Drafted Into Obscurity < Dave Simpson >

He was part of group of new breed of young hockey stars that were going to keep Lord Stanley’s Cup behind a glass display case in New York’s Nassau County Coliseum for the next decade. But pro hockey’s heavy expectations beats up the best of them, including a player who was considered the best junior player in North America in 1982, Dave Simpson, who’s rocky road never lead him to suiting up for an NHL game while sending him into hockey obscurity in less than five years.

Simpson with the London Knights

- photo by Cybertek Designs

The Isles drafted Simpson in the third round, 59th overall in the 1980 NHL entry draft. Long Island super hockey architects Bill Torrey and Al Arbour were already one Stanley Cup into a Canadiens-like dynasty and continued to furiously stockpile future franchise cornerstones, the six-foot, 190-pound, centre for the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights was off to the reigning Cup champs with a slick-style pedigree that was projected to add nicely to a potent New York line-up. With no need to rush star prospects in the system, Simpson was promptly sent back to London two training camps in a row. By the spring of 1982 Simpson demonstrated he was force to be reckoned with at the major junior level. Simpson put up a spectacular season with the Knights, scoring 67 goals and adding another 88 assists for 155 points in 68 games and was named the 1982 Canadian major junior player of the year.

Simpson with the NY Islanders in preseason action

Going into 1982 with New York’s dominating back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, Simpson had the deck stacked against him roster-wise. The Isles depth at centre was a solid as any team in the NHL with perennial all-star Bryan Trottier, fellow 1980 draft pick, highly-regarded Brent Sutter, speedy Wayne Merrick, clutch performer Butch Goring and solid but unspectacular Billy Carroll. Even though Simpson had put astronomical numbers in junior he was immediately dispatched the Central Hockey League to spend two successful but frustrating seasons playing for the Islanders farm team in Indianapolis. Fate dealt Simpson another blow to his burgeoning pro career as he saw his NHL chances diminish further when future Isles superstar and first round pick Pat Lafontaine joined New York late in the 1984 season from the US Olympic team. Lafontaine was installed in the New York lineup without even seeing one minute of training camp time or minor league seasoning. Canadian Olympian Pat Flatley also was instantly added the Islanders lineup after the conclusion of Sarajevo, adding to Simpson’s bitterness and disillusion with the minor leagues. 
       

Simpson with the CHL's
 Indianapolis Checkers

 Simpson’s pro hockey fortunes went from the pro hockey’s penthouse to the outhouse as Isles traded the discouraged centre to Vancouver with the stipulation that he must make the Canucks team for the transaction to be completed. Simpson played one pre-season game for Vancouver while nursing a groin injury through most of the training camp. And unfortunately, Canucks management was unable to make a good assessment of his skills. Late in the September 1984 training camp, NHL president at the time, John Ziegler nullified the trade. Simpson immediately reacted by quitting the Islanders organization and pro hockey, planning his long term goals without ice returning to his hometown and university. “The pro hockey life bored me to death so I quit,” said Simpson, who was quoted by the Montreal Gazette early in 1985. “After two hours a day at the rink the most important thing you had to do was deposit your pay cheque…” “Now I’m going to graduate this spring with a BA in political science, then I’ll go either into law or for an MBA.”  But five months later Simpson couldn’t stay away from the rink; he was eventually wooed by Dave King and the Canadian national team and he went on to score one goal and five assists in 10 games.

Simpson with the Baltimore
Skipjacks in 1985-86

In an attempt to save his NHL dreams, Simpson persuaded the Islanders to trade him to the Pittsburgh Penguins before their September 1985 training camp. The Penguins had recently drafted Simpson’s highly-touted NCAA Michigan State star and younger brother Craig second overall in the June NHL draft. The older Simpson knew there was no guarantee he’s make the roster but decided to take a chance at playing with his little brother. “I hope sometime during the course of the year, I get a chance to play in the NHL,” said Simpson, quoted from the Pittsburgh Press in 1985. By the end of camp in early October, Pittsburgh management had finally stuck the death nail into Dave Simpson’s melodramatic professional hockey. Penguins’ coach Bob Berry cut Simpson, sending him their AHL farm in Baltimore. Simpson never got the NHL call up during Pittsburgh’s 1985-86 season that eventually lead to him ending his pro hockey career less than five years after it started.

The Global Game < 1986 IIHF World Championships >

With all the recent media chatter about the Canadian collapse at World Junior Championships in Alberta on New Year’s Eve, there has been a lot made about the “mediocre” goaltending put forth by the Maple Leaf. Many experts and hockey insiders point to the fact that there hasn’t been a dominating goalie prospect for Canada in some time. Not since Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003 and 2004 and Cam Ward in 2007. For even more to chew on there are only 12 Canadian-born goalies in the top 30 NHL net minders this season. That’s not even 50%!! And remember the long and storied roster of Canada’s masked men of International hockey legend: Ken Dryden, Tony Esposito, Rogie Vachon, Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Grant Fuhr just to name a few.

