DAVE HRECHKOSY
Date of Death: 2012-03-12Date of Birth: 1951-11-01
Date of Induction: 2022
Dave 'Wrecker' Hrechkosy was a proud Winnipeger who never forgot his North End roots.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Hrechkosy, learned the game of hockey on the windy rinks of Northwood Community Club. Advancing to the MJHL with the West Kildonan North Stars in 1969/70, he would make the jump the following year to the WCHL's Winnipeg Junior Jets.
Undrafted and unsigned, he spent 3 seasons in the EHL and AHL figuring the pro game out and hoping to attract the attention of a big-league club. After a solid year with the AHL's Rochester Americans in 1972/73, Hrechkosy signed with the New York Rangers. However, before he could light up the bright lights of Broadway, he was traded to the California Golden Seals.
He would make his NHL debut with a couple of games for the Seals in 1973/74 but spent that season with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the WHL where he notched 36 goals. The following season was a different story as Hrechkosy broke through with 29 markers. He led the team with 8 power play markers and 6 game-winning goals.
At 6'3" and 210lbs his obvious nickname was "The Wrecker." But Larry Patey nicknamed him "Crazy Legs" because he was "a goofy looking skater." Unorthodox he may have been, but he was deceptively fast. Once he joined the Seals, he was the center piece of the briefly memorable "Wrecking Crew Line" with Ron Huston and Butch Williams.
Dave's play garnered league-wide attention and he was runner-up to Eric Vail of the Atlanta Flames for NHL Rookie of the Year.
The following year, the St. Louis Blues sent 2 draft picks to the Seals in a last-minute deadline deal to bring him to St. Louis. Hrechkosy's role would change as he became a utility player for two seasons with the Blues then spent the remainder of his career in the minors until he retired early in the 1979-80 schedule.
Hrechkosy played nine pro seasons, including 141 games in the NHL with the California Golden Seals and St. Louis Blues with stops in the minors with the New Haven Nighthawks, and Salt Lake Golden Eagles.