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. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1973.

Steve Vickers
Born (1951-04-21) 21 April 1951
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 NHL
New York Rangers
AHL
Springfield Indians
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.

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 effectiveness dropped sharply; he finished the year in the minor leagues with the Springfield Indians, after which he retired.

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 GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1968–69 Markham Waxers MetJHL 36434083— —————
1969–70 Toronto Marlboros OHA 5228386623 1155105
1970–71 Toronto Marlboros OHA 62436410751 13812205
1971–72 Omaha Knights CHL 7026335945 —————
1972–73 New York Rangers NHL 6130235337 105494
1973–74 New York Rangers NHL 7534245818 1344817
1974–75 New York Rangers NHL 8041488964 32466
1975–76 New York Rangers NHL 8030538340 —————
1976–77 New York Rangers NHL 7522315326 —————
1977–78 New York Rangers NHL 7919446330 32130
1978–79 New York Rangers NHL 6613344724 1853813
1979–80 New York Rangers NHL 7529336238 92244
1980–81 New York Rangers NHL 7319395840 12471114
1981–82 New York Rangers NHL 349112013 —————
1981–82 Springfield Indians AHL 20461014 —————
NHL totals 698246340586330 6824254958

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. ISBN 978-0470736197. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
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
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