| Born: | Mar. 30, 1961 | Draft: | 1st overall Montreal Canadiens 1980 |
| Hometown: | Regina, SK | Position: | Center |
| Known For: | Shoots/Catches: | Left | |
| National Team: | Canada | Current Status: | Deceased Aug. 12, 1999 |
Douglas Peter Wickenheiser (March 30, 1961 – January 12, 1999) was a Canadian ice hockey player drafted first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. Besides skating with the Canadiens, he played with the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, and many teams in the AHL, IHL, and several European leagues before retiring in 1994.
In August 1994, Wickenheiser had an epithelioid sarcoma (a rare form of cancer), which he had first noticed four years earlier, removed from his wrist. Three years later, in October 1997, the cancer came back and had spread to his lungs, which was inoperable. He died on January 12, 1999, at 37, in St. Louis. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. His life story was remembered in the book The Last Face Off: The Doug Wickenheiser Story, written in March 2000 by Ted Pepple, Wickenheiser’s father-in-law. The Mid-States Club Hockey Association, the governing body for high school hockey in St. Louis, named their championship trophy for small school/second-division teams in his honor.
Doug Wickenheiser Statistics
Deeper Dive
- Draft More Fun When Habs Have Higher Pick
- Today in Hockey History: May 12
- Today in Hockey History: June 11
Achievements
- CHL Player of the Year (1980)
- WHL First All-Star Team (1980)
- WHL Most Points – Bobby Clarke Trophy (1980)
- WHL Player of the Year – Four Broncos Trophy (1980)