1982 Winner – GEORGE MCPHEE of Bowling Green State University

In his college career, McPhee held Bowling Green’s
school record of 267 points in 153 games. During his
Hobey Baker year of 1981-82, he recorded 28 goals and 52 assists for 80 points in 40 games and was named CCHA Player of the Year, first team All-America and First Team CCHA All Star, and was the first CCHA player to earn All-Academic honors three years in a row (1979-82). He was the CCHA’s all-time leading scorer with 114 goals and 153 assists, and held the BGSU freshman point record with 88 in 1979. McPhee’s hockey number was retired—the first Falcon so honored—and he was elected to the BGSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. After playing seven NHL seasons with the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, the native of Guelph, Ontario, retired from hockey in 1989 and earned a law degree from Rutgers University in 1992. McPhee currently is vice president and general manager of the Washington Capitals.

1982 RUNNER-UP

RON SCOTT

Michigan State University – Junior – Goalie – Guelph, Ontario Canada

Ronald Scott (born July 21, 1960 in Guelph, Ontario) is a retired NHL hockey player. Scott played for the Cornwall Royals in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and also with Michigan State University where he was named Alderton Male Athlete of the Year (1983); WCHA Freshman of the Year and WCHA First All-Star Team, 1981; CCHA First All-Star Team, 1981 – 1982; and CCHA Most Valuable Player in Tournament, 1982. He went on to play as a goaltender for the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings in the 1980s early 1990s. Scott was member of the Tulsa Oilers (CHL) team that suspended operations on February 16, 1984, playing only road games for final six weeks of 1983-84 season. Despite this adversity, the team went on to win the league’s championship.

1982 ADDITIONAL TOP 10 FINALISTS

BRIAN HILLS

Bowling Green State University – Freshman – Forward – Windsor, Ontario Canada

Brian Hills (born August 17, 1959) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player currently the associate head coach for the Rochester Institute of Technology men’s ice hockey team since 2005. Hills played ice hockey at Bowling Green State University the same time as current RIT head coach Wayne Wilson where they were teammates. Hills was a two-time All-American and two-time Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist. He led the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in scoring twice and was the CCHA Player of the Year in 1983. In addition, Hills was a two-time CCHA All-Academic team member, and was a second team CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American as a senior. Hills left Bowling Green as its all-time leading scorer and is currently second on the list. He scored 116 goals and added 154 assists for 270 points in 156 games. In 1982-83 he set a school single-season record that still stands with 94 points (37-57-94) in 40 games. Hills led the Falcons in scoring during his final three seasons. After graduating from Bowling Green with a degree in business administration, Hills spent 11 seasons playing professionally in Europe (eight years in Switzerland and three in Germany). He won three gold medals with Team Canada in Europe’s Spengler Cup.

  • All-CCHA First Team, 1981-1982.
  • AHCA West All-American, 1981-1982.
  • Bowling Green State University Athletics Hall of Fame, 1988.

BRYAN “BUTSY” ERICKSON

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities – Junior – Forward – Roseau, Minnesota

Bryan Lee “Butsy” Erickson (born March 7, 1960 in Roseau, Minnesota) is a retired American ice hockey player. Signed in 1983 as a free agent by the Washington Capitals after starring for the University of Minnesota men’s ice hockey team, Erickson played parts of two seasons with the Capitals before he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. He also played with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets before retiring from active professional play after the 1993–94 NHL season. Erickson resides today in Roseau pursuing business interests. Erickson frequently played for Team USA in international hockey. He was a member of the 1982, 1986 and 1987 Ice Hockey World Championship teams as well as the 1984 Canada Cup. On September 20, 2012, he was elected to the University of Minnesota “M” Club and was celebrated as part of the 2012 inductee group at the September 22, 2012 football game in which the University of Minnesota beat Syracuse University 17-10. As an integral part of the Minnesota family, the “M” Club endeavors to uphold and enrich the great tradition of Golden Gopher Athletics. {insert Bio Paragraph}

  • All-WCHA Second Team, 1981-1982.
  • All-WCHA First Team, 1982-1983.
  • Named 4th on Minnesota’s all-time scoring list with 238 career points

