1984 Winner – TOM KURVERS of University of Minnesota-Duluth

Tom Kurvers holds the Bulldog career record for most
goals by a defenseman, with 43 from 1980-84. He was
named UMD’s Rookie of the Year in 1981, and in his Hobey Baker season of 1983-84, was the WCHA’s Most Valuable Player, WCHA All-Academic, and all-WCHA first team, helping lead the Bulldogs to their first WCHA regular season title and a second-place finish in the NCAA championship. Raised in Bloomington, Minnesota, he was selected by Montreal in the 1981 NHL entry draft and played for the Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders and Anaheim Mighty Ducks in an 11-year NHL career. He retired after a stint in the Japanese professional league, and is currently the assistant general manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 1991 he became a charter member of the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame.

1984 RUNNER-UP

CLEON DASKALAKIS

Boston University – Senior – Goalie- Boston, MA

Cleon Daskalakis is a retired professional hockey goaltender. While Daskalakis started his career in the New England Junior League for the South Shore Bears in the 1979-80 season, he wasn’t noticed until the 1980-81 season when he joined the Boston University Terriers– playing eight games that season with a 4-2-0 record; as well as playing three games in the 1981 World Juniors with Team USA. Daskalakis returned to Boston University in the 1981-82 season, appearing in 20 games and going 9-6-3. The breakout seasons for Daskalakis would be his junior and senior seasons at BU, playing in 24 games during the 1982-83 season (15-7-1) and 35 games in the 1983-84 season (25-10-0). In the 1983-84 season, Daskalakis got NCAA East First All-American Team, ECAC First All-Star Team, and ECAC Player of the Year honors. His stock soaring, the Boston Bruins signed Daskalakis on June 1, 1984. Daskalakis spent the majority of the 1984-85 season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, appearing 30 times and putting up a 9-13-4 record (plus being on the team that won the Calder Cup), while also appearing in eight games for the Bruins and finishing there with a 1-2-1 record. In the 1985-86 season, Daskalakis played the majority of the time in the AHL– this time with the Moncton Golden Flames, going 19-14-6 record and then 4-1 in six playoff games; as well as going 0-2-0 in two appearances with the Bruins. Daskalakis ended up back in Moncton in the 1986-87 season, going 8-14-0 in 27 games– plus putting up a 2-0-0 record in two games with Boston. With his contract expiring with Boston, the 1987-88 season became a whirlwind minor league hockey tour for Daskalakis, as he would play in the AHL with three different teams: three games for the Hershey Bears (1-1-0), six games for the Binghamton Whalers (2-2-1), and eight games for the Rochester Americans (4-3-0) before making a tour of the IHL with the Milwaukee Admirals for nine games (1-5-3). Daskalakis decided to try his hand overseas, playing the 1988-89 season with Jokerit Helsinki for 21 games, helping them win the Finnish Second League Championship, as well as playing in one game for Team USA in the World Championships before deciding to hang up the pads for good. In 1990, Daskalakis was named to the ECAC Goaltender of the Decade for the 1980s. In 1994, Daskalakis was inducted into the Boston University Hall of Fame. After his playing career, Daskalakis started up Celebrity Marketing Incorporated, which helps develop the “brand” and marketing aspect of sports figures to a wider variety of people. The Celebrities for Charity Foundation, which was helped along by Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, which helps celebrities maximize their charitable efforts, as well as bringing more attention to the charities themselves. Daskalakis was a local boy who made good and made it to the ultimate pinnacle, playing for his hometown team. While he didn’t stay for the length he wanted to, the fact he got the chance to do something many others didn’t is something to hang his hat on. Yet, from his experiences he has been able to give out to others in not only getting exposure for players, but getting exposures for places that need a hand-up. Daskalakis was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Star Second Team in 1982–83 and First Team in 1983–84. He was also named to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (East) All-American First Team, 1983–84. Daskalakis also represent United States at the 1989 World Ice Hockey Championships. He is the agent for Troy Brown of the New England Patriots and NHL player Sergei Samsanov. He is also a member of Boston University Athletics Hall of Fame.

1984 ADDITIONAL TOP 10 FINALISTS

DAN DORION

Western Michigan University – Senior – Forward – Astoria, New York

Dan Dorion is a retired American ice hockey right winger who played four games with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1985–86 and 1987–88 Dorion played college hockey for Western Michigan University. Born in Astoria, New York, Dorion starred as a junior with the Austin Mavericks of the USHL. After scoring 52 goals in 50 games for the club he was picked 232nd overall by the Devils in 1982. The gifted pivot then spent three years at the University of Western Michigan and was twice named to the CCHA first all-star team and placed on the NCAA west first and second all-american teams once each. Dorion was also picked to represent the US at the 1985 World Championships. After recording 104 points in 42 games in his senior year, Dorion notched a goal and an assist in three late season games for the Devils in April, 1986. He then spent the bulk of the next three years with the Maine Mariners and Utica Devils of the AHL before opting to go overseas. After playing the 1989-90 season with France’s HC Fiemme, Dorion sat out a year then returned to play three years with the Nottingham Panthers and Humberside Seahawks of the British league before retiring in 1994.

