Ed Van Impe

Ed Van Impe
Born (1940-05-27) May 27, 1940
Saskatoon, SK, CAN
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Chicago Black Hawks
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 1961–1977

Edward Charles Van Impe (born May 27, 1940) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Playing career

After playing his first five professional seasons with the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL, Ed Van Impe saw his first NHL action with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1966–67. He had a solid rookie season as he was voted the runner-up to Bobby Orr for the Calder Trophy.

Left unprotected for the expansion draft that off-season, the Philadelphia Flyers picked Van Impe off the Black Hawks roster. He played eight and a half seasons with the Flyers and was one of the team's best defensive blueliners, serving as the second captain in franchise history from 1968 to 1973. His forte was hitting and shot-blocking, as well as clearing opponents from the area of his team's net. He was part of the Broad Street Bullies teams that won two Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.

On January 11, 1976, at the Spectrum, Van Impe’s Flyers, as part of Super Series '76, played a memorable exhibition game against the Soviet Union's dominant Central Red Army team. Having just finished serving a hooking penalty, Van Impe left the penalty box and immediately placed a devastating hit on the Soviet Union’s Valeri Kharlamov, knocking the latter unconscious and causing him to lay prone of the ice for a short while. Van Impe's hit was not penalized and it resulted in the Soviets leaving the ice midway through the first period in protest. After 17 minute delay, the Soviets finally returned to the ice after they were warned that they would lose their salary for the entire series (200,000 USD) if they did not.

Van Impe's Flyer career came to an end mid-way through the 1975–76 season as he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Bobby Taylor for Gary Inness and cash. His Penguins career lasted a mere 22 games as he retired in 1976–77.

Awards

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1960–61 Calgary Stampeders WHL 66 4 15 19 123 5 0 2 2 16
1961–62 Buffalo Bisons AHL 70 0 19 19 172 11 0 1 1 25
1962–63 Buffalo Bisons AHL 65 3 12 15 196 13 1 4 5 34
1963–64 Buffalo Bisons AHL 70 4 22 26 193 — — — — —
1964–65 Buffalo Bisons AHL 72 5 6 11 197 9 0 0 0 26
1965–66 Buffalo Bisons AHL 70 9 28 37 153 — — — — —
1966–67 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 61 8 11 19 111 6 0 0 0 26
1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 67 4 13 17 141 7 0 4 4 11
1968–69 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 68 7 12 19 112 1 0 0 0 17
1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 65 0 10 10 117 — — — — —
1970–71 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 0 11 11 80 4 0 1 1 8
1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 73 4 9 13 78 — — — — —
1972–73 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 72 1 11 12 76 11 0 0 0 16
1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 77 2 16 18 119 17 1 2 3 41
1974–75 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 78 1 17 18 109 17 0 4 4 28
1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 40 0 8 8 60 — — — — —
1975–76 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 12 0 5 5 16 3 0 1 1 2
1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 10 0 3 3 6 — — — — —
NHL totals 700 27 126 153 1025 66 1 12 13 131

External links

Preceded by
Lou Angotti		 Philadelphia Flyers captain
1968–73 		Succeeded by
Bobby Clarke
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