Bill Goldsworthy William Alfred Goldsworthy ( August 24 , 1944 in Waterloo , Ontario – March 29 , 1996 in Minneapolis , Minnesota ) was a professional right winger who played in the National Hockey League for 14 seasons between 1964 and 1978 , most notably for the Minnesota North Stars . Playing career . Signed by the Boston Bruins of the NHL as a teenager , Goldsworthy played his junior days with the Bruins ' Ontario Hockey Association affiliate Niagara Falls Flyers . Playing on a very strong squad , Goldsworthy finished second and third in team scoring his final two seasons with the club , en route to a Memorial Cup finals appearance in 1963 and winning it outright in 1965 in a series marked by brawls and suspensions . The latter season saw Goldsworthy ' s NHL debut , playing two scoreless games with the Bruins . With big league jobs tight in the days of the Original Six , Goldsworthy served a minor league apprenticeship the next two seasons , playing with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League and the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League between occasional callups to Boston . As with many other players , league expansion in 1967 gave Goldsworthy his chance . Drafted in the midrounds by the Minnesota North Stars , he became an immediate starter , showing his promise in the playoffs in Minnesota ' s 1968 debut season , scoring eight goals and fifteen points in fourteen games as the North Stars came within a game of reaching the Stanley Cup finals . His true breakout season came in 1970 , when he scored 36 goals to begin a stretch where , teamed with skilled playmakers such as Dennis Hextall and Jude Drouin , he scored thirty or more goals in five of the next six seasons to become the North Stars ' first great scoring star . His best offensive season was the 1974 season , when he set career highs in goals with 48 and points with 74 , which saw him just missing a nomination to the Second All - Star Team at right wing . He cemented his popularity with Minnesota fans with the " Goldy Shuffle , " a celebration Goldsworthy performed after each goal at home . Named team captain in 1975 after Ted Harris ' trade , Goldsworthy served in that capacity for two seasons . By 1976 , the North Stars were in a rebuilding mode , having failed to make the playoffs in three years . In a decline due to an alcoholism problem which would become chronic , Goldsworthy was dealt to the New York Rangers . Early the next season , his skills in a sharp decline , he was the first NHL player traded outright to a World Hockey Association squad , the Indianapolis Racers . He was further dealt to the Edmonton Oilers for the 1979 season , where he played 17 games to finish out his playing career . International play . Goldsworthy was a part of Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series , but played in only three games , scoring a goal and an assist . Retirement . Goldsworthy played 771 career NHL games , scoring 283 goals and 258 assists for 541 points , and added 18 goals and 19 assists in 40 playoff games . The North Stars retired his jersey number 8 on February 15 , 1992 . After his retirement , Goldsworthy went into coaching , most notably for the San Antonio Iguanas of the CHL . Bill Goldsworthy died in 1996 of complications from AIDS , the first professional hockey player publicly known to have the disease . Goldsworthy is survived by daughter , Tammy Lynn ( b . ~ 1969 ) , and son , William Sean ( b . ~ 1972 ) .