DAVE POULIN

University of Notre Dame – Senior – Forward – Timmins, Ontario Canada

David Poulin (born December 17, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. In his four seasons at Notre Dame (1978-82), Poulin scored 89 goals with 107 assists for 196 points in 135 games. His 89 goals rank him fifth on the all-time list, his assists rank him seventh and he is sixth on the all-time points list. As coach of the Irish, Poulin recorded his 100th career win in Notre Dame’s 8-5 win at Western Michigan on Oct. 19, 2002. On March 15, 2003, at Miami (Ohio), he moved into second on Notre Dame’s all-time win list. He has 139 career wins with the Irish and trails only Charles “Lefty” Smith (his coach at Notre Dame), who is the all-time leader with 307. His small size got him overlooked in the NHL Entry Draft so instead he went to Sweden to play for Rögle BK. Poulin’s head coach was Ted Sator, who was also a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League. Sator was impressed with Poulin’s abilities and called for him to be put on board the Flyers’ roster. In 1982-83, he made the leap to the NHL after a brief stint with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League. On the second-to-last day of the season, Poulin made his debut at Maple Leaf Gardens, netting two goals in a 6-3 Philadelphia victory. The following season, Poulin was put on a line with superstar Brian Propp and Tim Kerr. The line became a dangerous offensive line in the league for the bulk of the next three seasons, and in his first full NHL campaign, helped him set a club record (now since passed) for most points by a Flyers rookie with 76. Poulin quickly established himself as a strong leader and a player that could play at both ends of the ice, owing to the fact that he was 25 years old before taking a regular shift in the pros. Those attributes aided in his being named team captain on the eve of the 1984-85 replacing Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke,[1] who had dealt former teammate Darryl Sittler to Detroit on the day he was to take the captaincy. Poulin continued to be a strong presence offensively and defensively during his eight-year stay in Philadelphia, and overcame debilitating injuries at key times to help the club win. In 1985, though slowed by knee and rib injuries, he helped a young Flyers club reach the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in five games. During Game 6 of the Wales Conference Finals at the Spectrum, Poulin scored a memorable two-man disadvantage short-handed goal which helped close out the Quebec Nordiques. Two years later, Poulin missed chunks of playoff time with fractured ribs, but contributed to a pair of series clinchers—a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders in Game 7 of the Patrick Division Finals, and in Game 6 of the Wales Finals at the Montreal Forum. Once healthy, he could not aid Philly in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, as the Flyers lost to Edmonton again, but this time in a seven-game thriller. For his efforts during the regular season, he was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1986-87 and was named to the 1986 and 1988 NHL All-Star Games.[1] Poulin also played at the Rendez-vous ’87 event[1] where he recorded the winner late in the third period of Game 1. The switch from Mike Keenan to Paul Holmgren as Flyers head coach meant a shift in responsibilities, as Poulin became more of a defensive specialist. By 1989-90, Poulin’s play was deteriorating due to injuries and inconsistent play of his teammates, and less than a month after being stripped of the captaincy, was traded to the Boston Bruins for former Flyers center Ken Linseman. In his first season with the Bruins, Poulin, along with former teammate Brian Propp, made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, but Boston lost in five games. He stayed with the team for three more years which saw him win the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1992-93. He left the team as a free agent following the 1992-93 season and signed on with the Washington Capitals. Poulin lasted another season and a half before retiring.

  • Named Second All-Star Team, 1982.
  • Head Coach for Notre Dame ice hockey 1995 – 2005.
  • 2004, Inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame.

ED BEERS

University of Denver – Senior – Forward – Merritt, British Columbia Canada

Edward Joseph “Eddy” Beers is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played 250 games in the National Hockey League. He was nearly a point per game player in his time in the NHL, but his NHL career was cut short by injury. Beers played for the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues. He also played at the University of Denver in the NCAA between 1979–1982 and led the NCAA in scoring his senior season. During his senior year Beers scored 50 goals then was signed as a free agent by the Calgary Flames. He split his rookie season between the NHL and the CHL’s Colorado Flames before breaking out with 36 goals in 1983-84. Beers formed an effective partnership with Mike Eaves and Hakan Loob and appeared set for a fine career when he scored 28 times in 1984-85. The young winger’s career changed dramatically in February 1986 when he was sent to the St. Louis Blues in a deal that involved popular forward Joe Mullen. Beers struggled with seven goals in 24 games but was solid when the club came within one game of reaching the finals. The St. Louis fans never had a chance to see if Beers could rekindle his scoring touch. He was forced to retire due to a herniated disc in his back suffered during warm up prior to a pre-season game.

