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| 1978 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Dave Hunter
Selected in first round
No.
17 overall by
Montreal Canadiens
Born January 1, 1958
 | Position: Left Wing
Height:
5-11 Weight: 195
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Sudbury (OMJHL)
Birthplace: Petrolia, Ontario (Canada)
Hometown:
Oil Springs, Ontario |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1974-75 |
Petrolia | Jr. B |
-- | -- |
-- | -- |
-- | | 1975-76 |
Sudbury | OMJHL |
53 | 7 |
21 | 28 |
117 | | 1976-77 |
Sudbury | OMJHL |
61 | 30 |
56 | 86 |
140 | | 1977-78 |
Sudbury | OMJHL |
68 | 44 |
44 | 88 |
156 |
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PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
World Junior Championships: 1977 (silver medal)
OMJHL All-Star Game: 1977 (Sudbury)
Miscellaneous: Rated in The Hockey News draft preview issue as
the No. 17 overall prospect for the 1978 NHL draft. ... Named OMJHL's strongest player and
best defensive forward for 1977-78 in a poll of league's coaches. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: October 10, 1979 (Edmonton at
Chicago)
Numbers: 12, 37, 27 (Edmonton); 20 (Pittsburgh);
12 (Winnipeg)
Stanley Cup: 1984, 1985, 1987.
Status: Retired October 4, 1989 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years | Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1979-1989 |
Edmonton, Pitt., Winnipeg | 746 |
133 | 190 | 323 |
918 |
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| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years | Teams | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | | 1980-1989 |
Edmonton | 105 |
16 | 24 | 40 |
211 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Stanley Cup Finals (Lost): 1983 (Edmonton)
Edmonton Playoffs Penalty-Minutes Leader: 1981 (28), 1982 (26)
1979-80: Played on first Edmonton Oilers NHL team.
1987-88: Played 21 regular-season games for Edmonton team that went on
to win Stanley Cup, but was not with team during postseason.
Miscellaneous: Scored goal in first NHL game, which was also first
game in Edmonton Oilers NHL history and Wayne Gretzky's first NHL game. Hunter
scored against Chicago goalie Tony Esposito at 14:53 of the first period. ...
Missed part of 1981-82 season with sprained knee, an injury suffered during
Edmonton's Dec. 2, 1981, game at Quebec. ... Missed end of 1984 playoffs with
bruised spleen, an injury suffered during Game 3 of Edmonton's Stanley Cup
Finals series vs. N.Y. Islanders on May 15, 1984. ... Missed start of 1985-86
season with sprained ligaments in left knee and damaged left hamstring, an
injury suffered during Edmonton's Sept. 26, 1985, preseason game at Montreal.
... Was sentenced to serve four months of jail time in mid-February 1986 as a
result of receiving three drunken-driving convictions in 1985.
Initially given mandatory 28-day jail sentence, served during the season, for
being convicted of drunken driving a third time and refusing to take a
breathalyzer test. The sentence was extended to four months, but Hunter was released on bail and forced to serve the
remainder of the sentence during the summer of
1986. ... Missed part of 1986-87 season with corneal abrasion on left eye. ...
Set Edmonton record (since broken) for career playoff penalty minutes with
211. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams: Edmonton (WHA); Dallas (CHL)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
WHA Draft Pick: 1978 (by Edmonton)
WHA Playoffs Penalty-Minutes Leader: 1979 (Edmonton) (42 PIM)
1978-79: Played on WHA
regular-season champion (Edmonton). Also played six regular-season games for
Dallas team that went on to win CHL playoff title, but was not with team
during postseason.
Miscellaneous: Went straight to WHA
after the draft in June 1978, becoming the highest 1978 NHL draft choice to take that route.
... Was only NHL first-round pick to sign a contract with Edmonton (WHA)
during the WHA's seven-year history. ... Played parts of 1978-79 season and
right wing and center. ... Worked on family farm in Petrolia, Ontario, during
off-seasons of his playing days. ... Later worked in Edmonton's oil industry
during off-seasons. ... Was involved in horse racing during his playing days,
investing in a thoroughbred. ... Remained in Edmonton after his retirement.
Personal: Full name is David P. Hunter. ... Son of longtime minor-hockey coach Dick Hunter. ... Older brother of former NHL
players Dale Hunter and Mark Hunter. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| WHA/EXPANSION: Hunter did not sign with
Montreal after the draft, instead jumping to the WHA with Edmonton. He did not enter the NHL until the
1979 NHL-WHA merger. At the time of the merger, Montreal and Edmonton agreed
Montreal would not take Hunter nor Ron Carter back in the June 9, 1979, NHL Reclaim Draft
in exchange for a promise that Edmonton would not take Bill Nyrop, Gilles
Lupien or Rod Langway off Montreal's roster in the NHL Expansion Draft on June
13, 1979. Edmonton completed the deal by drafting Cam Connor. |
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|
SNAPSHOT '78 | | Total Selected: |
234 | | Forwards: |
143 | | Defense: |
67 | | Goaltenders: |
24 | | Major Junior: |
127 | | College Players: |
80 |
| Canadian: |
170 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
0 | | USA Citizens: |
47 | | U.S.-Born: |
47 |
| European: |
17 |
| Reached NHL: |
95 |
| Won Stanley Cup: |
16 | | Hall of Fame: |
1 |
| All-Star Game: |
18 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
1 |
| Olympians: |
16 |
| Picks Traded: |
46 |
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