980, game at Washington. He did not return until Dec. 6, 1980, game at Minnesota. ... Missed start of 1982-83 season with knee injury, suffered at Buffalo's 1982 training camp. He did not make 1982-83 season debut until Oct. 23, 1982, game at Detroit. ... Missed part of 1984-85 season with dislocated left shoulder, suffered during Feb. 9, 1985, game at Calgary. The injury required surgery, and he did not return until March 30, 1985, game at Hartford. ... Missed first two games of 1985 playoffs with re-aggravation of shoulder injury, suffered during Buffalo's regular-season finale on April 7, 1985, vs. Montreal. ... Missed part of 1985-86 season with strained groin, an injury suffered during Buffalo's Dec. 6, 1985, game vs. Pittsburgh. He did not return until Jan. 22, 1986, game vs. Winnipeg, which was also his 800th career game. ... Missed part of 1986-87 season with strained groin, an injury suffered during Buffalo's Dec. 5, 1986, game at St. Louis. He did not return until Buffalo's Jan. 23, 1987, game vs. Washington.

Miscellaneous:

Selected by Winnipeg Jets in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first-ever WHA Draft -- in February 1972. Selected by Cleveland Crusaders in 1973 WHA draft of established pro players. Did not play in 1971-72, opting to attend university rather than accept Buffalo's contract offer. Paired on defense with Jim Schoenfeld for Buffalo on the penalty kill in 1979-80.
Paired on defense with Richie Dunn for Buffalo during the 1980-81 season. Paired on defense with Mike Ramsey for Buffalo on the penalty kill in 1982-83. Worked on family's wheat farm in Borden, Saskatchewan during off-seasons of playing days. Came out of his brief retirement on Sept. 28, 1983, to continue playing for Buffalo.
SNAPSHOT '71
Total Selected: 117
Forwards: 63
Defense: 45
Goaltenders: 9
Major Junior: 84
College Players: 19
Canadian: 107
Euro-Canadian: 2
American: 8
European: 0
Reached NHL: 50
Won Stanley Cup: 5
Hall of Fame: 3
All-Star Game: 10
Year-end All-Star: 5
Olympians: 4
Picks Traded: 18


OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1971

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