Tom Lysiak
Born (1953-04-22)April 22, 1953
High Prairie, Alberta, Canada
Died May 30, 2016(2016-05-30) (aged 63)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Atlanta Flames
Chicago Black Hawks
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 1973
Atlanta Flames
WHA Draft 23rd overall, 1973
Houston Aeros
Playing career 1973–1986
Tom Lysiak (l.) celebrates with Dave Shand and Harold Phillipoff after a goal against the Colorado Rockies in 1978

Thomas James Lysiak (April 22, 1953 – May 30, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Selected in the first round, second overall, of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Atlanta Flames, he was additionally selected by the Houston Aeros in the second round of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft at 23rd overall.

In each of his last two seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Lysiak was awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy as the Western Canadian Hockey League's leading scorer, with a total of 297 points in 135 games.

Playing career

Lysiak joined the Flames for the 1973–74 NHL season, the second year for the franchise, and scored a team-high 64 points. He helped the team to its first playoff berth and finished second in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy (top rookie).[1]

Lysiak led the Flames in scoring in each of his five full seasons with the team and represented the Flames in three consecutive NHL All-Star Games, in 1975, 1976 and 1977. He served as the Flames' team captain during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons, but he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in an unpopular multiplayer deal midway through the 1978–79 season. Eight players were involved in the trade, the biggest trade numbers-wise in NHL history at the time. He is the Atlanta Flames' all-time leader for assists with 276 and points with 431 and ranks second in goals with 155. He had 21 two-goal games with the Flames and one hat trick.

Lysiak played seven full seasons for Chicago and in 1980–81 led the team in scoring with 76 points, including a career-high 55 assists. The next season, 1981–82, he matched his top point-scoring season in Atlanta with 82 points and scored a career-high 32 goals.

On October 30, 1983, while a member of the Black Hawks, Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt during a game against the Hartford Whalers. For the incident, the NHL imposed a 20-game suspension,[2] one of the longest in league history.

Personal life

After his retirement, Lysiak worked in the landscaping, real estate and construction industries in the Atlanta area.

In 2012, Lysiak was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.[3]

His daughter Jessica competed on Season 4 of the US version of MasterChef in 2013, finishing in 3rd place.[4] She is married to Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Justin Braun.

Lysiak died of leukemia in Atlanta, Georgia on May 30, 2016, at age 63, three years after he had been diagnosed with the disease in May 2013.[5][6] He is related to Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar, as his cousin Gary is Makar’s father.[7][8]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1970–71 Medicine Hat Tigers WCHL 60 14 16 30 112 — — — — —
1971–72 Medicine Hat Tigers WCHL 68 46 97 143 96 7 7 5 12 18
1972–73 Medicine Hat Tigers WCHL 67 58 96 154 104 17 12 27 39 48
1973–74 Atlanta Flames NHL 77 19 45 64 54 4 0 2 2 0
1974–75 Atlanta Flames NHL 77 25 52 77 73 — — — — —
1975–76 Atlanta Flames NHL 80 31 51 82 60 2 0 0 0 2
1976–77 Atlanta Flames NHL 79 30 51 81 52 3 1 3 4 8
1977–78 Atlanta Flames NHL 80 27 42 69 54 2 1 0 1 2
1978–79 Atlanta Flames NHL 52 23 35 58 36 — — — — —
1978–79 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 14 0 10 10 14 4 0 0 0 2
1979–80 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 77 26 43 69 31 7 4 4 8 0
1980–81 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 72 21 55 76 20 3 0 3 3 0
1981–82 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 71 32 50 82 84 15 6 9 15 13
1982–83 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 61 23 38 61 27 13 6 7 13 8
1983–84 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 54 17 30 47 35 5 1 1 2 2
1984–85 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 74 16 30 46 13 15 4 8 12 10
1985–86 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 51 2 19 21 14 3 2 1 3 2
NHL totals 919 292 551 843 567 76 25 38 63 49

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1978 Canada WC 7 1 1 2 4

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Former NHL all-star Tom Lysiak dead at 63". Canadian Press. May 30, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016 – via sportsnet.ca.
  2. ↑ "Lysiak of Hawks Gets 20-Game Ban". The New York Times. 1 November 1983. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  3. ↑ "Tom Lysiak". National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "NHL Daughter Jessie Lysiak Made the Final Four on MasterChef [PHOTOS]". 4 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Block, Chris Blow to 1980’s Blackhawk legend’s battle with cancer Archived 2016-07-08 at the Wayback Machine The Third Man In.com September 10, 2013
  6. ↑ Cain, Brandon M. Former Blackhawk Tom Lysiak dies of Leukemia at 63 SB Nation, May 30, 2016
  7. ↑ Francis, Eric (May 6, 2019). "Avalanche's Cale Makar, Sharks' Justin Braun finally meet as relatives". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  8. ↑ "NHL's Instagram video: "As a Calgary native, @calemakar_ was a big Jarome Iginla fan growing up. #HockeyAtHome"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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