Dale McCourt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dale McCourt |
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| Born | January 26, 1957 Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings Buffalo Sabres Toronto Maple Leafs HC Ambrì-Piotta |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 1st overall, 1977 Detroit Red Wings |
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| WHA Draft | 35th overall, 1977 Indianapolis Racers |
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| Playing career | 1977–1991 | ||
Dale Allen McCourt (born January 26, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played in Switzerland for HC Ambrì–Piotta. Dale was the very first player picked in the 1977 NHL amateur draft by the Red Wings. He also proudly played for the Canadian national team in the 1979 and 1981 World Championships.
Contents
Dale McCourt's Amazing Hockey Journey
Early Days in Junior Hockey
Dale McCourt started playing serious junior hockey when he was just 15 years old. He joined the Sudbury Wolves for a short time in the 1972–73 OHA season. Soon after, he played for the Hamilton Red Wings in the 1973–74 OHA season.
He quickly became a leader. By the time the team was called the Hamilton Fincups, Dale was their captain. In 1976, his team won the J. Ross Robertson Cup, which is the championship for their league. Then, they went on to win the national 1976 Memorial Cup championship! This is a huge achievement for junior hockey teams in Canada.
In the 1976–77 season, Dale's team, now the St. Catharines Fincups, won the regular season championship. Dale himself won two big awards that year. He received the Red Tilson Trophy as the league's Most Outstanding Player. He was also named the best junior player in all of Canada, winning the CHL Player of the Year award. On top of that, he won the William Hanley Trophy twice (in 1976 and 1977) for being the most sportsmanlike player.
Dale also set a record in the 1977 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored 18 points, which was a Canadian record at the time. Only Brayden Schenn has matched that record since. Even famous players like Eric Lindros and Wayne Gretzky scored one point less than Dale in that tournament!
Because of his amazing junior career, the Detroit Red Wings picked Dale as the very first player in the 1977 NHL amateur draft. He made a big impact right away, scoring 33 goals in his first year with the team.
Becoming a Pro Player
Dale McCourt was a top scorer for the Red Wings in his first year, the 1977–78 rookie season. He was second in rookie scoring in the entire NHL, right behind Calder Memorial Trophy winner Mike Bossy.
A Big Challenge Off the Ice
Before the 1978–79 season, something unusual happened. The Red Wings signed a new goalie, Rogatien Vachon, from the Los Angeles Kings. Because of the rules at the time, an independent person decided that Dale McCourt should be sent to the Kings as a trade for the goalie.
But Dale didn't want to leave Detroit. He decided to take legal action to stay with the Red Wings. While this was happening, he kept playing for Detroit and was still one of their top scorers. Eventually, the issue was solved, and Dale stayed with the Red Wings. This situation was very important because it helped change how player trades worked in sports.
Moving Teams and Playing Overseas
Dale continued to be a top scorer for the Red Wings for several more seasons. Even though he scored a lot of points, the team didn't make the playoffs very often. In December 1981, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. He played there for a while before moving to the Toronto Maple Leafs in October 1983. Dale finished his NHL career in 1984, having played 532 games and scoring 478 points.
After his time in the NHL, Dale moved to Switzerland. He played for 8 seasons with HC Ambrì-Piotta in the top Swiss league. He was so important to the team that they retired his number 15 jersey, which means no other player on that team will ever wear it again!
A Family of Hockey Stars
Hockey runs in Dale McCourt's family! His brother, Dan, was an NHL linesman for many years.
Dale's uncle is Hockey Hall of Fame member George Armstrong. George was also a fantastic player. He won the Red Tilson Trophy twice, just like Dale did! George also coached the Toronto Marlboros to win the Memorial Cup in 1973 and 1975. This is the same championship Dale won as a player in 1976.
Career Stats: A Look at the Numbers
Here you can see Dale McCourt's hockey statistics from his time playing in junior leagues, the NHL, and in Switzerland.
Regular Season and Playoff Stats
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1972–73 | Welland Sabres | SOJHL | 34 | 35 | 28 | 63 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Sudbury Wolves | OHA | 26 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1973–74 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA | 69 | 20 | 38 | 58 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Hamilton Fincups | OMJHL | 69 | 52 | 74 | 126 | 57 | 17 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 0 | ||
| 1975–76 | Hamilton Fincups | OMJHL | 66 | 55 | 84 | 139 | 19 | 14 | 20 | 8 | 28 | 12 | ||
| 1975–76 | Hamilton Fincups | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1976–77 | St. Catharines Fincups | OMJHL | 66 | 60 | 79 | 139 | 26 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 6 | ||
| 1977–78 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 76 | 33 | 39 | 72 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1978–79 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 79 | 28 | 43 | 71 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 30 | 51 | 81 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 30 | 56 | 86 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 26 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 52 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 62 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1983–84 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 72 | 19 | 24 | 43 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NLB | 40 | 33 | 26 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1985–86 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 32 | 42 | 17 | 59 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 36 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 42 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 20 | ||
| 1987–88 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 36 | 29 | 20 | 49 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 1988–89 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 36 | 41 | 24 | 65 | 39 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 28 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1990–91 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 35 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | HC Ambrì–Piotta | NDA | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NDA totals | 208 | 178 | 130 | 308 | 211 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 24 | ||||
| NHL totals | 532 | 194 | 284 | 478 | 124 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 6 | ||||
International Play Stats
This table shows how Dale McCourt performed when he played for Team Canada in international tournaments.
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 14 | |
| 1979 | Canada | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 1981 | Canada | WC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 14 | |||
| Senior totals | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |||
Awards and Special Recognitions
- Directorate Award, Best Forward, 1977 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
