Tom Lysiak
Encyclopedia
Thomas James Lysiak is a former professional ice hockey
player. He was selected as the second overall pick in round 1 of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft
by the Atlanta Flames
, and was selected by the Houston Aeros
in round 2 of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft
(23rd overall).
In each of his last two seasons at Medicine Hat
, Lysiak was awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy
as the Western Canada Hockey League's
leading scorer (with a total of 297 points in 135 games).
Lysiak joined the Flames for the 1973–74 NHL season, just the second year for the franchise, and scored a team-high 64 points. He helped the team to its first playoff berth and finished second in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy
(top rookie).
Lysiak led the Flames in scoring in each of his five full seasons with the team and represented the Flames in three consecutive NHL All-Star Games (1975, 1976, 1977). He served as the Flames' team captain
during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons, but was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks
in an unpopular multiplayer deal (eight players were involved, the largest number in NHL history at the time) midway through the 1978–79 season. He is the Atlanta Flames' all-time leader for assists
with 276 and points
with 431 and ranks second in goals
with 155. He had 21 two-goal games with the Flames and one Hat-trick
.
Lysiak played seven full seasons for Chicago and in 1980–81 led the team in scoring with 76 points, including a career-high 55 assists. The next season, 1981–82, he matched his top point-scoring season in Atlanta with 82 points and scored a career-high 32 goals.
On October 30, 1983, while a member of the Blackhawks, Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt during a game against the Hartford Whalers
. For the incident, the NHL imposed a 20-game suspension, one of the longest in league history.
Since his retirement, Lysiak has worked in the landscaping, real estate and construction industries in the Atlanta area.
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. He was selected as the second overall pick in round 1 of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft
1973 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, the 11th National Hockey League draft was the first to be held on a separate day from other league activities on May 15, 1973, at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec so it would not overshadow the rest of the league meetings. Previously, the league had held the...
by the Atlanta Flames
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...
, and was selected by the Houston Aeros
Houston Aeros
The Houston Aeros are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team plays in Houston, Texas, at the Toyota Center. They are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.- History :...
in round 2 of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft
1973 WHA Amateur Draft
-Selections by round:Below are listed the selections in the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft.-Round 1:1. Bob Neely - Chicago Cougars2. Glenn Goldup - New England Whalers3. Andre Savard - Quebec Nordiques4. Paulin Bordeleau - Toronto Toros...
(23rd overall).
In each of his last two seasons at Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat Tigers
The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who play out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Division Titles. The Tigers play at the Medicine Hat Arena....
, Lysiak was awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy
Bob Clarke Trophy
The Bob Clarke Trophy is awarded annually to the top scorer in the Western Hockey League.It is named after National Hockey League Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke who was one of the WHL's early stars...
as the Western Canada Hockey League's
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...
leading scorer (with a total of 297 points in 135 games).
Lysiak joined the Flames for the 1973–74 NHL season, just the second year for the franchise, and scored a team-high 64 points. He helped the team to its first playoff berth and finished second in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The Rookie of the Year trophy has been awarded 79 times since its creation for the 1936–37 NHL season...
(top rookie).
Lysiak led the Flames in scoring in each of his five full seasons with the team and represented the Flames in three consecutive NHL All-Star Games (1975, 1976, 1977). He served as the Flames' team captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons, but was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
in an unpopular multiplayer deal (eight players were involved, the largest number in NHL history at the time) midway through the 1978–79 season. He is the Atlanta Flames' all-time leader for assists
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
with 276 and points
Point (ice hockey)
Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...
with 431 and ranks second in goals
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...
with 155. He had 21 two-goal games with the Flames and one Hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
.
Lysiak played seven full seasons for Chicago and in 1980–81 led the team in scoring with 76 points, including a career-high 55 assists. The next season, 1981–82, he matched his top point-scoring season in Atlanta with 82 points and scored a career-high 32 goals.
On October 30, 1983, while a member of the Blackhawks, Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt during a game against the Hartford Whalers
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97...
. For the incident, the NHL imposed a 20-game suspension, one of the longest in league history.
Since his retirement, Lysiak has worked in the landscaping, real estate and construction industries in the Atlanta area.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
+/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1970–71 | Medicine Hat Tigers Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who play out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Division Titles. The Tigers play at the Medicine Hat Arena.... |
WCHL 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... |
60 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 112 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WCHL | 68 | 46 | 97 | 143 | 96 | — | 7 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 18 | ||
| 1972–73 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WCHL | 67 | 58 | 96 | 154 | 104 | — | 17 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 48 | ||
| 1973–74 | Atlanta Flames Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to 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... |
77 | 19 | 45 | 64 | 54 | -15 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1974–75 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 77 | 25 | 52 | 77 | 73 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 80 | 31 | 51 | 82 | 60 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1976–77 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 79 | 30 | 51 | 81 | 52 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1977–78 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 80 | 27 | 42 | 69 | 54 | -3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1978–79 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 52 | 23 | 35 | 58 | 36 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10... |
NHL | 14 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1979–80 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 77 | 26 | 43 | 69 | 31 | -7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 72 | 21 | 55 | 76 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 71 | 32 | 50 | 82 | 84 | -8 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 13 | ||
| 1982–83 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 61 | 23 | 38 | 61 | 27 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 8 | ||
| 1983–84 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 54 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 35 | -13 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1984–85 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 74 | 16 | 30 | 46 | 13 | -16 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 10 | ||
| 1985–86 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 51 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 14 | -19 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 919 | 292 | 551 | 843 | 567 | -14 | 76 | 25 | 38 | 63 | 49 | ||||
| WCHL totals | 195 | 118 | 209 | 327 | 312 | — | 24 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 66 | ||||
External links
- NHL.com - Players: Thomas Lysiak
- 1973 NHL Amateur Draft -- Tom Lysiak
- "Lysiak Penalty Upheld." New York Times. 9 December 1983.