Walter Robert Bogdan Tkaczuk (born September 29, 1947) is a Canadian former ice hockey centre who played fourteen seasons for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1967 and 1981. Tkaczuk's family, originally from Ukraine, moved to Timmins, Ontario from West Germany when he was two years old.[1] He was the first player born in Germany to appear in an NHL game.
Walt Tkaczuk | |||
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Tkaczuk with the New York Rangers in 1980 | |||
Born |
Emsdetten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | September 29, 1947||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for | New York Rangers | ||
Playing career | 1967–1981 |
NHL career
editTkaczuk centred the "Bulldog Line" with Bill Fairbairn and Dave Balon, who was later replaced by Steve Vickers.[2] He could score his fair share of goals, however he was much better at producing assists. Tkaczuk's finest contribution to the game was that of the defensive forward, being among the NHL's elite shadows and faceoff men. This complemented the Rangers' high-scoring GAG line of Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield. During his first two seasons with the Rangers, the club and media pronounced his name, "Taychuk" because the Rangers' director of player personnel felt it was easier to say than the correct pronunciation, "Ka-Chook." Prior to the 1969-70 season, the club announced he would henceforth be called by the correct pronunciation.[3]
In the 1972 playoffs, with Ratelle sidelined with a broken ankle and Gilbert hampered by injuries, Tkaczuk played a key role as the Rangers defeated the defending champions Montreal Canadiens, and the previous season's finalists Chicago Black Hawks, to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. While the Rangers lost to the Boston Bruins in six games, Tkaczuk earned much respect for holding the Bruins' Phil Esposito without a goal in the series.
Tkaczuk was asked to play for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series but declined the invitation due to his obligation to his summer hockey school. He was replaced by Philadelphia Flyers' centre Bobby Clarke.[4]
In the 1979 playoffs, Tkaczuk was a key contributor as the Rangers upset the first place New York Islanders to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell to Montreal in five games.
Towards the end of a game on February 2, 1981, Tkaczuk suffered an eye injury when hit by a puck. [5] He never played again. Over his career, Tkaczuk played in 945 NHL games, scoring 227 goals and 451 assists for 678 points. Despite his physical presence, he only accumulated 556 minutes in penalties.
In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Tkaczuk at No. 14 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.[6]
Post-hockey career
editTkaczuk is co-owner of River Valley Golf Course and Tube Slide in St. Marys, Ontario.
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
editRegular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1963–64 | Kitchener Dutchmen | CJHL | 30 | 25 | 37 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1963–64 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 21 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1964–65 | Kitchener Dutchmen | CJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1964–65 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1965–66 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 47 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 39 | 19 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 13 | ||
1966–67 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 48 | 23 | 47 | 70 | 85 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 23 | ||
1966–67 | Omaha Knights | CPHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
1967–68 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 52 | 37 | 56 | 93 | 81 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 58 | ||
1967–68 | New York Rangers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1968–69 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1968–69 | New York Rangers | NHL | 71 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
1969–70 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 27 | 50 | 77 | 38 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 | ||
1970–71 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 26 | 49 | 75 | 48 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | ||
1971–72 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 24 | 42 | 66 | 65 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 35 | ||
1972–73 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 59 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 8 | ||
1973–74 | New York Rangers | NHL | 71 | 21 | 42 | 63 | 58 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 22 | ||
1974–75 | New York Rangers | NHL | 62 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
1975–76 | New York Rangers | NHL | 78 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 12 | 38 | 50 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 26 | 40 | 66 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | ||
1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
1980–81 | New York Rangers | NHL | 43 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
NHL totals | 945 | 227 | 451 | 678 | 556 | 93 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 119 |
References
edit- ^ [page 49] Illustrated Digest of Pro Hockey 1972-73 edition, Don Smith and Art Poretz, Stadia Sports Publishing Inc.
- ^ "New York Rangers Legends: Walt Tkaczuk".
- ^ {(cite web|url=http://rangers.ice.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=67675%7C title=Tkaczuk: He's Always Been a Winner.)|
- ^ 1981 Canada Cup / Coupe Canada, p.126)
- ^ "Tkaczuk Out for 2 Weeks". The New York Times. February 4, 1981.
- ^ Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 184. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database