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Club 1974:
Phoenix Roadrunners
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Dennis Sobchuk
# 31, Team CANADA 1974
Club: Phoenix Roadrunners
Position: C Shoots:
Left
Height: 6-02 Weight: 180
Born: 1/12/1954 in Lang, Sask
Dennis Sobchuk roared out of the Western Canadian Junior Hockey League in 1974, and was widely considered one of the top 2 or 3 junior players in the world. A powerful skater, with a deadly shot and strong defensive skills, Sobchuk was the complete player.
Drafted by both the WHA Cincinnati Stingers and the NHL Philadelphia Flyers Dennis took the Stingers offer. As Cincinnati was not going to begin play until the 1975-76 season Sobchuk was loaned to the Phoenix Roadrunners for the 1974-75 season. In his first pro season Dennis scored 32 goals and added 45 assists. After an equally strong 1975-76 season with the Stingers Dennis broke through with a tremendous year in 1976-77 (44 goals, and 52 assists.) His future never looked brighter. In the fall of 1977 Dennis was one of Cincinnati's few bright spots in their disastrous trip to the Rude Pravo Cup tournament in Prague, Czechoslovakia. After a slow start to the season Dennis was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. The Stingers hated to part with him however the team was running out of money and could no longer afford his large contract. Just a few games into his tenure with Edmonton Dennis suffered a devastating shoulder separation. The team doctor called it "the most complete shoulder separation I have ever seen." The shoulder was permanently damaged. Dennis tried to come back but was never the same player and was out of hockey by the end of the 1982-83 season.
Sobchuk was asked to join Team Canada as a developmental opportunity. However, he played so well in training camp and the exhibition games that many hockey people felt he had earned himself a roster spot. Billy Harris did not put Dennis on the active roster and many questioned that move when Team Canada began to fade in Moscow. Sobchuk's speed and goal scoring ability may have made a difference in the latter stages of the series.
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Career Statistics
| Competitions |
GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
PIM |
| NHL Reg. Season |
35 |
5 |
6 |
11 |
2 |
| NHL Playoffs |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| WHA Reg. Season |
348 |
145 |
186 |
331 |
205 |
| WHA Playoffs |
25 |
11 |
8 |
19 |
12 |
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CAREER HIGHLIGTS:
- Played in the professional hockey leagues: 1974-83
- Pro hockey clubs:
NHL: Detroit, Quebec; WHA: Phoenix, Cincinnati, Edmonton
PERFORMANCE IN THE 1974 SUMMIT
Statistics
| GP |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
PIM |
| 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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