Willi Plett
Willi Plett | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Asunción, Paraguay | June 7, 1955||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) | ||
Position | Right wing | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Played for |
Atlanta Flames Calgary Flames Minnesota North Stars Boston Bruins | ||
NHL draft |
80th overall, 1975 Atlanta Flames | ||
Playing career | 1975–1988 |
Willi Plett (born June 7, 1955) is a Paraguayan-born Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 834 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Flames, Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins. He reached the 1981 NHL playoff semifinals with the Flames and the 1984 NHL playoff semifinals with the North Stars.
He was a fifth-round selection of the Atlanta Flames in the
Early life
Plett was born into a
Plett first played organized hockey at the age of 12 and played
Playing career
The Flames assigned Plett to their minor league affiliate, the
Plett was returned to Tulsa to begin the 1976–77 season where he scored 12 points in 14 games. He spent the majority of the campaign in Atlanta, appearing in 64 games with the Flames.[4] He scored 33 goals and 23 assists for the Flames, enough to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.[6] He scored 22 goals in 1977–78 and 23 in 1978–79 and amassed nearly 400 penalty minutes over those two seasons as he established a reputation as an enforcer who could also score. Plett scored only 13 goals in 1979–80, but set a Flames' franchise record with 231 penalty minutes.[2]
Plett transferred with the franchise when it relocated to Canada to become the Calgary Flames in 1980–81.[4] Playing on the Flames' top line alongside Kent Nilsson and Guy Chouinard,[2] Plett enjoyed his greatest season statistically, setting career highs with 38 goals, 68 points and 239 penalty minutes. He established himself as a fan favourite in Calgary, and shared the team playoff scoring lead with Bob MacMillan with eight goals as the Flames reached the semi-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.[5] His offensive production fell to 21 goals in 1981–82, a season in which Plett became an outspoken critic of head coach Al MacNeil. The Flames replaced MacNeil as coach following the season, but also chose to trade Plett in a June 7, 1982 trade. He was sent to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Steve Christoff and Bill Nyrop, both teams also exchanged draft picks.[7]
The NHL suspended Plett for eight games early in his first season with the North Stars after he was given a match penalty for slashing Detroit Red Wings goaltender Greg Stefan in the head.[8] He scored 25 goals on the season but he recorded 19 fewer points than the year before and his 170 penalty minutes was his lowest total since his rookie season.[4] He scored only 15 goals and 38 points in 1983–84 and quarreled with coach Bill Mahoney over playing time. Plett received more time after the two resolved their differences and he re-focused on the physical side of his game which had been lacking in the previous few seasons.[9] He finished the season with a career high 319 penalty minutes.[4] Plett was dogged by injuries in his following three seasons, missing time due to a groin injury and injuring his shoulders on several occasions.[10] His offensive production decreased each year, falling to 11 points by 1986–87.[4]
The North Stars traded Plett to the
Personal life
Plett returned to the Atlanta area following his retirement. He opened Willi Plett's Sports Park, now out of business, a golf course and theme park in Woodstock, Georgia.[1] Afterwards, he worked at his son's landscaping business.[13]
Career statistics
Regular season
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Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
1974–75 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OMJHL | 22 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 63 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 42 | ||
1975–76 | Tulsa Oilers
|
CHL
|
76 | 30 | 20 | 50 | 163 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 21 | ||
1975–76 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976–77 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 14 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976–77 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 64 | 33 | 23 | 56 | 123 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | ||
1977–78 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 78 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 171 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1978–79 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 74 | 23 | 20 | 43 | 213 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 29 | ||
1979–80 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 76 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 231 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | ||
1980–81 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 78 | 38 | 30 | 68 | 239 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 89 | ||
1981–82 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 78 | 21 | 36 | 57 | 288 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 39 | ||
1982–83 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 71 | 25 | 14 | 39 | 170 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 38 | ||
1983–84 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 73 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 316 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 51 | ||
1984–85 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 47 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 157 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 67 | ||
1985–86 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 59 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 231 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 45 | ||
1986–87 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 67 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 263 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1987–88 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 65 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 170 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 74 | ||
NHL totals | 834 | 222 | 215 | 437 | 2,572 | 83 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 466 |
See also
- List of NHL players with 2000 career penalty minutes
References
- Career statistics: "Willi Plett player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
- ^ a b c d Down, John (1980-11-16). "His attitude has changed". Flames Magazine. Calgary Flames Hockey Club: 33.
- ^ Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean, eds. (2007). 2007–08 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 101.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Willi Plett profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ a b Ornest, Leo, ed. (1981). 1981–82 Calgary Flames Fact Book. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 30.
- ^ "Calder Memorial Trophy 1976–77". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ Duhatschek, Eric (1982-06-08). "Happy birthday, Willi". Calgary Herald. p. B14. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ "Plett out for eight". Regina Leader-Post. 1982-10-15. p. D4. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ Duhatschek, Eric (1984-04-26). "'Obnoxious' Plett is back on track". Calgary Herald. p. C1. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ "Willi Plett profile". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ Sexton, Joe (1987-10-06). "Rangers' Plett on the move again". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ Trust, Dick (1988-08-12). "Bruins interested in Nilan?". Lewiston Journal. p. B1. Retrieved 2012-09-01.
- ^ Clinton, Jared. "Once A Rugged Power Player, Willi Plett Still Making Living With His Hands". The Hockey News. The Hockey News. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database