  • Twice named to the CCHA First All-Star team.
  • Represented the US at the 1985 World Championships.
  • Scores 104 points over 42 games his senior year at Western Michigan University.

GATES ORLANDO

Providence College – Senior – Forward – LaSalle, Quebec Canada

Gaetano “Gates” Orlando (born November 13, 1962 in LaSalle, Québec) is an Italian-Canadian retired professional ice hockey Centre and later ice hockey coach.

  • All-ECAC Hockey First Team, 1983-1984.
  • AHCA East Second-Team All-American, 1983-1984.
  • Drafted in 1981 by the Buffalo Sabres, round 8 #164 overall.

JEAN ROY

Bowdoin College – – Defense – Lewiston, Maine

One of the most prolific scorers in Bowdoin ice hockey history, Jean Roy helped to redefine the position of defenseman, not only in Dayton Arena, but in all of American collegiate hockey. His scoring records for defensemen, most of which still stand today, 20 years after he graduated, are indicative of his dominance. A native of Lewiston, Maine, Roy was a first-team All-State selection at St. Dominic’s High School in 1978 before moving on to Tabor Academy, where he was a two-time team MVP. He made an immediate impact at Bowdoin, earning ECAC Rookie of the Year, First-Team All-ECAC, and First-Team All-New England honors for the 1980-81 campaign. In his first year, he scored eight goals, tying the school mark for tallies by a defenseman in a season. It was a record he would shatter in both his sophomore and senior years, when he scored twelve and eleven goals respectively. As a sophomore, he earned the first of his three straight All-American honors and went on to become the first three-time All-American Polar Bear. Before he graduated, he would become the first, and to this day only, Bowdoin player to be a four-time All-New England selection. In 1982, he played with the East squad at the U.S. Sports Festival. Roy grabbed national attention as a senior, when he led the team with 11 goals and 35 assists. He was selected as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, which honors the top ten players in all divisions of collegiate hockey. He was awarded the New England Hockey Writers’ Outstanding Defenseman Award, given to the best defender in all divisions of college hockey, and was an East-West All-Star choice. That year he led the Polar Bears to the ECAC Championship game, which Bowdoin lost, 4-1, to Babson. Roy closed out his career holding the Bowdoin records for career assists (95), single-season assists (35), most career goals by a defenseman (38), and most career points by a blue-liner (133). Twenty years after his graduation, Roy still stands 10th on Bowdoin’s all-time scoring list. Following graduation, he played professional hockey in Holland. In 1999, Roy was inducted into the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame and was named by Sports Illustrated as one of Maine’s top 50 athletes of the 20th century. Roy resides in Newburyport, Massachusetts, with his wife, Catherine, and their children, Cameron and Austin. {insert Bio Paragraph}

  • ECAC Rookie of the Year, 1980-1981.
  • First Bowdoin player to be a four-time All-New England selection.
  • Named by Sports Illustrated as on of Maine’s top 50 athletes of the 20th century.

JOEL OTTO

Bemidji State University – Senior – Forward – Elk River, MN

Joel Otto is an American former professional ice hockey center in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. A native of Elk River, Minnesota, Otto played college hockey for Division II school Bemidji State. He scored 52 points in 31 games in his sophomore season of 1981–82, improving to 61 points the following season and finally 75 points in 31 games in 1983–84. He was recognized as the NCHA player of the year in 1984. Otto scored over 200 points for Bemidji State, was the first player to have his jersey retired by the school, and was inducted into Bemidji State’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. An undrafted player, Otto signed with the Flames as a free agent in 1984 and played 11 seasons with the team. He was one of the top defensive centers in the league during his career and one of the NHL’s best at faceoffs; Otto was a two-time finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. He was known for his confrontations with Mark Messier as part of the Flames’ rivalry with the Edmonton Oilers and was a member of Calgary’s 1989 Stanley Cup championship winning team. He joined the Flyers in 1995, with whom he played three seasons. Otto was a frequent member of the United States national team. He played in two World Championships and two Canada Cups. Otto was a member of the team that won the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and played in the 1998 Winter Olympics. He currently serves as an assistant coach of the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, with whom he won the league championship in 2010.

  • Named to the NCHA first All-Conference Team and NCAA West All-American in 1982, 1983 and 1984.
  • Lead Bemidji State in 1983-84 to an undefeated record at 31-0 and Division II National Championship.
  • Otto played in two World Championships, captaining the United States to the final in 1991.

JON CASEY

University of North Dakota – Senior – Goalie – Grand Rapids, MN

Jon Casey played college hockey for the University of North Dakota from 1980–1984 and was part of two NCAA National Championship teams in 1980 and 1982. Casey spent most of his career with the Minnesota North Stars. In 1989-90, Casey tied Patrick Roy and Daren Puppa for the league lead in wins with 31. In 1993, he was a part of the Campbell Conference’s roster at the 44th National Hockey League All-Star Game. Casey would also spend time with the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. Casey is best remembered for two famous moments when he was scored upon. The first, when Mario Lemieux split two North Stars defensemen (Neil Wilkinson and Shawn Chambers) and scored past Casey in the 1991 Stanley Cup finals. The second came in the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs when Steve Yzerman scored the game-winning goal in 2OT of Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals with a long shot from the blue line.

