Chris Oddleifson

Christopher Roy Oddleifson (born September 7, 1950 in Brandon, Manitoba) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1972 until 1981. He is best known for his time with the Vancouver Canucks, where he was one of the team's top players for much of the 1970s and served as team captain in 1976–77.
== Playing career==
Oddleifson was selected 10th overall in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft by the California Golden Seals following a dominant final junior season with the Winnipeg Jets of the WCHL, during which he finished with 95 points (including a league-leading 64 assists) and 243 penalty minutes. However, he was assigned to the minors and would never play an NHL game for the Seals, and was dealt to the Boston Bruins mid-way through the 1971–72 season.
In 1972–73, Oddleifson finally made his NHL debut, appearing in 6 games for Boston without recording a point. He managed to crack the Bruins full-time in 1974–75 and acquitted himself well, highlighted by a four-goal game against the Golden Seals, the team that had given up on him two years earlier. Late in the season, he was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks in a deal for sniper Bobby Schmautz, and he finished out his rookie season with decent totals of 13 goals and 29 points in 70 games between Boston and Vancouver.
Oddleifson would have his breakout year in 1974–75, as he emerged as a leader on a young Canuck team which surprised by winning their division and making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. He proved himself to be an exceptional all-around player who possessed size, toughness, and playmaking ability, as well as the ability to play both at center and on the wing. He lead the Canucks in scoring through the early part of the season, until a fractured jaw forced him to miss 20 games. Nevertheless, he finished with career highs of 16 goals and 35 assists for 51 points in just 60 games.
In 1975–76, Oddleifson would have his finest NHL season, as he notched 16 goals and a club-leading 46 assists for a career high 62 points. Although his production waned somewhat in the next few seasons, he remained one of the team's top all-around forwards and most popular players. He was named team captain for 1976–77, although he was replaced by Don Lever the following year. In 1977–78, he recorded a career-high 17 goals for the club.
By the 1979–80 season, the emergence of young stars like Thomas Gradin, Stan Smyl and Curt Fraser, as well as the acquisition of several skilled veterans, had pushed Oddleifson into a mainly defensive role, and he finished the season with career lows of just 8 goals and 28 points. Early in the 1980–81 campaign, he was assigned to the Dallas Black Hawks, effectively ending his NHL career.
Oddleifson spent two more seasons playing in Switzerland before retiring in 1983. He finished his NHL career with totals 95 goals and 191 assists for 286 points in 524 games, along with 464 penalty minutes.
Following his career, Oddleifson returned to Vancouver and became a successful real estate agent. He remains active with the Canuck Oldtimers squad.
== 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
1966-67 	Winnipeg Monarchs 	MJHL 	 	8 	3 	3 	6 	10 	 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	--
1967-68 	Winnipeg Monarchs 	MJHL 	 	 	13 	21 	34 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
1968-69 	Winnipeg Jets 	WCHL 	 	46 	14 	30 	44 	118 	 	7 	0 	3 	3 	0
1969-70 	Winnipeg Jets 	WCHL 	 	59 	31 	64 	95 	243 	 	14 	8 	19 	27 	90
1970-71 	Providence Reds 	AHL 	 	66 	15 	42 	57 	95 	 	10 	1 	4 	5 	25
1971-72 	Oklahoma City Blazers	CHL 	 	68 	18 	44 	62 	134 	 	6 	0 	2 	2 	12
1972-73 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 	 	6 	0 	0 	0 	0 	 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	--
1972-73 	Boston Braves 	AHL 	 	63 	12 	42 	54 	127 	 	10 	3 	6 	9 	41
1973-74 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 	 	49 	10 	11 	21 	45 	 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	--
1973-74 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	21 	3 	5 	8 	19 	 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	--
1974-75 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	60 	16 	35 	51 	54 	 	5 	0 	3 	3 	2
1975-76 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	80 	16 	46 	62 	88 	 	2 	1 	2 	3 	0
1976-77 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	80 	14 	26 	40 	81 	 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	--
1977-78 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	78 	17 	22 	39 	64 	 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	--
1978-79 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	67 	11 	26 	37 	51 	 	3 	0 	1 	1 	2
1979-80 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	75 	8 	20 	28 	76 	 	4 	0 	0 	0 	4
1980-81 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	8 	0 	0 	0 	6 	 	-- 	-- 	-- 	-- 	--
1980-81 	Dallas Black Hawks 	CHL 	 	46 	12 	36 	48 	30 	 	5 	0 	3 	3 	0
1981-82 	SC Langenthal 	Switzerland	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
1982-83 	SC Langenthal 	Switzerland	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
NHL Totals	NHL Totals 	NHL Totals 	 	524 	95 	191 	286 	464 	 	14 	1 	6 	7 	8
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
== Awards & Achievements==
*MJHL Second All-Star Team (1968)
*WCHL First All-Star Team (1970)
*“Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
==External links==
*
Category:Born in 1950
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Winnipeg Monarchs players
Category:Winnipeg Jets (WHL) players
Category: California Golden Seals draft picks
Category:Boston Bruins players
Category:Vancouver Canucks players
Category:Manitoba junior hockey All-Time Roster
Category:Providence Reds players
Category:Oklahoma City Blazers (1965-1977) players
Category:Boston Braves players
Category:Dallas Black Hawks players