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Winnipeg, Manitoba (MB)

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David John "Wrecker" Hrechkosy - professional hockey player

David John "Wrecker" Hrechkosy - professional hockey player

Class of 1969

David John "Wrecker" Hrechkosy (November 1, 1951 — March 7, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 141 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the California Golden Seals and St. Louis Blues.

David "Wrecker" John Hrechkosy

Born: November 1, 1951 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Hometown: North End, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Died: March 7, 2012 at Salt Lake City, Utah
Position: Left Wing

“There’s a lot of good people who come from the North End and he was one of them.” Hrechkosy played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League MJHL for the West Kildonan North Stars 1969-70 before graduating to the Western Canada Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jr. Jets in the 1970-71 season. At 21, he signed with the New York Rangers in 1972 and played in their farm system New Haven (EHL) scoring 31 goals.He was promoted to Rochester (AHL) for 1972-73. before getting his shot in the NHL with the California Golden Seals after a trade. Calder contender He scored 29 goals and had 43 points in 1974-75 as a rookie, finishing second in the Calder Trophy balloting to Eric Vail of the Atlanta Flames. It proved to be his best year as he would go on to score 42 goals and 66 points over 141 games in five NHL seasons with the Seals and St. Louis Blues. “He was a big teddy bear, but if you got in a jackpot he was right there for you,” Horechko said. “He’d drop his gloves no problem.” Kerry Lischka grew up with Hrechkosy’s younger brother, Don. He recalls how kids in the North End looked up to The Wrecker and John Bednarski, who took the same path to the NHL as Hrechkosy, going from the North Stars to the Jr. Jets, then the Rangers. “We were pretty excited when he made it to the NHL, but the Hrechkosy’s were pretty casual about it,” Lischka said. “They didn’t make a big deal about it. “Dave came back for short periods in the summer. We grew up around Northwood Community Centre and they used to have the summer carnival. Dave and John Bednarski would always show up there.” NHL players weren’t known for their off-season training in the ’70s and Hrechkosy was no different, Lischka said. “He liked to party,” he said. “He wasn’t the hardest trainer in the world, and that’s why his career didn’t last that long, because he was a pretty talented guy.” The Golden Seals are a part of hockey folklore, playing in Oakland from 1967-76. Horechko has fond memories of spending two weeks with Hrechkosy in Oakland where a team of young Canadian men, including future Hall of Famer Charlie Simmer, enjoyed the California night life. “Wrecker was still single then,” Horechko said with a laugh. “Saying he lived life to the fullest is an understatement.” Hrechkosy continued to play in the minors before retiring from hockey in 1980 and settling in Salt Lake City, where he and his wife Vera raised two children, Macey and Garry. He worked for Coca-Cola before becoming the concession manager at University of Utah and later Texas A&M University. Horechko looks at a photo he has of Hrechkosy where he’s chasing Bobby Orr of the Bruins with Phil Esposito in the background. “You talk about a little history,” he said. “Here’s a North End guy with Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito. It can’t get any better.”
Hrechkosy saw most of his ice time with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles (WHL) where he notched 36 goals. ... stuck with Seals in 1974-75, scoring 29 times. ... runner-up for NHL rookie of the year. ... dropped to nine goals the next season and was eventually relegated to the minors. ... finished the season in St. Louis, after being traded. ... played 15 games the next season for the Blues, before being sent down. ... spent the remainder of his career in the minors.



Dave Hrechkosy
Left Wing
Born Nov 1 1951 -- Winnipeg, MAN
Height 6.02 -- Weight 210 -- Shoots L


--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1970-71 Winnipeg Jets WCHL 57 16 21 37 70
1971-72 Providence Reds AHL 7 3 0 3 2 -- -- -- -- --
1971-72 New Haven Blades EHL 75 31 34 65 66 7 4 5 9 16
1972-73 Rochester Americans AHL 70 15 24 39 48 4 0 2 2 8
1973-74 Salt Lake Golden Eagles WHL 78 36 35 71 58 5 2 1 3 10
1973-74 California Golden Seals NHL 2 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
1974-75 California Seals NHL 72 29 14 43 25 -- -- -- -- --
1975-76 California Seals NHL 38 9 5 14 14 -- -- -- -- --
1975-76 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 16 8 3 11 6 -- -- -- -- --
1975-76 St. Louis Blues NHL 13 3 3 6 0 3 1 0 1 2
1976-77 St. Louis Blues NHL 15 1 2 3 2 -- -- -- -- --
1976-77 Kansas City Blues CHL 45 9 12 21 4 10 3 3 6 0
1977-78 Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL 55 5 12 17 11 -- -- -- -- --
1978-79 Saginaw Gears IHL 2 0 2 2 0 -- -- -- -- --
1978-79 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 61 15 20 35 21 10 6 7 13 8
1979-80 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 1 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
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NHL Totals 140 42 24 66 41 3 1 0 1 2

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