Randy Holt

Stewart Randall Holt (born January 15, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who spent ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as one of the toughest players in the sport during his career, he still holds the NHL single-game record for penalty minutes.[1]

Randy Holt
Holt in 1977
Born (1953-01-15) January 15, 1953
Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Cleveland Barons
Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
Washington Capitals
Philadelphia Flyers
NHL Draft 45th overall, 1973
Chicago Black Hawks
WHA Draft 41st overall, 1973
New England Whalers
Playing career 19741984

Playing career

Holt was born in Pembroke, Ontario. After playing his junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves, Holt was selected 45th overall in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Chicago Black Hawks. He spent most of the next four seasons in the Central Hockey League with the Dallas Black Hawks, Chicago's top minor league affiliate, although he was a frequent callup to Chicago, appearing in 42 games over that stretch. He established himself as one of the toughest players in minor pro, recording a CHL record 411 penalty minutes in 1974–75,[2] but also showed a fair amount of skill and was named a CHL First-Team All-Star in 1976 after scoring 52 points from the blueline.

Just after the start of the 1977–78 season, Holt was dealt to the lowly Cleveland Barons and finally received a chance to stick in the NHL full-time. He finished the season with 1 goal and 4 assists in 52 games, along with 249 penalty minutes. At the end of the season, however, the Barons ceased operations and Holt was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks in the resulting dispersal draft.

Holt appeared in only 22 games for the Canucks before being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings midway through the 1978–79 campaign. He finished the season with 1 goal and 9 assists for a career high 10 points, along with 282 penalty minutes, in 58 games between Los Angeles and Vancouver. Included in his penalty total was an NHL record 67 in a March 11, 1979 game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

After another season in Los Angeles, Holt was traded to the Calgary Flames for the 1980–81 season. He played some of the best hockey of his career in the 1981 playoffs, recording 2 goals and 4 points in 13 games to help the Flames reach the Stanley Cup semi-finals. For the 1981–82 season, he was dealt to the Washington Capitals, where he set a club record with 250 penalty minutes. He broke his own record with a league-leading 275 penalty minutes the following season, and also appeared in a career-high 70 games, recording 8 assists. He closed out his career with a 26-game stint for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1983–84 before retiring.

In 395 NHL games, Holt scored 4 goals and 37 assists, and amassed 1,438 penalty minutes.

His older brother Gary Holt also played in the NHL during the 1970s.

March 11, 1979

The toughest player on the Los Angeles Kings, Holt had been acquired midway through the 1978–79 season to add muscle to a skilled Kings team, and was expected to be a factor when the team traveled to Philadelphia to face off against the fearsome Flyers. After picking up a minor penalty early in the first period, Holt fought Philadelphia enforcer Frank Bathe at 14:58 of the first period, picking up 20 minutes in penalties. However, Holt felt that he had been a victim of a cheap shot from Flyers' agitator Ken Linseman earlier in the game, and took it out on Flyer Blake Dunlop when the two came together in the corner. At the end of the first period, the Flyers confronted Holt as he came out of the penalty box, which escalated into a bench-clearing brawl. Although he was only involved in a fight with Flyer Paul Holmgren, who initiated the conflict, Holt was assessed a further 45 minutes in penalties for his actions during the brawl, including a triple game misconduct, bringing his game total to 67,[3] shattering the previous NHL record of 48 set by Jim Dorey in 1968. He was also suspended three games by the league for his actions.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1970–71 Sudbury Cub-Wolves NOJHL 3541519249 8213106
1970–71 Niagara Falls Flyers OHA 355712178
1971–72 Niagara Falls Flyers OHA 27358118 603331
1972–73 Sudbury Wolves OHA 5574249294 420234
1973–74 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 6631518222 1012351
1974–75 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 1201113
1974–75 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 6583240411 1007786
1975–76 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 1200013
1975–76 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 6464652161 832551
1976–77 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 1203314 20007
1976–77 Dallas Black Hawks CHL 300101090 301125
1977–78 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 600020
1977–78 Cleveland Barons NHL 48145229
1978–79 Vancouver Canucks NHL 2213480
1978–79 Los Angeles Kings NHL 36066202 20004
1979–80 Los Angeles Kings NHL 4201194
1980–81 Calgary Flames NHL 48055165 1322452
1981–82 Calgary Flames NHL 80009
1981–82 Washington Capitals NHL 53268250
1982–83 Washington Capitals NHL 70088275 401120
1983–84 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2600074
NHL totals 395437411438 2123583

References

  1. "HHOF Records and Rankings -- Penalty Minutes". www.hhof.com. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  2. Denlinger, Ken (4 December 1981). "Capitals' Holt: Fighting Chance At an Upgraded Reputation". The Washington Post. Washington Post. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  3. "SI.com's 50 landmark hockey fights". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
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