Walt Tkaczuk
Encyclopedia
Walter Robert Tkaczuk is a Canadian
retired ice hockey
centre
who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League
for the New York Rangers
between 1967 and 1981. Tkaczuk's family moved to Canada from West Germany
when he was two years old. He was the first German-born player to appear in an NHL game.
and Dave Balon
, who was later replaced by Steve Vickers. He could score his fair share of goals, however he was much better at producing assists. Tkaczuk's finest contribution to the game was that of the defensive forward, being among the NHL's elite shadows and faceoff men. This complemented the Ranger's high-scoring GAG line
of Jean Ratelle
, Rod Gilbert
, Vic Hadfield
.
In the 1972 playoffs, despite Ratelle sidelined with a broken ankle and Gilbert hampered with injuries, Tkaczuk played a key role as the Rangers defeated the defending champions Montreal Canadiens
, and the previous season's finalists Chicago Black Hawks, to reach the Stanley Cup Finals
. While the Rangers lost to the Boston Bruins
in six games, Tkaczuk earned much respect for holding the Bruins' Phil Esposito
without a goal in the series. He was then invited to Team Canada's training camp for the 1972 Summit Series but turned down the invitation (he was replaced by Philadelphia Flyers
' center Bobby Clarke
)
In the 1979 postseason, Tkaczuk was a key contributor as the Rangers upset the first place New York Islanders
to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell to Montreal in five games.
A serious eye injury ended Tkaczuk's career half way through the 1980-81 season. Tkaczuk played 945 career NHL games, scoring 227 goals and 451 assists for 678 points. Despite his physical presence, he only accumulated 556 minutes in penalties. In 2009, Tkaczuk was ranked No. 14 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons
).
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
retired 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...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who played fourteen seasons 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 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 1967 and 1981. Tkaczuk's family moved to Canada from West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
when he was two years old. He was the first German-born player to appear in an NHL game.
NHL career
Tkaczuk centered the "Bulldog Line" with Bill FairbairnBill Fairbairn
William John "Magnet" Fairbairn was a right wing in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and St. Louis Blues...
and Dave Balon
Dave Balon
David Alexander Balon was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Balon played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1959 and 1973 before multiple sclerosis led to his retirement.-Playing career:...
, who was later replaced by Steve Vickers. He could score his fair share of goals, however he was much better at producing assists. Tkaczuk's finest contribution to the game was that of the defensive forward, being among the NHL's elite shadows and faceoff men. This complemented the Ranger's high-scoring GAG line
GAG line
The GAG line, which as an acronym for Goal-A-Game, was a famous ice hockey line for the New York Rangers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as these linemates averaged over 1 goal a game while playing together...
of Jean Ratelle
Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon "Jean" Ratelle is a former Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to...
, Rod Gilbert
Rod Gilbert
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. He played right wing on the GAG line that also featured Vic Hadfield and Jean Ratelle...
, Vic Hadfield
Vic Hadfield
Victor Edward Hadfield is a retired professional ice hockey player. One of the most popular players in New York Rangers history, Hadfield had a sixteen-year career in the NHL, tallying 323 goals and 389 assists with 1154 penalty minutes in 1002 career games with the Rangers and the Pittsburgh...
.
In the 1972 playoffs, despite Ratelle sidelined with a broken ankle and Gilbert hampered with injuries, Tkaczuk played a key role as the Rangers defeated the defending champions 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 ...
, and the previous season's finalists Chicago Black Hawks, to reach the Stanley Cup Finals
1972 Stanley Cup Finals
-Boston Bruins 1972 Stanley Cup champions:-See also:* List of Stanley Cup champions* 1971–72 Boston Bruins season* 1971–72 NHL season* 1971–72 New York Rangers season-References:...
. While the Rangers lost to the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in six games, Tkaczuk earned much respect for holding the Bruins' Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
without a goal in the series. He was then invited to Team Canada's training camp for the 1972 Summit Series but turned down the invitation (he was replaced by Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
' center Bobby Clarke
Bobby Clarke
Robert Earle Clarke, OC , better known as Bobby Clarke or, in later life, Bob Clarke, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team...
)
In the 1979 postseason, Tkaczuk was a key contributor as the Rangers upset the first place 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...
to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell to Montreal in five games.
A serious eye injury ended Tkaczuk's career half way through the 1980-81 season. Tkaczuk played 945 career NHL games, scoring 227 goals and 451 assists for 678 points. Despite his physical presence, he only accumulated 556 minutes in penalties. In 2009, Tkaczuk was ranked No. 14 on the all-time list of New York Rangers in the book 100 Ranger Greats (John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
).
Post-hockey career
Tkaczuk is co-owner of River Valley Golf Course and Tube Slide in St. Marys, OntarioSt. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Thames River southwest of Stratford in Perth County, and surrounded by the Township of Perth South. The town is also known by its nickname, "The Stone Town", due to the abundance of limestone in the surrounding area, giving...
.
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 | ||
| 1963–64 | Kitchener Rangers Kitchener Rangers The Kitchener Rangers are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that have called Kitchener, Ontario, Canada their home since 1963. The Rangers are a publicly owned hockey team, governed by a 40-person Board of Directors made up of season ticket subscribers. The Rangers hosted... | OHA Ontario Hockey Association The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the... | 21 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 47 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 48 | 23 | 47 | 70 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Omaha Knights Omaha Knights The Omaha Knights were a minor league professional ice hockey team from 1959 to 1975, based in Omaha, Nebraska at the Ak-Sar-Ben arena. The Knights were founded in 1959 as members of the International Hockey League... | CPHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1967–68 | Kitchener Rangers | OHA | 52 | 37 | 56 | 93 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | 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... | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 1968–69 AHL season The 1968–69 AHL season was the 33rd season of the American Hockey League. Eight teams played 74 games each in the schedule. The Buffalo Bisons finished first overall in the regular season... | Buffalo Bisons Buffalo Bisons (AHL) The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed... | AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | New York Rangers | NHL | 71 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1969–70 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 27 | 50 | 77 | 38 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 | ||
| 1970–71 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 26 | 49 | 75 | 48 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | ||
| 1971–72 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 24 | 42 | 66 | 65 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 35 | ||
| 1972–73 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 59 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 1973–74 | New York Rangers | NHL | 71 | 21 | 42 | 63 | 58 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 1974–75 | New York Rangers | NHL | 62 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 1975–76 | New York Rangers | NHL | 78 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 12 | 38 | 50 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | New York Rangers | NHL | 80 | 26 | 40 | 66 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | New York Rangers | NHL | 77 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 1979–80 | New York Rangers | NHL | 76 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1980–81 | New York Rangers | NHL | 43 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 15 seasons | NHL totals | 945 | 227 | 451 | 678 | 556 | 93 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 119 | |||