Jerry Walker (ice hockey)
Jerry Walker is a Canadian, retired ice hockey winger who was one of the most prolific goal scorers in NCAA history. He was an All-American in 1961[1] and helped Denver win consecutive national championships.
| Jerry Walker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
1938 Balcarres, Saskatchewan, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Played for |
Denver Omaha Knights Jacksonville Rockets | ||
| Playing career | 1959–1969 | ||
Career
Walker was one of a slew of players who played on the Regina Pats in the mid 1950s to be recruited by their former coach Murray Armstrong to play for Denver, but Walker may have been the best. He joined the varsity squad as a sophomore in 1959 and started scoring goals for the Pioneers immediately. He recorded 31 in his first season to lead the team and scored the first goal in Denver's championship victory. Walker became the star of the team the following season when he set numerous program and conference records by scoring 56 goals in 32 games. He was the first player named as the WCHA Most Valuable Player and was first team First Team All-WCHA and an All-American. In the NCAA Tournament Walker was one of the focal points of the offense and led Denver to a second consecutive championship as well as a 30–1–1 record to complete one of the most dominant seasons in NCAA history.
Despite having a year of eligibility remaining, Walker left Denver after 1961 and played professional and senior hockey for the remainder of the decade before retiring in 1969. He was inducted into the Denver Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.[2] Walker is still regarded as one of if not the best goal-scorer in the history of the Denver Pioneers. Among the Denver Pioneers records he still holds are goals in a season (56), goals per game (1.32), hat-tricks (13), hat-tricks in one season (10), and he held the record for most goals in a season by any WCHA player until 1986.[3]
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1955–56 | Regina Pats | WCJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 | Regina Pats | SJHL | 43 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | Denver | WCHA | 34 | 31 | 19 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1960–61 | Denver | WCHA | 32 | 56 | 29 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Omaha Knights | IHL | 45 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Saskatoon Quakers | SSHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Yorkton Terriers | SSHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Jacksonville Rockets | EHL | 71 | 30 | 36 | 66 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Yorkton Terriers | SSHL | — | 23 | 22 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Edmonton Monarchs | ASHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NCAA Totals | 66 | 87 | 48 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1960–61 | [4] |
| AHCA West All-American | 1960–61 | [1] |
| NCAA All-Tournament First Team | 1961 | [5] |
References
- "1960-1961 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- "UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 1999". Denver Pioneers. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- "Denver Hockey 2019 Media Guide" (PDF). Denver Pioneers. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Award Created |
WCHA Most Valuable Player 1960–61 |
Succeeded by Red Berenson |