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Dave Schultz (ice hockey)

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For other people with the same name, see David Schultz.
Dave Schultz
Schultz with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1970s
Born (1949-10-14) October 14, 1949 (age 75)
Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for NHL
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Los Angeles Kings
Buffalo Sabres
AHL
Quebec Aces
Richmond Robins
Rochester Americans
EHL
Salem Rebels
NHL draft 52nd overall, 1969
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1969–1980

David William Schultz (born October 14, 1949) is a Canadian businessman and former professional ice hockey coach and player. As a player, he was a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Nicknamed "the Hammer",[1] Schultz is renowned as one of hockey's best enforcers and holds the NHL record for most penalty minutes in a single season, at 472.[2] Schultz was born in Waldheim, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Rosetown, Saskatchewan.

Playing career

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Schultz was known as a point producer in junior hockey, but became an "enforcer" in his first year of pro hockey with the Richmond Robins of the AHL, prior to joining the Philadelphia Flyers, where he would become famous.

Schultz earned the nickname "the Hammer" for his aggressive style of hockey. He was one of the most notable enforcers on the Philadelphia Flyers' famous "Broad Street Bullies".[3] After winning two Stanley Cups with the Flyers (1973–74 and 1974–75), "the Hammer" drifted through several teams (Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres) in search of a permanent position. When GMs tried to find some "muscle" for their fledgling clubs, they thought of him. Schultz was also able to capitalize on his popularity as a player when he recorded a local Philadelphia hit song called "The Penalty Box" in the mid 1970s.[4]

Schultz could be more than an enforcer; he scored 20 goals for Philadelphia in 1973–74. He also scored the series-winning goal in overtime in the first round of the 1974 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Atlanta Flames.[5][6] Despite his successes, Schultz later expressed regret about his role as an enforcer and the prominence of fighting in hockey.[7]

After injuring his wrist in a fight, Schultz once put boxing wraps on his hands for protection. As things usually went, Schultz had several fights in ensuing games, while wearing the wraps. However, soon after, enforcers in both the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association started wearing similar hand protection. This was not to protect an already injured hand/wrist, but to protect themselves from injury in a fight. Soon after this trick became popular, both the WHA and NHL passed what became known as the "Schultz Rule" — thus banning the boxing wraps' temporary involvement in professional ice hockey.[8]

Post-playing career

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After retiring as a player Schultz coached several minor league teams over the next two decades including the Madison Monsters, Baton Rouge Kingfish, and most recently the Elmira Jackals.[9]

Schultz co-authored a book entitled The Hammer with Stan Fischler[10] that provides insights into the world of a professional ice hockey enforcer.

In 1994, he served as referee at WCW Slamboree for the match between The Nasty Boys against Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan.

In 2022, he voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Top Goon".

Schultz announced he was writing a book on himself to be released in the fall of 2025.[11]

Awards

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Records

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  • Holds the NHL record for most penalty minutes in a season with 472 penalty minutes during the 1974–75 season.[12]

Career statistics

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Playing career

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Figures in boldface italics are NHL records.

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1966–67 Swift Current Broncos Exhib. 26 19 13 32 — — — — — —
1967–68 Swift Current Broncos WCHL 59 35 34 69 138 — — — — —
1968–69 Swift Current Broncos WCHL 33 16 16 32 65 — — — — —
1968–69 Sorel Black Hawks MMJHL 18 15 19 34 61 — — — — —
1969–70 Salem Rebels EHL 67 32 37 69 356 5 2 3 5 23
1969–70 Quebec Aces AHL 8 0 0 0 13 — — — — —
1970–71 Quebec Aces AHL 71 14 23 37 382 1 0 0 0 15
1971–72 Richmond Robins AHL 76 18 28 46 392 — — — — —
1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1972–73 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 76 9 12 21 259 11 1 0 1 51
1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 73 20 16 36 348 17 2 4 6 139
1974–75 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 76 9 17 26 472 17 2 3 5 83
1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 71 13 19 32 307 16 2 2 4 90
1976–77 Los Angeles Kings NHL 76 10 20 30 232 9 1 1 2 45
1977–78 Los Angeles Kings NHL 8 2 0 2 27 — — — — —
1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 66 9 25 34 378 — — — — —
1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 47 4 9 13 157 — — — — —
1978–79 Buffalo Sabres NHL 28 2 3 5 86 3 0 2 2 4
1979–80 Buffalo Sabres NHL 13 1 0 1 28 — — — — —
1979–80 Rochester Americans AHL 56 10 14 24 248 4 1 0 1 12
NHL totals 535 79 121 200 2,294 73 8 12 20 412

Coaching record

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Team Season League Regular season Post-season
G W L T OTL Result
New York Slapshots 1985–86 ACHL 59 21 38 0 0 Out of playoffs
Madison Monsters 1996–97 CoHL 74 46 21 0 7 Lost in round 1
Baton Rouge Kingfish 1997–98 ECHL 59 26 24 9 0 Out of playoffs
Mohawk Valley Prowlers 1998–99 UHL
Elmira Jackals 2004–05 UHL 21 5 16 0 0 Out of playoffs

Source:[13]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2022 The Simpsons Himself (voice) Episode: "Top Goon"

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Part V -- Top enforcers". espn.com. 2005-09-26. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  2. ^ "1969 NHL DRAFT PICK: Dave Schultz". hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  3. ^ "Yahoo".
  4. ^ "Dave Schultz (2) - Penalty Box / Your Way's Right for You". Discogs.
  5. ^ "Flyers History - History Versus Atlanta Flames".
  6. ^ "Dave Schultz 1974 OT Game Winner". YouTube. 3 September 2008.
  7. ^ "Dave Schultz: A Letter to My Son About Violence". The New York Times. 1982-02-07.
  8. ^ Zeisler, Laurel (2012-12-19). Historical Dictionary of Ice Hockey. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810878631.
  9. ^ "Madison Monsters 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com".
  10. ^ "The Hammer: Confessions of a Hockey Enforcer". bookfinder.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  11. ^ "Dave Schultz was called a 'goon' back in the day - just won his biggest fight off the ice CONGRATS!". YouTube. 20 December 2023.
  12. ^ That equates to nearly 8 hours in the penalty box that season. "Individual NHL records that may never be broken".
  13. ^ "Dave Schultz (b.1949) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com".
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