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| 1973 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Dennis Polonich
Selected in eighth round
No. 118 overall
by Detroit Red Wings
Born December 4, 1953
 | Position:
Center / Right Wing
Height: 5-6 Weight: 166
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Flin Flon (WCHL)
Birthplace: Foam Lake, Saskatchewan (Canada)
Hometown:
Foam Lake, Saskatchewan |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1970-71 |
Foam Lake | SAHA |
-- |
-- | -- |
-- | -- | | 1971-72 |
Flin Flon | WCHL |
65 | 9 |
21 | 30 |
200 | | 1972-73 |
Flin Flon | WCHL |
68 | 26 |
48 | 74 |
222 |
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| NHL CAREER |
Debut: January 11, 1975 (Buffalo at Detroit)
Numbers:
22, 8 (Detroit)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Playing Status: Retired 1987 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP | G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1975-1982 |
Detroit | 390 |
59 | 82 | 141 |
1,242 |
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| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A | TP |
PIM | |
1978 | Detroit | 7 |
1 | 0 |
1 | 19 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Detroit Travelers Club Trophy (Most Exciting):
1976-77
Detroit Captain: February 1977 through 1976-77 season
Detroit Penalty Minutes Leader: 1976-77 (274), 1977-78 (254), 1978-79
(208)
Detroit Playoffs Penalty Minutes Leader: 1978 (19)
Miscellaneous: Missed part of 1975-76 season with separated shoulder. ...
Missed part of Detroit's 1978 training camp with severe rash. ... Missed part of
1978-79 season with pulled muscles in right hip. ... Was NHL's second-smallest
player (behind Bobby Lalonde) during his playing days. ... Missed part of
1979-80 season with slight shoulder separation.
The Polonich Lawsuit:
Polonich missed part of 1978-79 season with a broken nose and severe facial
injuries, suffered when he was hit by Colorado's Wilf Paiement during a
stick-swinging incident on Oct. 25, 1978, in Detroit. An angry Paiement, who
was given a match penalty, was retaliating for a cross-check in the face
that he had received from Polonich. The injury led to a 15-game suspension
for Paiement (the longest in NHL history to that date) and a civil lawsuit
against Paiement and Colorado that dragged on for year. Polonich finally won
the lawsuit on Aug. 17, 1982, when a U.S. federal court jury awarded him
$850,000 in damages. It was the first time in NHL history and only the third
time in sports history that a player had filed a civil suit related to an
injury suffered in a game. The Wayne County prosecutor conducted an
extensive investigation of the incident, but ultimately decided against
filing criminal charges in the case. This set the stage for Polonich's
protracted lawsuit. A jury deliberated three hours before returning its
verdict, which Polonich himself deemed "incredible." The jury award was far
greater than the $100,000 that Polonich's attorney, James Feeney, had been
hoping to get in a settlement. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: London (Great Britain);
Virginia (AHL); Kalamazoo (IHL); Adirondack (AHL); Muskegon (IHL)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
AHL Calder Cup: 1981 (Adirondack)
IHL
Turner Cup: 1986 (Muskegon)
SJHL Coach of Year: 1987-88 (Yorkton)
Coaching Career: Named Yorkton (SJHL) head coach during 1986-87 season
and remained in that position through 1991-92 season. Led team to league title
in 1987-88. ... Served as Medicine Hat interim head coach during years he was
team's general manager.
Management Career: Named Yorkton (SJHL)
general manager during 1986-87 season and remained in that position through
1991-92 season. ... Named Medicine Hat (WHL)
general manager prior to 1992-93 season and remained in that position through
1995-96 season. ... Named Prince George (WHL) general manager prior to 1996-97
season and remained in position through 1997-98 season.
Miscellaneous:
Ran hockey school in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, during off-seasons of his
playing days. ... Missed part of 1984-85 season with ankle injury. ... Became
active in Oldtimers charity hockey after his retirement. ... Became a player
agent with Calgary-based CMG Sports after his coaching and managerial career ended in 1998,
and represented NHL prospects, including Darcy Hordichuk. ... An avid
golfer, he held a leadership role in the Bearspaw Country Club of Calgary. ...
Member of Foam Lake (Sask.) Athletic Wall of Honor.
Personal:
Nicknamed "Polo." ... Grew up on 1,000-acre farm in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan.
... Older brother of former
minor-leaguer Mike Polonich. ... Father of college volleyball and golf player
Jade Polonich. |
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|
SNAPSHOT '73 | | Total Selected: |
168 | | Forwards: |
103 | | Defense: |
53 | | Goaltenders: |
12 | | Major Junior: |
131 | | College Players: |
28 |
| Canadian: |
151 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
14 | | U.S.-Born: |
14 |
| European: |
0 |
| Reached NHL: |
70 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
8 | | Hall of Fame: |
3 |
| All-Star Game: |
13 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
3 |
| Olympians: |
4 |
| Picks Traded: |
35 |
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