Gregory Linn Polis is a Canadian former 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...

 player. Polis played 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...

 (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...

, St. Louis Blues, 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...

 and Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...

.

Early life

Norn in Westlock, Alberta

Westlock, Alberta

Westlock is a town in central Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1913, the town is primarily an agricultural, business, and government administration centre serving communities and rural areas within surrounding Westlock County.- Geography :...

, Polis grew up in Dapp

Dapp, Alberta

Dapp is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Westlock County. It is located west of Highway 44, approximately northwest of St. Albert.- Notable residents :* Greg Polis, professional ice hockey player , 1970s- References :...

, a nearby prairie

Prairie

Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...

 town with a population of 75. With few other children in town, he would bring his pet Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...

 to chase down and retrieve the puck. Statements such as "Greg's dog used to chase pucks for him in his childhood" - with associated cartoon - were an annual highlight of his Topps

Topps

The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...

 and O-Pee-Chee

O-Pee-Chee

The O-Pee-Chee Company, Ltd. was a 20th-century Canadian confectionery company that produced candy until the mid 1990s. The company, based in London, Ontario, was originally owned by the McDermid family . The company was later owned by Frank Leahy and then, sold to his son in law, Gary Koreen...

 hockey cards in the early 1970s, the repetition of which became a source of amusement to hockey card collectors over the years.

Career

Polis played for the Estevan Bruins

Estevan Bruins

The Estevan Bruins are a junior ice hockey team playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The team is based out of Estevan, Saskatchewan and plays at the brand new Spectra Place. Radio station CJSL AM 1280 broadcasts Bruins games.-History:...

 in the WCJHL for 4 seasons, and was regarded as one of the best players to come out of that junior level organization. He was named as a league all star at left wing three times, and finished second in scoring in the league twice.

After advancing through the junior levels, Polis was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins as their first choice in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft

1970 NHL Amateur Draft

The 1970 NHL Amateur Draft was held on June 11, 1970 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Selections by round:Below are listed the selections in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft...

 (7th overall).
He played in the All-Star Game during his first three years with the Penguins. He played with three other teams during an injury-plagued career. Polis served his last pro season with the Washington Capitals in 1979–80.

Awards and achievements

• WCJHL
  Western Hockey League
  The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
  
  First All-Star Team (1969, 1970)
• All-Star Game: 1971, 1972, 1973
• All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: 1973
• Pittsburgh Briere Award (Rookie of Year): 1970–71