Jan Popiel
Jan Popiel (born October 9, 1947) is a Danish-Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 296 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Chicago Cougars, Denver Spurs, Houston Aeros and Phoenix Roadrunners. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Poul Popiel.
| Jan Popiel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
October 9, 1947 Virum, Denmark | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Played for |
Chicago Cougars Denver Spurs Houston Aeros Phoenix Roadrunners | ||
| NHL Draft |
10th overall, 1964 Chicago Black Hawks | ||
| Playing career | 1968–1977 | ||
Popiel was drafted 10th overall in the 1964 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Black Hawks making him the highest drafted Danish-born player in NHL history until Mikkel Bødker was drafted in 2008 as number 8. Popiel, however, was raised in Canada (his family moved to St. Catharines, Ontario in 1951 when he was a child [1]) and is a Canadian citizen.
Popiel also played professional lacrosse, scoring five goals in six games for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Lacrosse Association of 1968.