Don Biggs

This article is about the hockey player. For the Kansas state senator, see Donald Biggs.

Donald R. Biggs (born April 7, 1965) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player.

Don Biggs
Born	(1965-04-07) April 7, 1965 (age 59) Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Right
Played for	Minnesota North Stars Philadelphia Flyers
NHL draft	156th overall, 1983 Minnesota North Stars
Playing career	1985–1999 2001–2002

His son, Tyler Biggs, was a first round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs.^[1]

Early life

Biggs was raised in Mississauga, Ontario on Carrera Lane and attended Clarkson Secondary School.^[2]

Playing career

As a youth, Biggs played in the 1978 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Mississauga.^[3]

Don Biggs was drafted from the OHL's Oshawa Generals by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Biggs honed his pro game with their American Hockey League (AHL) team and was called up for one game with the North Stars. In 1985 Biggs' rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers, but due to their talent-laden centre position with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, Biggs at 20 years old, remained with their AHL affiliate in Nova Scotia. In 1987 Biggs signed with the Philadelphia Flyers and eventually played 12 games notching 2 goals.^[2]

While Biggs never managed to become a regular member of an NHL club, he was a valuable member and usually the captain of many minor league hockey teams in the OHL, AHL, IHL, ECHL, and a European professional hockey club.^[2] During his seasons with the Binghamton Rangers in 1992-93 Biggs set the AHL single-season scoring mark with 54 goals and 84 assists for 138 points. Biggs experienced his greatest success as Captain of the Cincinnati Cyclones from 1993–1999 and for a stint in 2002. During his time with the team he became a fan favorite and a local celebrity.^[2]

Biggs was also the on ice double for Patrick Swayze's skating scenes in the 1986 movie Youngblood.^[4]

Life after hockey

Don Biggs lives in Loveland, Ohio not far from Cincinnati. Biggs' number 22 jersey was retired in his honor and hung from the rafters of the local arena.^[2] He works for a local electrical supply company and is involved in local hockey programs, where he runs elite, private and team skill clinics as well as youth hockey clinics. He was the head coach and general manager of the Queen City Steam in the Tier III junior hockey league, NA3HL from 2007 to 2013 when the team was sold and rebranded.^[2][5] He coached and mentored his son from squirt level in the local CAHA league to becoming the Captain of Team USA. (U17 & U18)^[2]

His son Tyler Biggs was taken 22nd overall in the 2011 NHL draft. Biggs last played professional hockey in spring 2019 for the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL.^[1]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1982–83	Oshawa Generals	OHL		70	22	53	75	145		16	3	6	9	17
1982–83	Oshawa Generals	M-Cup		—	—	—	—	—		4	1	3	4	27
1983–84	Oshawa Generals	OHL		58	31	60	91	149		7	4	4	8	18
1983–84	Salt Lake Golden Eagles	CHL		—	—	—	—	—		3	0	0	0	2
1984–85	Oshawa Generals	OHL		60	48	69	117	105		5	3	4	7	6
1984–85	Minnesota North Stars	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Springfield Indians	AHL		6	0	3	3	0		2	1	0	1	0
1985–86	Springfield Indians	AHL		28	15	16	31	42		—	—	—	—	—
1985–86	Nova Scotia Oilers	AHL		47	6	23	29	36		—	—	—	—	—
1986–87	Nova Scotia Oilers	AHL		80	22	25	47	165		5	1	2	3	4
1987–88	Hershey Bears	AHL		77	38	41	79	151		12	5	11	16	22
1988–89	Hershey Bears	AHL		77	36	67	103	158		11	5	9	14	30
1989–90	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		11	2	0	2	8		—	—	—	—	—
1989–90	Hershey Bears	AHL		66	39	53	92	125		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	EHC Olten	NDA		8	1	5	6	16		—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Rochester Americans	AHL		65	31	57	88	115		15	9	14	23	14
1991–92	Binghamton Rangers	AHL		74	32	50	82	122		11	3	7	10	8
1992–93	Binghamton Rangers	AHL		78	54	84	138	112		14	3	9	12	32
1993–94	Cincinnati Cyclones	IHL		80	30	59	89	128		11	8	9	17	29
1994–95	Cincinnati Cyclones	IHL		77	27	49	76	152		10	1	9	10	29
1995–96	Cincinnati Cyclones	IHL		82	27	57	84	160		17	9	10	19	24
1996–97	Cincinnati Cyclones	IHL		82	25	41	66	128		3	1	2	3	19
1997–98	Cincinnati Cyclones	IHL		82	25	52	77	88		9	5	4	9	27
1998–99	Utah Grizzlies	IHL		60	19	36	55	73		—	—	—	—	—
1998–99	Cincinnati Cyclones	IHL		23	3	17	20	33		—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Cincinnati Cyclones	ECHL		32	10	22	32	41		3	1	0	1	14
AHL totals				598	273	419	692	1026		70	27	52	79	110
IHL totals				486	156	311	467	762		50	24	34	58	128

References

1. "Toronto Maple Leafs Top NHL Draft Busts". January 7, 2018.
2. "Don Biggs – AHL Hall of Fame". ahlhalloffame.com.
3. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
4. Barry, Sal (August 7, 2016). "The Making of 'Youngblood: An Oral History". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
5. "Queen City Steam to become the Cincinnati Swords". North American Tier III Hockey League (NA3HL).

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database