Doug Wickenheiser

Douglas Peter Wickenheiser (March 30, 1961 – January 12, 1999) was a Canadian ice hockey player, who was drafted first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.
==Career==
Wickenheiser was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. A superstar in Major Junior hockey with the Regina Pats, he led the Western Hockey League in goal scoring (89) during the 1979–80 WHL season, captained the Pats to a berth in the Memorial Cup, and was the CHL Player of the Year. Wickenheiser was rated by The Hockey News as the top draft prospect in 1980 and was subsequently selected first overall by the Montreal Canadiens. Many Canadiens' fans, particularly French Canadian fans who desperately wanted the club to select francophone star Denis Savard, were unhappy with the selection, and Montreal media attention soon turned negative. While Wickenheiser struggled to adjust to the NHL game, Savard (drafted third overall) would quickly become a superstar with the Chicago Blackhawks, further angering some Montreal fans.
In his fourth season with the Canadiens, the club lost patience with Wickenheiser's slow development and traded him to the St. Louis Blues. Probably his most famous moment with the Blues was during the 1985–86 playoffs in a game dubbed the "Monday Night Miracle" on May 12, 1986, when after St. Louis made a large comeback against the Calgary Flames, and he scored the overtime winner to force a Game 7 in the Campbell Conference Finals. The Blues would however, lose the deciding game 2–1.
During his NHL career, Wickenheiser also played for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, but did not play in the NHL after the 1989-90 season, spending his last four professional seasons in the minors and overseas. In 556 games, he scored 111 goals and 165 assists.
thumb|Wickenheiser playing for the New York Rangers in 1988
==Cancer==
In August 1994, Wickenheiser had an epithelioid sarcoma (a rare form of cancer), which he had first noticed four years earlier, removed from his wrist. Three years later, in October 1997, the disease came back as lung cancer, at which point it was inoperable, then it got worse a year later when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Sadly, he died on January 12, 1999, at the age of 37 in St. Louis. He was survived by his wife, Diane, and his three daughters, two of whom are twins, and his life story was remembered in the book The Last Face Off: The Doug Wickenheiser Story written in March 2000 by Ted Pepple, Wickenheiser's father-in-law. The Mid-States Club Hockey Association, the governing body for high school hockey in St. Louis, named their championship trophy for small school/second division teams in his honor.
==Legacy==
An arena in his hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan, has been named Doug Wickenheiser Arena in his honor. The arena is located at the corner of Arnason St. and Rochdale Blvd. in the city's northwest corner.
The Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy which is awarded annually by the Western Hockey League to its humanitarian of the year was renamed in 2001 in honour of Wickenheiser.
The Blues have not reissued Wickenheiser's #14 since his death, though it has not been formally retired. Blues' players wore a special helmet decal with the wick of a candle and the number 14 during parts of the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons. In 1999, a banner with that logo, which became the symbol of The Fourteen Fund, the official Blues charity established in his memory, was permanently placed in the rafters at the Blues' home arena, the Kiel Center (now the Enterprise Center). The emblem was worn by all NHL players in the 1999 NHL All-Star Game, and was also sold to the public for a small donation and became a popular trend among youth hockey players in St. Louis. One of the two high school state championships played at Enterprise Center is named after him.
==Personal life==
Wickenheiser was a cousin of former Canadian national team player and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Hayley Wickenheiser.
==Career statistics==
  	  	  	 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	 	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 	 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1976–77 	Regina Blues 	SJHL 	 	59 	42 	46 	88 	63 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1977–78 	Regina Pats 	WCHL 	 	68 	37 	51 	88 	49 	 	13 	4 	5 	9 	4
1978–79 	Regina Pats 	WHL 	 	68 	32 	62 	94 	141 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1979–80 	Regina Pats 	WHL 	 	71 	89 	81 	170 	99 	 	18 	14 	26 	40 	20
1979–80 	Regina Pats 	MC 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	— 	 	4 	1 	4 	5 	8
1980–81 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 	 	41 	7 	8 	15 	20 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1981–82 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 	 	56 	12 	23 	35 	43 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1982–83 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 	 	78 	25 	30 	55 	49 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1983–84 	Montreal Canadiens 	NHL 	 	27 	5 	5 	10 	6 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1983–84 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 	 	46 	7 	21 	28 	19 	 	11 	2 	2 	4 	2
1984–85 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 	 	68 	23 	20 	43 	36 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1985–86 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 	 	36 	8 	11 	19 	16 	 	19 	2 	5 	7 	12
1986–87 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 	 	80 	13 	15 	28 	37 	 	6 	0 	0 	0 	2
1987–88 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	80 	7 	19 	26 	36 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1988–89 	Canada 	Intl 	 	26 	7 	15 	22 	40 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1988–89 	New York Rangers 	NHL 	 	1 	1 	0 	1 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1988–89 	Flint Spirits 	IHL 	 	21 	9 	7 	16 	8 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1988–89 	Washington Capitals	NHL 	 	16 	2 	5 	7 	4 	 	5 	0 	0 	0 	2
1988–89 	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL 	 	2 	0 	5 	5 	0 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1989–90 	Washington Capitals	NHL 	 	27 	1 	8 	9 	20 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1989–90 	Baltimore Skipjacks	AHL 	 	35 	9 	19 	28 	22 	 	12 	2 	5 	7 	22
1990–91 	HC Asiago 	ITA 	 	35 	25 	32 	57 	9 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1991–92 	EHC Unna 	DEU.3 	 	8 	14 	6 	20 	36 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1991–92 	SV Bayreuth 	DEU.2 	 	4 	4 	3 	7 	6 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1991–92 	Klagenfurter AC 	AUT 	 	22 	7 	12 	19 	— 	 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1992–93 	Peoria Rivermen 	IHL 	 	80 	30 	45 	75 	30 	 	4 	0 	2 	2 	2
1993–94 	Fort Wayne Komets 	IHL 	 	73 	22 	37 	59 	22 	 	14 	2 	2 	4 	4
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals	 	556 	111 	165 	276 	286 	 	41 	4 	7 	11 	18
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Awards==
*Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy (WHL leading scorer) - 1980
* WHL First All-Star Team – 1980
==References==
==External links==
*
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Category:1961 births
Category:1999 deaths
Category:Asiago Hockey 1935 players
Category:Baltimore Skipjacks players
Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Category:Canadian ice hockey centres
Category:EV Zug players
Category:Flint Spirits players
Category:Fort Wayne Komets players
Category:EC KAC players
Category:Montreal Canadiens draft picks
Category:Montreal Canadiens players
Category:National Hockey League first-overall draft picks
Category:National Hockey League first-round draft picks
Category:New York Rangers players
Category:Peoria Rivermen (IHL) players
Category:Regina Blues players
Category:Regina Pats players
Category:St. Louis Blues players
Category:Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan
Category:Vancouver Canucks players
Category:Washington Capitals players