  • Named AHCA All-American, 1984.
  • Signed as a free agent by Minnesota North Starts, April 1, 1984.
  • Played on two NCAA National Championship teams in 1980 and 1982.

PAUL DONATO

Babson College – Senior – Forward – Arlington, MA

A four-year letter-winner and two-time captain, Paul Donato enjoyed one of the finest careers in Babson ice hockey history. A native of Arlington, Massachusetts, Donato was an All-Scholastic forward at Arlington Catholic before matriculating at Babson in 1980. Over the next four seasons, he led the Beavers to a combined record of 83-30-4, as well as two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Donato’s finest campaign came as a senior in 1983-84, when he set new Babson records for assists (49) and points (76) in guiding his team to a spectacular 27-5-1 record and the program’s first-ever NCAA National Championship. As a result of his remarkable season, Donato received All-American honors and was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation’s greatest ice hockey player. In 117 career games, he amassed 86 goals and 140 assists for 226 points, placing him second on Babson’s all-time scoring list. In addition, he still holds the school record for career assists, points in a season, and assists in a season.

  • Set Babson records for assists (49) and points (76) his senior year.
  • Hold the 2nd highest record for Babson’s all-time scoring list.
  • Served as Babson’s Men’s Hockey Head Coach, 1994-2004.

PAUL POOLEY

University of Ohio – Senior – Forward – Exeter, Ontario Canada

A 1984 Ohio State graduate (cum laude in accounting and marketing), Pooley got his start in college coaching at his alma mater, serving as an assistant to Jerry Welsh with the Buckeyes for three seasons (1988-91) following the end of his professional career. No stranger to the CCHA, Pooley was one of the conference’s top players from 1980-84 and was a second-team selection to the conference’s all-decade team of the 1980’s. A three-time member of the CCHA’s all-academic team, he took Academic All-America honors in 1984. A second-team all-CCHA selection in 1981, he also was selected as the CCHA’s co-rookie of the year that season. Pooley capped his brilliant Ohio State career in 1984 as he was selected as the CCHA Player of the Year and Bauer’s National Player of the Year, leading the nation in scoring with 32 goals and 64 assists for 96 points in 41 games. Selected first-team all-CCHA and first team All-America as a senior, Pooley is Ohio State’s all-time leader in goals (114), assists (156) and points (270) and joined the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. He became the first Ohio State hockey player to have his number retired on November 4, 2006 during a game between Notre Dame and the Buckeyes. A native of Exeter, Ontario, Pooley signed with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets following his collegiate career and played two seasons with the Jets’ top farm team, the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League, playing on a Calder Cup championship team in 1985. He moved on to play one season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League where he was co-captain of a Komet team that won the 1987 regular-season championship. In his three seasons as a pro, Pooley played in 15 NHL games with the Jets. He retired in 1987 to go into private business with his twin brother, Perry, also an Ohio State hockey All-American. Pooley is currently the associate head coach for Notre Dame’s men’s ice hockey team, a position he has held since 2005. Pooley and his wife, Kelly, have two children: 22-year-old, Scott, who is a junior hockey player at College of the Holy Cross, and 19-year-old Taylor, who plays soccer at Ball State

  • Pooley became the first Ohio State hockey player to have his number (22) retired on November 4, 2006.
  • ACHA West First-Team All-American, 1983-1984.
  • Selected as the CCHA Player of the Year and Bauer’s National Player of the Year, 1984.

STEVE SMITH

Colgate University – Senior – Forward

Steve Smith was an outstanding hockey player for the Red Raiders from 1981-84. He finished his collegiate career as Colgate’s all-time leading scorer with 212 points (83-129=212) in 128 games. He also set school records for most career assists (129) and games played (128). Smith played in every game in his college career helping Colgate to a four-year record of 75-46-7 (.613) with three trips to the ECAC playoffs, one trip to the NCAA playoffs and the first two 20-win seasons in the school’s history. In his senior year, he was a finalist for NCAA Today’s Top Five Award (athletic ability and achievement, academic excellence, character/ leadership activities). Smith was named first-team All-America by American Hockey Coaches Association and first team At-Large Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America. He was a two-time recipient of Colgate’s Steve Riggs Memorial Trophy (gentlemanly play and high standard of playing ability). Smith was unanimously chosen as winner of Colgate’s Edward M. Stimets Memorial Award (outstanding contribution to the University as a freshman), nominated three times for George Cobb Fellowship and named a Charles A. Dana Scholar (superior academic achievement and demonstrated leadership in college community) in his sophomore year.

  • ECAC Division I All-Star and the East team’s MVP in East-West Senior All-Star Game, 1984.
  • Smith was a two-time recipient of the ECAC Merit Medal, Colgate’s Rob Ries Memorial Award (inspiration and leadership).
  • Two-time recipient of Colgate’s Steve Riggs Memorial Trophy (gentlemanly play and high standard of playing ability).