All of this controversy over the net position made me peruse through Canadian International hockey history to find another Canadian debacle between the pipes, namely, Canada’s entry at the 1986 World Hockey Championships in Moscow. Played annually at the same time as the beginning of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, the World Championships are not high on the priority list of the Canadian hockey professional. Many experts and fans associate the tourney and especially Canada’s rosters with the also-rans of the league – tarnished star power, sub-par players on stuck on tragic, losing rosters.

Not the first time Hrudey backstopped Canada
 internationally. - Photo grab

In late April of 1986 Hockey Canada might have iced the most haphazard net-minding trio in Canuck International history. Imagine backstopping the true north, strong and free with the unfortunate goaltending pedigrees of such non-notables as Jacques Cloutier, Corrado Micalef and “bandana’ed one” Kelly Hrudey? Of the three chosen to patrol the net for Canada only Hrudey had a half-respectable playing resume at the time. Hrudey was a two-time goaltender of the year winner in the Central Hockey League (one the three NHL minor league feeder leagues) in 1982 and 1983. He was an upcoming hot rookie in the New York Islanders post Stanley Cup dynasty, with a chance at supplanting the great legend Billy Smith. Sharing the Islanders nets with Smith, Hrudey’s steady 3.21 goals against, .906 save percentage and 19-15-8 record in 45 games helped lead the Long Islanders to a 39-win season and an quick 0-3 first round playoff exit.

Micalef (left) in the pre-skate in 1986 - Photo grab

The next two goaltenders chosen would have any hockey hardcore fan wondering what Hockey Canada executives with thinking when they reached out for help in nets. The rest of this “help” came in the form of two goaltenders whom had difficulty staying in the NHL as full timers. Corrado Micalef’s unspectacular play in 1986 had him split time amongst three leagues, two of them minor, posting a dismal 5.52 goals against, .848 save percentage, winning only one game in a paltry NHL 11 games that season. His Detroit Red Wings were as unspectacular, finishing as the NHL’s cellar-dwellars. In his defense, Micalef might have been asked by Hockey Canada because of his work for his country in an early version of the World Junior Championships in 1980 at Helsinki, Finland. Micalef backstopped his country to one win in the tourney as Canada finished a disappointing fifth. As an interesting side note, Micalef never played in an NHL game after 1986. He headed to Europe the next season, ending his professional playing career in 2002.  

Cloutier wears the Maple Leaf for
the first and last time in international
compeition. - Photo grab

The third of this regrettable goaltending lineup was Buffalo Sabres backup Jacques Cloutier. Cloutier had been up and down from Buffalo’s farm team in Rochester over a seven-year span since being drafted by the Sabres in 1979. In fact Cloutier hadn’t seen a minute of NHL action until a year before this tournament in 1985, albeit only one single game. By 1986, Cloutier only saw 15 games in which his 3.37 goals against, .886 save percentage and 5-9-1 record certainly wasn’t enough to challenge Sabre’s star starter and reigning NHL goalie of the year, American Tom Barasso.

So let’s total up the damage that piled up on Hockey Canada brass’ feet. One average goaltender, who just broke through to have a reasonably successful first NHL campaign – Hrudey. Two career minor leaguers in Micalef and Cloutier, with the latter playing only 16 total NHL games in his seven year professional career. Not a lineup you’d have any hint of confidence in at all especially for this Canadian version as they were putting on the Maple Leaf in the den of Soviet Mother Russia’s bear.     

Hrudey in action in 1986

Moscow seemed like an easy place for a Canadian hockey player to get up for and play in. With storied Soviet-Canadian hockey battles over the years, it should have motivated even the weakest of squads to come out and prove to the world that Canada and the NHL rules. But that was not to be the case for the Canucks in 1986. Canada finished 4^th in the prelims with a lackluster 3-4-0 record, allowing 22 and scoring 24 in seven games. All four losses came at the hands of tourney contenders 4-1 Sweden, 3-2 Finland, 3-1 Czechoslovakia and one completely forgettable 4-0 blowout at the hands of the top of their game Krutov, Larionov, Makarov “green line” home team Soviet Union. Included in those losses, an anemic Canadian offense only could generate a lowly 4 goals in four games.

In the final round Canada was served another humiliating loss to the Soviets 7-4 in the first game. The Canadians made a valiant comeback in their second round robin tilt, pushing the Swedes to a 6-5 win, setting up a bronze medal game with Finland. A deadlocked 3-3 score heading into the third period gave Canada a breath of life and a reasonable shot at salvaging a disastrous tournament with a medal. With under three minutes to play, tiny Vancouver Canucks sniper Tony Tanti ( a man who once broke Wayne Gretzky OHL rookie goal scoring with 81 goals in 67 games) scored his 5^th goal of the tournament, capturing the bronze medal.