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| 1981 DRAFT QUICK FACTS |
DATE: JUNE 10, 1981
LOCATION: MONTREAL
FORUM |
| DRAFT HISTORY |
The third NHL Entry Draft was the first public draft to include a clear
franchise player for the No. 1 overall pick and a first-round controversy,
albeit a mild one. On the positive side, there was Dale Hawerchuk, a clear,
no-brainer choice for Winnipeg with the No. 1 pick. On the negative side, there
was a very angry Bob Carpenter Sr., whose son Bobby was drafted by Washington
rather than Hartford, the "local" team that was expected to land the best player
in New England high school hockey history, if not the best U.S. high school
player ever.
Hartford had the No. 4 overall pick, and it was generally thought that the
Whalers would be taking Carpenter. But just before the draft, Washington traded
up to No. 3, enabling the Capitals to get Carpenter ahead of the Whalers.
Although Carpenter himself did not attend the draft due to strict NCAA
regulations that would have prevented him from playing college hockey had he
done so, his father, a policeman, was there on his behalf. When Washington
announced its pick, the older Carpenter stormed out of the draft area in
protest. Although he made quite a scene, Bob Carpenter Sr. later collected
himself and came back to the draft. In the end, he had realized that Washington
wasn't so far away, and it was always better to go No. 3 than No. 4. Ironically,
the deal worked out even better for Hartford, which used its fourth overall pick
on Ron Francis, the best player in franchise history.
Carpenter's selection highlighted a big year for high school players. In 1980,
as the draft age first came down to 18, only eight high school kids were
drafted. By 1981 that number reached a remarkable 18. The 1981 draft was also a
breakthrough year for Canadian Tier II players, as a record 10 were selected. In
addition to Tier II, U.S. junior leagues and Ontario Junior B made notable
contributions to the talent pool. All of this influx came at the expense of
college hockey, which saw a 50 percent drop in the number of players drafted as
compared to 1980.
Goaltenders and Europeans were also big winners in 1981. A total of 25 netminders were
taken, up dramatically from 17 the previous year and only one short of the
record set in 1975 and 1976. Leading the way was Grant Fuhr. The
future Hall of Famer, and first black player drafted in the first round, was
taken eighth overall by Edmonton. On the European front, NHL scouts found a
total of 32 overseas players worthy of the draft, breaking the previous record
of 17 set in 1978.
A noteworthy European pick was Buffalo's decision to gamble at No. 17 and take
Czechoslovakia's Jiri Dudacek. Unfortunately for Scotty Bowman and the Sabres,
the formerly Communist Czech hockey federation never released Dudacek to play in
North America. Still, Dudacek made history as the first Czech player picked in a
first round.
There was one very comic moment. Barry Tabobondung, drafted by Philadelphia in
the third round, was so excited to hear his name called that he tried to hurdle
a Montreal Forum chair in order to get out onto the draft floor. Unfortunately,
his foot slipped through the chair and got caught. Arena workers had to take the
chair apart to free him in what was arguably the most embarrassing event in
draft history. On a tragic note, Tabobondung, who never played in the NHL, died
19 years later at age 39 while saving his son from being run over by a road
grader.
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| THE BASICS |
Eligible For Draft: All amateur players born between
January 1, 1961, and September 15, 1963.
Draft
Order: Teams drafted in reverse order of their 1980-81 finish.
Irregularities: Due
to earlier trades, Hartford's second-round pick, No. 25 overall, was to be
used by either Chicago or Philadelphia with Chicago having right of first
refusal. If Chicago used pick, Philadelphia would receive Hartford's 1982
second-round pick. Chicago exercised its option to use the pick. Winnipeg
was given a bonus selection following Round
10 as compensation from the NHL for accepting move from the Smythe Division to the Norris Division for
the 1981-82 season.
Rotation: Winnipeg, Detroit,
Colorado, Hartford, Washington, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Edmonton, N.Y. Rangers,
Vancouver, Quebec, Chicago, Minnesota, Boston, Calgary, Philadelphia,
Buffalo, Los
Angeles, Montreal, St. Louis, N.Y. Islanders
Total Rounds: Eleven (Ten
set rounds plus
Winnipeg's bonus pick)
Cost to Draft: The NHL paid a lump sum to the CMJHL to support
major junior hockey as a whole.
Draft Rights: Team could offer
player contract at any time after draft, however, underage players would be
required to begin the 1981-82 season with their major-junior teams if they did
not make their NHL teams out of camp, and would only be available for
emergency recall. |
| DRAFT RECAP |
No. 1 pick: Dale Hawerchuk (by Winnipeg)
Reached
NHL: 114 players (54.0 percent)
Won Stanley Cup: 17 players
(8.1 percent)
Most NHL Games: Ron Francis (1,731 games)
Most
Playoff Games: Chris Chelios (223 games)
Highest Pick to Miss:
No. 17 (Jiri Dudacek)
Lowest Pick to Reach: No. 209 (Richard Zemlak)
Players Drafted:
211 (119 forwards, 67 defense, 25 goalies) |
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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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