Dave Debol David Debol ( born March 27 , 1956 in St . Clair Shores , Michigan ) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 92 games for the NHL Hartford Whalers and 68 games for the WHA Cincinnati Stingers between 1978 and 1981 . He was also a member of the University of Michigan hockey team before turning professional . Debol represented the United States at the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1977 , 1978 and 1981 . He also played for the Michigan Wolverines hockey team and has been inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor . University of Michigan . A native of St . Clair Shores , Michigan , Debol enrolled at the University of Michigan where he competed for a position on the Michigan Wolverines hockey team as a walk - on player . He made the team and became an All - American center who led the Wolverines to the finals of the NCAA ' s Frozen Four ice hockey championship , where they lost in overtime to Wisconsin . He was called " the Guy LaFleur of college hockey " and was considered the best offensive player at Michigan since Red Berenson . As a sophomore , Debol scored three goals in less than one minute to set an NCAA records . In March 1977 , Debol tied Red Berenson ' s 14 - year - old record for most goals scored in a season by a Michigan Wolverines hockey player with his 42nd goal . He finished the year with 33 goals and 52 assists . He set Michigan records for most assists in a season ( 56 ) , most points in a season ( 99 ) , career assists ( 120 ) and career points ( 222 ) . As a senior , Debol led the WCHA in scoring with 43 goals and 56 assists . Professional hockey . Debol was highly sought after by professional hockey teams . The Chicago Black Hawks acquired his NHL rights , and the New England Whalers acquired his WHA rights . The Whalers traded his rights to the Edmonton Oilers , and in December 1977 , the Oilers traded negotiating rights to Debol to the Cincinnati Stingers for Dennis Sobchuk . Debol signed with the Stingers in March 1978 . Playing in his rookie season , Debol had 10 goals and 27 assists when he was struck in the eye with a hockey stick in a game against Winnipeg in March 1979 . The following month , Debol underwent surgery at Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati to re - attach the flap of the retina on his left eye . Debol returned from the injury and was selected by the Hartford Whalers in the 1979 Dispersal Draft when the WHA merged with the NHL . He played for the Whalers from 1979 – 1981 . Playing on the same team as Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty , When Debol was born in 1956 in a Detroit suburb , Gordie Howe had already played ten seasons with the Detroit Red Wings , and in 1980 Debol was teammates with the 52 - year - old Howe in his final NHL season . Debol had 26 goals and 26 assists in 92 games for the Whalers . Later years . After retiring as a hockey player , Debol coached high school hockey at Dexter High School in Michigan . He currently coaches college hockey at the University of Michigan - Dearborn , in the ACHA Division I ranks . He has also owned and operated hockey schools , including Hockey Masters in Chelsea , Michigan , and also Debol & Donnelly Skill Development . Debol lives in Saline , and has a son and a daughter , both of whom are hockey players . In 1996 Debol was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor .