George Pelawa
Encyclopedia
George Dale Pelawa was a high school hockey
right winger
from Bemidji
, Minnesota
. He was named Minnesota Mr. Hockey
in 1986 as the top high-school player in the state and was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Calgary Flames
in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft
. He died in an automobile accident three months after the draft.
. He was also an all-state football linebacker, recruited to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
by Notre Dame
, Penn State
and Minnesota
.
As a hockey player, Pelawa set new Bemidji High records for goals and points, leading the school to the state championship tournament in his junior and senior years. He scored 29 goals and 55 points in his senior year and was named Minnesota Mr. Hockey for 1986.
He committed to play for the University of North Dakota
, and was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Calgary Flames
at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft
. His nicknames in hockey were "Ice Box" and "The Great White Shark", and at 245 pounds, would have been the biggest player in NHL history if he had played at the time he was drafted.
Tom Cochrane
's song "Big League" was rumoured to be about Pelawa. Cochrane says the lyrics are based on a true story, but that it is about another player. The Flames, meanwhile, honored Pelawa by offering a scholarship to Bemidji High School students in his name. Pelawa's parents, Frank and Winnie, continued to fund the scholarship after the Flames' 20-year commitment expired in 2007, however the team and Pelawa's friends resumed their commitment to maintaining the scholarship in 2010.
Photos of George - http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Photo+Gallery+George+Pelawa/3004859/story.html
Minnesota high school boys hockey
The Minnesota High School Boys Hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is the most popular high school sport in the state...
right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
from Bemidji
Bemidji, Minnesota
Bemidji is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was at 13,431 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beltrami County. Bemidji is the most major city in North Central Minnesota and the largest commercial center between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Duluth,...
, 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...
. He was named Minnesota Mr. Hockey
Minnesota Mr. Hockey
The following is a list of ice hockey players who have been selected over the years to receive the Mr. Hockey award as the most outstanding senior high school hockey player in the state of Minnesota. The recipients are reviewed and selected by a group of National Hockey League scouts and Division I...
in 1986 as the top high-school player in the state and was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft
1986 NHL Entry Draft
The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 21, 1986 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1985–86 NHL season and playoff standings...
. He died in an automobile accident three months after the draft.
Playing career
Pelawa was a three-sport star. As a first baseman, he led his school to the Minnesota State Baseball tournament in 1985 and was scouted by the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. He was also an all-state football linebacker, recruited to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
by Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
, Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
and Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
.
As a hockey player, Pelawa set new Bemidji High records for goals and points, leading the school to the state championship tournament in his junior and senior years. He scored 29 goals and 55 points in his senior year and was named Minnesota Mr. Hockey for 1986.
He committed to play for the University of North Dakota
North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team at the Grand Forks campus of the University of North Dakota. They are members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ice hockey...
, and was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft
1986 NHL Entry Draft
The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 21, 1986 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1985–86 NHL season and playoff standings...
. His nicknames in hockey were "Ice Box" and "The Great White Shark", and at 245 pounds, would have been the biggest player in NHL history if he had played at the time he was drafted.
Death
Shortly after moving into his dorm at North Dakota, Pelawa had returned to Bemidji and was visiting with family and friends on the night of August 30, 1986. He and his brother Joe were returning from a night out when their car broke down. After picking up another car, the pair were returning to the stalled vehicle when they were struck by another driver. Joe, who was driving their car, and the other driver were both hospitalized with serious injuries. George suffered massive internal injuries, and was declared dead at the scene. The Beltrami County Sheriff's office stated that he was not wearing a seatbelt, and likely would have survived if he had. Both drivers were found to have been intoxicated, and the accident occurred after Joe failed to yield at a T-intersection.Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane
Tom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...
's song "Big League" was rumoured to be about Pelawa. Cochrane says the lyrics are based on a true story, but that it is about another player. The Flames, meanwhile, honored Pelawa by offering a scholarship to Bemidji High School students in his name. Pelawa's parents, Frank and Winnie, continued to fund the scholarship after the Flames' 20-year commitment expired in 2007, however the team and Pelawa's friends resumed their commitment to maintaining the scholarship in 2010.
External links
NHL Network tells George's Story - http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=119677Photos of George - http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Photo+Gallery+George+Pelawa/3004859/story.html