  • Lead the NCAA in scoring his senior year for the University of Denver Pioneers with 84 .
  • Beers lead the Pioneers in Assists between 1979-1980.
  • University of Denver listed Beers as top 10 scorers for men’s ice hockey (1978-1982).

JOHN NEWBERRY

University of Wisconsin – Madison – Forward – Victoria, British Columbia Canada

Jump to: navigation, search John Newberry (born April 8, 1962) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He played twenty-two games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens and Hartford Whalers. He registered four assists. Newberry was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia and raised in Victoria, British Columbia. Newberry made his debut with the Habs in April of 1983, taking part in the last two games of the team’s playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres. Newberry played another three games with the Canadiens the following season, as well as 16 more in their 1984-85 campaign. He signed with the Hartford Whalers on Sept. 9, 1985, where he played his final season in the league in 1985-86.

  • All-WCHA First Team 1981-1982.
  • AHCA West All-American 1981-1982.
  • Third-round draft pick and the 45th overall selection at the 1980 NHL Entry Draft.

KIRK MCCASKILL

University of Vermont – Senior – Forward – Kapuskasign, Ontario Canada

McCaskill was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, where his father Ted McCaskill played for the local senior league hockey team. As a child, McCaskill moved several times due to his father’s professional hockey career. He lived in Nashville, Memphis, Vancouver, Phoenix, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. McCaskill’s father retired from hockey in 1975 and his family settled in Paradise Valley, Arizona. McCaskill attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach his Freshman year before being accepted at Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, New York. He move to the boarding school mainly to pursue his hockey career, but continued to play baseball while there. During his senior year, McCaskill had an 8–0 record with an 0.97 ERA and 97 strikeouts, scored 26 goals and 22 assists in 17 hockey games, and was the varsity soccer team’s leading goal-scorer. He turned down a baseball scholarship to Arizona State University so that he could pursue both hockey and baseball at the University of Vermont. McCaskill played center and right wing for the University of Vermont from 1979 to 1983. In 1982, McCaskill was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and named to that season’s NCAA East All-America First Team and the ECAC All-Star First Team. He was the team captain during the 1982–83 season, and won the Cunningham Award as the Most Valuable Player on the Catamounts. McCaskill was drafted in the fourth round (64th overall) by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He played only one season of professional hockey for the Sherbrooke Jets, a Jets farm team. McCaskill dressed for one game with the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL but did not play in the game. During the 1983–84 season, he scored 10 goals and added 12 assists for 22 points. He retired from professional hockey after the one season to focus on his professional baseball career.

  • Inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 for his achievement in hockey and baseball.
  • All-ECAC Hockey First Team, 1981-1982.
  • AHCA East All-American, 1981-1982.

PAUL LOHNES

University of Massachusetts Lowell – Senior – Defense – Woburn, Massachusetts

Maybe the finest all-around defenseman to ever skate for the University of Lowell, Paul Lohnes was the first Division II Hobey Baker Award winner in 1982, emblematic of being the finest player among the nation’s Division II schools. In addition, he was a finalist for the overall award which goes to the outstanding player in the country. The only three-time hockey All-American in school history, Paul was voted the ECAC Division II East Player of the Year for the 1981-82 season and won the New England Hockey Writers Association Award as the region’s top rearguard. A four-year letterman, he was also named to the All-ECAC Division II and the All-New England College Division squads three times. Elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, Lohnes held or shared 1`5 school records including most goals by a defenseman in one game (4), one season (27), and for a career (58). He is the all-time leading scorer among defensemen and ranked seventh overall with 167 points. he captained the Chiefs his senior year leading them to a 31-4 record and the ECAC and NCAA Division II crowns. During his four seasons, he played on three ECAC and NCAA championships squads. Paul also received the President’s Award as the top scholar-athlete. After graduating with his degree in management information systems, he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. He played two years for the Kings organization before leaving professional hockey.

  • Three-time hockey All-American for UMass Lowell River Hawks.
  • Recipient of the 1982 Cushing Award for outstanding make athlete for the 1981-1982 academic year.
  • Elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility

STEVE CRUICKSHANK

Clarkson University – Center – Toronto, Ontario Canada

  • Golden Knights’ leading scorer with 22 goals and 28 assists for the 1981-1982 season
  • Named ECAC Player of the Year 1982.
  • AHCA All-American East Team, 1982.