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1981
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1981 NHL DRAFT PICK
Rick Zombo
Selected in eighth round
No. 149 overall by Detroit Red Wings

Born May 8, 1963
Position: Defense
Height: 6-1   Weight: 195
BEFORE THE DRAFT
Last Team: Austin (USHL)                                 
Birthplace: Des Plaines, Illinois (USA)
Hometown: Des Plaines, Illinois
PRE-DRAFT STATISTICS
Year TeamLeague GPG ATP PIM
1979-80 Royal YorkOPJHL ---- ---- --
1980-81 AustinUSHL 4310 2636 73

PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
USHL Best Defenseman:
1980-81 (Austin)
USHL All-Star First Team: 1980-81 (Austin)
NHL CAREER
Debut: March 10, 1985 (Detroit at St. Louis)
Numbers:  11, 23, 4 (Detroit); 2, 4 (St. Louis); 34 (Boston)
Stanley Cup: Never won.  Playing Status: Retired 1997
CAREER NHL STATISTICS
Years TeamsGP GA TPPIM
1985-1996 Detroit, St. Louis, Boston 65224 130154 728
CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS
Years TeamsGP GA TPPIM
1987-1995 Detroit, St. Louis60 111 12127

NHL AWARDS AND HONORS
Miscellaneous:
Was first player drafted off a USHL roster by an NHL team. ... Called up to NHL for good on Dec. 10, 1986. ... Missed part of 1987-88 season with separated left shoulder, an injury suffered during Detroit's Dec. 4, 1987, game vs. Chicago. He did not return to action until Detroit's Dec. 23, 1987, game vs. Buffalo, when he re-aggravated the injury. He did not return to action after that until Detroit's Dec. 31, 1987, game vs. St. Louis. He later re-aggravated the injury during Detroit's Feb. 20, 1988, game vs. Chicago and missed another game. ... Led Detroit with plus-14 rating in 1988 playoffs. ... Missed parts of 1988-89 season with strained right knee, an injury suffered during Detroit's Dec. 1, 1988, game vs. Quebec, and with pulled stomach muscle, an injury suffered during Detroit's Dec. 22, 1988, game vs. St. Louis. ... Led Detroit with plus-23 rating in 1988-89. ... Suspended three games by NHL during 1989-90 season for his role in high-sticking incident with Al Iafrate during Detroit's Dec. 27, 1989, game at Toronto. The incident took place as Iafrate was carrying the puck into Detroit's zone. Zombo whacked Iafrate with his stick, hitting him in the shoulder. No penalty was called on the play, but a subsequent NHL review determined that Zombo was "irresponsible" in the use of his stick and deserved to be suspended. The suspension was announced on Jan. 8, 1990, and Detroit immediately exercised its option to have the suspension delayed seven games. As a result, Zombo sat out games from Jan. 16-24, 1990. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season with concussion, an injury suffered during Detroit's Oct. 12, 1990, game vs. Hartford. ... Skipped Detroit's March 16, 1991, game so he could be with his wife for the birth of their son Dominic. ... Missed part of 1991-92 season with broken bone in left foot, an injury suffered during St. Louis' March 14, 1992, game vs. N.Y. Rangers. ... Missed half of 1995 season with sprained ankle, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Jan. 24, 1995, game at Calgary, re-aggravated during St. Louis' Feb. 9, 1995, game vs. Chicago and re-aggravated again during St. Louis' March 5, 1995, game at Dallas. The injury kept him out of 25 total games. ... Missed remainder of 1995-96 season with broken right foot, an injury suffered during Boston's March 27, 1996, game at Hartford. He would never play another NHL game after suffering the injury. ... Signed with Los Angeles as an unrestricted free agent on Dec. 15, 1996, but never played for parent team.
Zombo's Big Suspension: Zombo drew the NHL's wrath during the 1993-94 season when he was suspended 10 games for bumping into linesman Kevin Collins during St. Louis' Jan. 9, 1994, game at Dallas. The suspension, announced on Jan. 10, 1994, was set for an "indefinite" time period, pending further review of the incident and a hearing on Jan. 17, 1994. The incident stemmed from a play in which Collins accidentally collided with Zombo and knocked him off the puck in the neutral zone, which allowed Mike McPhee to pick up the puck and score the eventual game-winning goal for the Stars, shorthanded at 7:21 of the third period. Enraged over the mistake, Zombo slashed the linesman and then bumped into him after McPhee scored his goal. There was no penalty on the play, because Collins told referee Rob Shick that it was his fault. An embarrassed Zombo also apologized, saying he had no idea that it was a linesman, and not another player, whom he had slashed. Collins was even surprised when the NHL later suspended Zombo. NHL vice president Brian Burke was not so forgiving. He assessed the longest suspension of his tenure to date by giving Zombo a 10-game punishment and fining him $500. Zombo was allowed to practice during the suspension, but had to forfeit more than $57,000 in salary over that time period. Zombo was not eligible to return until St. Louis' Feb. 5, 1994, game vs. San Jose. Burke agreed that Zombo had slashed Collins accidentally, but said Zombo had intentionally bumped Collins to get back at him after play had stopped.
NON-NHL CAREER
Post-Draft Teams: North Dakota (WCHA); Adirondack (AHL); Phoenix (IHL)
World Junior Championships: 1983 (fifth place)
NON-NHL AWARDS AND HONORS
AHL Calder Cup:
1986 (Adirondack)
NCAA Championship: 1982 (North Dakota)
NAHL Coach of Year: 1998-99 (St. Louis)
St. Louis Plager Award (Support for Local Hockey): 1998-99
WCHA All-Star Second Team: 1983-84 (North Dakota)
North Dakota Hoghaug Scholarship (Freshman of Year): 1981-82
North Dakota Tri-Captain: 1983-84
Scouting Career: Named Topeka (USHL) scout prior to 2001-02 season and remained in that position until May 2003.
Coaching Career: Named St. Louis Sting (NAHL) head coach prior to 1998-99 season and remained in position through 2000-01 season. ... Named Chesterfield Marquette (Missouri H.S.) head coach prior to 2001-02 season and remained in position until May 2003. ... Named St. Louis Heartland (USHL) head coach in May 2003 and remained in that position into 2003-04 season.
Management Career: Named St. Louis Heartland (USHL) general manager in May 2003 and remained in position into 2003-04 season.
Education: Majored in business administration at North Dakota.
Miscellaneous: Left North Dakota after his junior year to pursue pro hockey career. ... Missed part of 1984-85 season with knee injury, suffered in December 1984. ... A gifted artist, he drew and painted as a hobby during off-seasons of his playing days and published a coloring book about hockey. Also worked as a comic-book illustrator after his retirement. ... Was avid fisherman and bow-hunter during his playing days. ... Opened Stix Academy Hockey Schools in St. Louis and San Antonio after his retirement and ran business through summer of 2002.
Personal: Full name is Richard J. Zombo. ... Older brother of former major-junior player Mike Zombo.
HOW HE GOT AWAY
TRADE: Detroit traded Zombo to St. Louis in exchange for Vincent Riendeau on October 18, 1991.

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SNAPSHOT '81
Total Selected: 211
Forwards: 119
Defense: 67
Goaltenders: 25
Major Junior: 122
Tier II/Jr. B: 10/4
College Players: 21
High School: 18
Canadian: 139
Euro-Canadian: 3
USA Citizens: 37
U.S.-Born: 36
European: 32
Reached NHL: 114
Stanley Cup: 17
Hall of Fame: 2
All-Star Game: 14
Year-end All-Star: 7
Olympians: 30
Picks Traded: 38
 
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