Bill Baker (hockey player)
Encyclopedia
William Robert Baker (born November 29, 1956 in Grand Rapids
, Minnesota
) is a retired American
professional ice hockey
defenseman
who played 143 regular season games in the National Hockey League
for the Montreal Canadiens
, Colorado Rockies
, St. Louis Blues
and New York Rangers
between 1980 and 1983.
and was team captain for the 1978-1979 season. He was originally selected 54th overall by the Montreal Canadiens
in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft.
Baker is best known for being a member of the Miracle on Ice
1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team that won the Gold Medal
in Lake Placid, NY. Specifically, he is forever remembered for scoring the tying goal as the extra skater forcing a 2–2 tie with Sweden in the opening game. This tie allowed the team to eventually advance to the medal round. Baker's jersey from the famed "Miracle On Ice" is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
, U.S.
along with a stick autographed by all the members of the team.
in 1981. He also played for Team USA at the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1981 Canada Cup
tournaments. Colorado later traded him to the St. Louis Blues
in exchange for Joe Micheletti and Dick Lamby
. Baker spent the full 1982–83 season with the New York Rangers
. He spent the 1983-84 season in the CHL playing for the eventual league championships, the Tulsa Oilers coached by Tom Webster. He played 59 regular season games for Tulsa Oilers, but was not with team during post-season.
where he works as an oral surgeon and maxillofacial specialist.
TV movie about the gold medal-winning hockey team entitled Miracle on Ice, Baker is played by David Wallace.
In the 2004
Disney film Miracle
, he is portrayed by Nick Postle.
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,764 people, 3,446 households, and 1,943 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,057.8 people per square mile . There were 3,621 housing units at an average density of 493.3 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
) is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenseman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
who played 143 regular season games in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
for the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
, St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
and New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
between 1980 and 1983.
College career
Bill Baker attended the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and was team captain for the 1978-1979 season. He was originally selected 54th overall by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft.
Baker is best known for being a member of the Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team that won the Gold Medal
Gold Medal
Gold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
in Lake Placid, NY. Specifically, he is forever remembered for scoring the tying goal as the extra skater forcing a 2–2 tie with Sweden in the opening game. This tie allowed the team to eventually advance to the medal round. Baker's jersey from the famed "Miracle On Ice" is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
along with a stick autographed by all the members of the team.
Professional career
He joined the Canadiens after the Olympics, and was later traded to the Colorado RockiesColorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
in 1981. He also played for Team USA at the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1981 Canada Cup
1981 Canada Cup
The 1981 Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, while Soviet...
tournaments. Colorado later traded him to the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
in exchange for Joe Micheletti and Dick Lamby
Dick Lamby
Richard A. "Dick" Lamby is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman who played 22 National Hockey League regular season games with the St. Louis Blues in 1978-80 but spent most of his career in the minor leagues...
. Baker spent the full 1982–83 season with the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
. He spent the 1983-84 season in the CHL playing for the eventual league championships, the Tulsa Oilers coached by Tom Webster. He played 59 regular season games for Tulsa Oilers, but was not with team during post-season.
Post career
Baker currently resides in Brainerd, MinnesotaBrainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,590 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota...
where he works as an oral surgeon and maxillofacial specialist.
Awards and achievements
- WCHAWestern Collegiate Hockey AssociationThe Western Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates over a wide area of the Midwestern and Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference....
All-Star First Team: 1978–79 (Minnesota) - NCAA West All-America First Team: 1978–79 (Minnesota)
- CHL Adams Cup: 1984 (Tulsa Oilers)
International play
- 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, NY
- Ice Hockey World Championships, 1979 and 1981
- 1981 Canada Cup
In popular culture
In a 19811981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
TV movie about the gold medal-winning hockey team entitled Miracle on Ice, Baker is played by David Wallace.
In the 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
Disney film Miracle
Miracle (film)
Miracle is a 2004 American biographical sports film about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory over the heavily favored Soviet team in the medal round was dubbed the Miracle on Ice...
, he is portrayed by Nick Postle.