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| 1975 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Rick LaPointe
Selected in first round
No.
5 overall by Detroit Red Wings
Born August 2, 1955
. Died October 17, 1999
 | Position:
Defense
Height: 6-2 Weight: 200
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Victoria (WCHL)
Birthplace: Victoria, British Columbia (Canada)
Hometown:
Victoria, British Columbia |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1971-72 |
Nanaimo | BCJHL | -- |
-- | -- |
-- | -- | | |
Victoria | WCHL |
4 | 0 |
0 | 0 |
0 | | 1972-73 |
Victoria | WCHL |
39 | 3 |
12 | 15 |
31 | | 1973-74 |
Victoria | WCHL |
66 | 8 |
18 | 26 |
207 | | 1974-75 |
Victoria | WCHL |
67 | 19 |
51 | 70 |
177 |
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PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
World Junior Championships: 1975 (silver) (unofficial tournament)
WCHL Top Defenseman: 1974-75 (Victoria)
WCHL All-Star First Team: 1974-75 (Victoria)
World Junior
Championships All-Star First Team: 1975 (Canada)
Miscellaneous: Played in second World Junior Championships in Winnipeg and
Brandon, Manitoba, an unofficial tournament that helped set stage for first
official World Juniors in 1977. ... Was a top junior lacrosse player in
addition to starring in hockey. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: October 8, 1975 (St. Louis at
Detroit)
Numbers: 4 (Detroit); 5
(Phila.); 18 (St. Louis); 6 (Quebec); 28 (L.A.)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Playing Status: Retired January 1986 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years | Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1975-1985 |
DET, PHI, STL, QUE, LA | 664 |
44 | 176 | 220 |
831 |
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| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years | Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1977-1984 |
Phila., St. Louis, Quebec | 46 |
2 | 7 | 9 |
64 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Paired on defense with Terry Harper for Detroit in
1975-76. He would later credit Harper and former St. Louis teammate Ed Kea for
making him an NHL-caliber defenseman. ... Finished second in scoring among rookie defensemen in 1975-76.
... Paired on defense with Tom Bladon for Philadelphia in 1977-78. Was playing
alongside Bladon when Bladon set NHL record for points in one game by a
defenseman (8 points vs. Cleveland on Dec. 11, 1977). ... Played full 1979-80
season with hand injury that required postseason surgery. ... Invited to Los
Angeles' 1984 training camp on a tryout basis and won job with team. ... Suspended without pay by Los Angeles after refusing to
accept minor-league demotion to New Haven (AHL) in January 1986. Chose to
retire rather than report to minors. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Kansas City (CHL);
Fredericton (AHL)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
AHL All-Star First Team: 1983-84
(Fredericton)
WHA Draft Pick: 1975 (by Toronto,
No. 11 overall in Round 1)
1976-77: Played six games for Kansas City
team that won CHL regular-season and playoff titles, but was not with team in
postseason.
Miscellaneous: Opened a Midas
muffler franchise in his hometown of Victoria, B.C., after retiring from
hockey in January 1986. ... Named to defenseman position on all-time greatest
Victoria (WCHL/WHL) team by CHL panel in 1999. ... Died from a heart attack at
age 44.
Personal: Nicknamed "Jumbo." ...
Full name is Richard Paul LaPointe. ... Father of major-junior player Danny
Lapointe. ... Brother-in-law of former NHL player Brad Maxwell. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE: Detroit traded Lapointe and Mike
Korney to Philadelphia in exchange for Terry Murray, Bob Ritchie, Steve Coates
and Dave Kelly on February 17, 1977. |
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SNAPSHOT '75 | | Total Selected: |
217 | | Forwards: |
126 | | Defense: |
65 | | Goaltenders: |
26 | | Major Junior: |
135 | | College Players: |
61 |
| Canadian: |
162 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
46 | | U.S.-Born: |
45 |
| European: |
6 |
| Reached NHL: |
87 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
8 | | Hall of Fame: |
0 |
| All-Star Game: |
6 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
3 |
| Olympians: |
11 |
| Picks Traded: |
21 |
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