Dave Langevin
Encyclopedia
David Richard "Bam Bam" Langevin (born May 15, 1954 in St. Paul, Minnesota
) is a retired American ice hockey
defenseman
who played 216 games for the WHA
Edmonton Oilers
as well as 513 games for the NHL
New York Islanders
, Minnesota North Stars
and Los Angeles Kings
between 1977 and 1987. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
.
ice hockey team in 1972–76. He was also a member of the US national team at the 1976 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Katowice
.
(who also had selected him in the WHA draft the same year) since his prospects of getting regular playing time were better in the WHA. Langevin became a solid performer for the Oilers, making the All-WHA Second All Star team in 1978–79. When the Oilers joined the NHL the following season, the Islanders reclaimed him as a former New York draft pick.
Langevin started his National Hockey League
career with the New York Islanders
, winning four consecutive Stanley Cups. He would also play with the Minnesota North Stars
and Los Angeles Kings
. His NHL career would last from 1979 to 1987. Langevin would also play in the 1983 NHL All-Star Game
and he was also a member of the United States team at the 1981 Canada Cup
.
Langevin was a strictly defensive defensemen, whose forte was full-body checking. Langevin was instrumental in the Islanders come-back victory in the 1985 playoffs against the Washington Capitals. Benched for the first two losses, he entered game three with a decisive physical presence, most notably checking sniper Mike Gartner with a powerful hip check. The Islanders went on to win three straight and became the only team ever to lose the first two games of a 5 game series and go on to win.
Idaho Steelheads
during the 1997–98 season. After a single season in Idaho he returned to Minnesota and became a real estate appraiser and high school hockey coach. He also served as a South Suburban (MnJHL) head coach until the team folded following the 2001–02 season. He has also done part-time work for the NHL Central Scouting Bureau
after his retirement.
Langevin, who wore #26 for the Islanders, was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.
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 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 216 games for the WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
as well as 513 games for the NHL
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...
New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
and Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
between 1977 and 1987. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
.
Amateur career
Langevin played for the University of Minnesota DuluthUniversity of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
ice hockey team in 1972–76. He was also a member of the US national team at the 1976 Ice Hockey World Championship tournament in Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
.
Professional career
Drafted 112th overall by the NY Islanders in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft, Langevin instead chose to sign with the Edmonton Oilers of the rival World Hockey AssociationWorld Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
(who also had selected him in the WHA draft the same year) since his prospects of getting regular playing time were better in the WHA. Langevin became a solid performer for the Oilers, making the All-WHA Second All Star team in 1978–79. When the Oilers joined the NHL the following season, the Islanders reclaimed him as a former New York draft pick.
Langevin started his 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...
career with the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, winning four consecutive Stanley Cups. He would also play with the Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
and Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. His NHL career would last from 1979 to 1987. Langevin would also play in the 1983 NHL All-Star Game
35th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 35th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on February 8, 1983, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, home to the New York Islanders. In the game, Edmonton Oilers' centre Wayne Gretzky set an All-Star Game record by scoring all of his four goals in the third...
and he was also a member of the United States team at the 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...
.
Langevin was a strictly defensive defensemen, whose forte was full-body checking. Langevin was instrumental in the Islanders come-back victory in the 1985 playoffs against the Washington Capitals. Benched for the first two losses, he entered game three with a decisive physical presence, most notably checking sniper Mike Gartner with a powerful hip check. The Islanders went on to win three straight and became the only team ever to lose the first two games of a 5 game series and go on to win.
Post Playing Career
Langevin served as head coach of the expansion WCHLWest Coast Hockey League
The West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington...
Idaho Steelheads
Idaho Steelheads
The Idaho Steelheads are an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Boise, Idaho. The team began playing in 1997 and has been a member of the ECHL since 2003....
during the 1997–98 season. After a single season in Idaho he returned to Minnesota and became a real estate appraiser and high school hockey coach. He also served as a South Suburban (MnJHL) head coach until the team folded following the 2001–02 season. He has also done part-time work for the NHL Central Scouting Bureau
NHL Central Scouting Bureau
The NHL Central Scouting Bureau or NHL Central Scouting Services is a department within the National Hockey League that ranks prospects for the NHL Entry Draft at specific times during the hockey season. Players are ranked based on how well they will translate to the professional game in the...
after his retirement.
Langevin, who wore #26 for the Islanders, was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.
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....
Second All-Star Team (1976) - WHA Second All-Star Team (1979)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1983)
- Stanley Cup Champions (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)