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| 1981 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Rick Zombo
Selected in
eighth round
No. 149 overall by Detroit Red Wings
Born
May 8, 1963
 | Position:
Defense
Height: 6-1 Weight: 195
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
Austin (USHL)
Birthplace:
Des Plaines, Illinois (USA)
Hometown: Des Plaines, Illinois |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1979-80 |
Royal York | OPJHL |
-- | -- |
-- | -- |
-- | | 1980-81 |
Austin | USHL |
43 | 10 |
26 | 36 |
73 |
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PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
USHL Best Defenseman: 1980-81 (Austin)
USHL All-Star First Team:
1980-81 (Austin) |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: March 10, 1985 (Detroit at St. Louis)
Numbers: 11, 23, 4 (Detroit); 2, 4
(St. Louis); 34 (Boston)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Playing Status:
Retired 1997 |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1985-1996 |
Detroit, St. Louis, Boston |
652 | 24 |
130 | 154 |
728 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1987-1995 |
Detroit, St. Louis | 60 |
1 | 11 |
12 | 127 |
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NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous: Was first player drafted off
a USHL roster by an NHL team. ... Called up to NHL for good on Dec. 10, 1986. ... Missed part
of 1987-88 season with separated left shoulder, an injury suffered during
Detroit's Dec. 4, 1987, game vs. Chicago. He did not return to action until
Detroit's Dec. 23, 1987, game vs. Buffalo, when he re-aggravated the injury.
He did not return to action after that until Detroit's Dec. 31, 1987, game
vs. St. Louis. He later re-aggravated the injury during Detroit's Feb. 20,
1988, game vs. Chicago and missed another game. ... Led Detroit with plus-14
rating in 1988 playoffs. ... Missed parts of 1988-89 season with strained
right knee, an injury suffered during Detroit's Dec. 1, 1988, game vs.
Quebec, and with pulled stomach muscle, an injury suffered during Detroit's
Dec. 22, 1988, game vs. St. Louis. ... Led Detroit with plus-23 rating in
1988-89. ... Suspended three games by NHL during 1989-90 season for his role
in high-sticking incident with Al Iafrate during Detroit's Dec. 27, 1989,
game at Toronto. The incident took place as Iafrate was carrying the puck
into Detroit's zone. Zombo whacked Iafrate with his stick, hitting him in
the shoulder. No penalty was called on the play, but a subsequent NHL review
determined that Zombo was "irresponsible" in the use of his stick and
deserved to be suspended. The suspension was announced on Jan. 8, 1990, and
Detroit immediately exercised its option to have the suspension delayed
seven games. As a result, Zombo sat out games from Jan. 16-24, 1990. ...
Missed part of 1990-91 season with concussion, an injury suffered during
Detroit's Oct. 12, 1990, game vs. Hartford. ... Skipped Detroit's March 16,
1991, game so he could be with his wife for the birth of their son Dominic.
... Missed part of 1991-92 season with broken bone in left foot, an injury
suffered during St. Louis' March 14, 1992, game vs. N.Y. Rangers. ... Missed
half of 1995 season with sprained ankle, an injury suffered during St.
Louis' Jan. 24, 1995, game at Calgary, re-aggravated during St. Louis' Feb.
9, 1995, game vs. Chicago and re-aggravated again during St. Louis' March 5,
1995, game at Dallas. The injury kept him out of 25 total games. ... Missed
remainder of 1995-96 season with broken right foot, an injury suffered
during Boston's March 27, 1996, game at Hartford. He would never play
another NHL game after suffering the injury. ... Signed with Los Angeles as an unrestricted free agent on
Dec. 15, 1996, but never played for parent team.
Zombo's Big Suspension: Zombo
drew the NHL's wrath during the 1993-94 season when he was suspended 10
games for bumping into linesman Kevin Collins during St. Louis' Jan. 9,
1994, game at Dallas. The suspension, announced on Jan. 10, 1994, was set
for an "indefinite" time period, pending further review of the incident and
a hearing on Jan. 17, 1994. The incident stemmed from a play in which
Collins accidentally collided with Zombo and knocked him off the puck in the
neutral zone, which allowed Mike McPhee to pick up the puck and score the
eventual game-winning goal for the Stars, shorthanded at 7:21 of the third
period. Enraged over the mistake, Zombo slashed the linesman and then bumped
into him after McPhee scored his goal. There was no penalty on the play,
because Collins told referee Rob Shick that it was his fault. An embarrassed
Zombo also apologized, saying he had no idea that it was a linesman, and not
another player, whom he had slashed. Collins was even surprised when the NHL
later suspended Zombo. NHL vice president Brian Burke was not so forgiving.
He assessed the longest suspension of his tenure to date by giving Zombo a
10-game punishment and fining him $500. Zombo was allowed to practice during
the suspension, but had to forfeit more than $57,000 in salary over that
time period. Zombo was not eligible to return until St. Louis' Feb. 5, 1994,
game vs. San Jose. Burke agreed that Zombo had slashed Collins accidentally,
but said Zombo had intentionally bumped Collins to get back at him after
play had stopped. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams:
North Dakota (WCHA); Adirondack (AHL); Phoenix (IHL)
World Junior Championships: 1983
(fifth place)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
AHL Calder Cup: 1986
(Adirondack)
NCAA Championship:
1982 (North Dakota)
NAHL Coach of Year: 1998-99 (St. Louis)
St. Louis Plager Award (Support for Local Hockey): 1998-99
WCHA All-Star Second Team: 1983-84 (North Dakota)
North Dakota Hoghaug Scholarship (Freshman of Year): 1981-82
North Dakota Tri-Captain: 1983-84
Scouting Career: Named Topeka (USHL) scout prior to 2001-02 season
and remained in that position until May 2003.
Coaching Career:
Named St. Louis Sting (NAHL) head coach prior to 1998-99 season and remained
in position through 2000-01 season. ... Named Chesterfield Marquette
(Missouri H.S.) head coach prior to 2001-02 season and remained in position
until May 2003. ... Named St. Louis Heartland (USHL) head coach in May 2003
and remained in that position into 2003-04 season.
Management Career:
Named St. Louis Heartland (USHL) general manager in May 2003 and remained in
position into 2003-04 season.
Education: Majored in business
administration at North Dakota.
Miscellaneous: Left North Dakota after his junior year to pursue pro hockey career. ... Missed
part of 1984-85 season with knee injury, suffered in December 1984. ... A
gifted artist, he drew and painted as a hobby during off-seasons of his
playing days and published a coloring book about hockey. Also worked as a
comic-book illustrator after his retirement. ... Was avid fisherman and bow-hunter during his playing days.
... Opened Stix Academy Hockey Schools in St. Louis and San Antonio after
his retirement and ran business through summer of 2002.
Personal:
Full name is Richard J. Zombo. ... Older brother of former major-junior
player Mike Zombo. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE:
Detroit traded Zombo to St. Louis in exchange for Vincent Riendeau on
October 18, 1991. |
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|
SNAPSHOT '81 | | Total Selected: |
211 | | Forwards: |
119 | | Defense: |
67 | | Goaltenders: |
25 | | Major Junior: |
122 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
10/4 | | College Players: |
21 | | High School: |
18 |
| Canadian: |
139 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
3 | | USA Citizens: |
37 | | U.S.-Born: |
36 |
| European: |
32 |
| Reached NHL: |
114 |
| Stanley Cup: |
17 | | Hall of Fame: |
2 |
| All-Star Game: |
14 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
30 |
| Picks Traded: |
38 |
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