Steve Vickers (ice hockey)

Stephen James Vickers (born 21 April 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers from 1972 to 1982. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1973.

Steve Vickers
Born	(1951-04-21) 21 April 1951 (age 73) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Rangers
NHL draft	10th overall, 1971 New York Rangers
Playing career	1971–1982

Playing career

Steve "The Sarge" Vickers played junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and was named a First Team league All-Star. He was drafted 10th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft.^[1] He spent a season in the minor leagues with the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League before the Rangers called him up in 1972.^{[citation needed]}

Vickers, centre Walt Tkaczuk and winger Bill Fairbairn formed a line that proved to be one of the 1970s' best two-way forward trios. Vickers scored 30 goals and 23 assists for a total of 53 points and was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.^[1] He played all of his NHL career with the Rangers, scoring thirty or more goals in each of four seasons. He was later moved to the Rangers' first line with Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle. Vickers' best season was 1974-75, when he scored 41 goals and was named to the NHL's Second all-star team.^[1] He remained effective until his final season, in which his production dropped sharply; he finished the year in the minor leagues with the Springfield Indians, after which he retired.^{[citation needed]}

Vickers played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1975 and 1976.^[1] He made NHL history in 1972 when he became the first rookie, as well as the first New York Ranger, to score hat tricks in two consecutive games (12 November versus the Los Angeles Kings and 15 November versus the Philadelphia Flyers).^[2] In February 1976, Vickers set the Rangers team record for most points in a game, with seven, against the Washington Capitals.^[3]

Legacy

In the 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats, the authors ranked Vickers at No. 18 all-time of the 901 New York Rangers who had played during the team's first 82 seasons.^[4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1968–69	Markham Waxers	MetJHL		36	43	40	83	—		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		52	28	38	66	23		11	5	5	10	5
1970–71	Toronto Marlboros	OHA		62	43	64	107	51		13	8	12	20	5
1971–72	Omaha Knights	CHL		70	26	33	59	45		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	New York Rangers	NHL		61	30	23	53	37		10	5	4	9	4
1973–74	New York Rangers	NHL		75	34	24	58	18		13	4	4	8	17
1974–75	New York Rangers	NHL		80	41	48	89	64		3	2	4	6	6
1975–76	New York Rangers	NHL		80	30	53	83	40		—	—	—	—	—
1976–77	New York Rangers	NHL		75	22	31	53	26		—	—	—	—	—
1977–78	New York Rangers	NHL		79	19	44	63	30		3	2	1	3	0
1978–79	New York Rangers	NHL		66	13	34	47	24		18	5	3	8	13
1979–80	New York Rangers	NHL		75	29	33	62	38		9	2	2	4	4
1980–81	New York Rangers	NHL		73	19	39	58	40		12	4	7	11	14
1981–82	New York Rangers	NHL		34	9	11	20	13		—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Springfield Indians	AHL		20	4	6	10	14		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				698	246	340	586	330		68	24	25	49	58

References

1. "Steve Vickers - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
2. "Steve Vickers". All Time Roster. New York Rangers.com. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
3. Gaffer, Wes; The New York Daily News (2001). New York Rangers: Millennium Memories. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 74. ISBN 978-1582613710. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
4. Cohen, Russ; Halligan, John; Raider, Adam (2009). 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters. John Wiley & Sons. p. 176. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved 3 February 2020.

External links

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

Preceded by Norm Gratton	New York Rangers first round draft pick 1971	Succeeded by Steve Durbano
Preceded by Ken Dryden	Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy 1973	Succeeded by Denis Potvin