Orest Kindrachuk
Orest Michael Kindrachuk (born September 14, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
| Orest Kindrachuk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 14, 1950 Nanton, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals | ||
| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1971–1982 | ||
Early life
Born in Nanton, Alberta, Canada, his parents were Ukrainian immigrants and his first language was Ukrainian.[1]
Playing career
Kindrachuk played his junior hockey for the Saskatoon Blades. He was not drafted and instead joined the San Diego Gulls after signing as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers in July 1971. He made his NHL debut in the 1972–73 season, and joined the Flyers full-time in the 1973–74 season.
Kindrachuk became an important part of the Flyers team as he helped them to win Stanley Cups as a rookie in 1974 as well as 1975. "Little O" Kindrachuk spent much of his time in Philadelphia centering Dave "The Hammer" Schultz and Don "Big Bird" Saleski on the team's third line. He played for the Flyers for six seasons.
Kindrachuk was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the 1978–79 NHL season, where he would play for three seasons as the team's captain. He signed with the Washington Capitals in 1981, but would only play 4 games before he was forced to retire due to injuries.
Life after hockey
After hockey, Kindrachuk went into the insurance and packaging industry in the Philadelphia area.[2] In August 2012 he became a US citizen.[3]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | Saskatoon Blades | WCJHL | 58 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 44 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 | ||
| 1968–69 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 41 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1969–70 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 25 | ||
| 1970–71 | Saskatoon Blades | WCHL | 61 | 49 | 100 | 149 | 103 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 25 | ||
| 1971–72 | San Diego Gulls | WHL | 61 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 77 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1972–73 | Richmond Robins | AHL | 72 | 35 | 51 | 86 | 133 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1972–73 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 71 | 11 | 30 | 41 | 85 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 17 | ||
| 1974–75 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 60 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 72 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 1975–76 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 76 | 26 | 49 | 75 | 101 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | ||
| 1976–77 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 78 | 15 | 36 | 51 | 79 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1977–78 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 17 | 45 | 62 | 128 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 13 | ||
| 1978–79 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 79 | 18 | 42 | 60 | 84 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | ||
| 1979–80 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 52 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 13 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 508 | 118 | 261 | 379 | 648 | 76 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 53 | ||||
References
- "Flyers interviews". Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- "Hockey Forum". Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- "Philly Sports Central". Retrieved 15 September 2012.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Orest Kindrachuk's biography at Greatest Hockey Legends
| Preceded by Jean Pronovost |
Pittsburgh Penguins captain 1978–81 |
Succeeded by Randy Carlyle |