Former Chicago Black Hawks defenseman Pat Stapleton of Sarnia, Ontario passed away on Thursday according to the Canadian Press due to complications from a stroke. He was 79 years old.
Stapleton played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League. He was with the Boston Bruins for two years from 1961 to 1963 and then with the Black Hawks for eight seasons from 1965 to 1973. In 635 games, Stapleton had 43 goals and 294 assists for 337 points.
Stapleton’s finest NHL season came in 1968-69. That season he had career highs in assists (50) and points (56). Also with the Black Hawks, he was on the NHL’s second all-star team in 1965-66, 1970-71 and 1971-72.
After his decade in the NHL, Stapleton played five seasons in the now defunct World Hockey Association. From 1973 to 1978 with the Chicago Cougars, Indianapolis Racers and Cincinnati Stingers, Stapleton had 27 goals and 212 assists for 239 points in 372 games. In 1974, Stapleton won the Dennis Murphy Trophy, which was presented to the top defenseman in the WHA. In 78 games, he had six goals and 52 assists for 58 points.
On the international scene, Stapleton was part of the Canadian team that won the 1972 Summit Series. By winning the eight game series against The Soviet Union, Stapleton and the rest of his Canadian team were inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
