Bill Baker (ice hockey, born 1956)
William Robert Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 29, 1956 United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman (retired) |
| Years active | 1980–1984 |
| Known for | Member of 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, NHL player for Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers |
William Robert Baker (born November 29, 1956) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who appeared in 143 NHL regular season contests representing the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Blues, and New York Rangers from 1980 through 1983.
Collegiate tenure
Baker pursued his studies at the University of Minnesota, where he held the position of team captain during the 1978-1979 campaign. Selected 54th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1976 NHL Entry Draft, he gained prominence as a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. Notably, he scored the equalizing goal against Sweden in the opening match of the Miracle on Ice tournament, a pivotal moment contributing to the team’s eventual gold medal victory at Lake Placid. His jersey from that tournament is exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., accompanied by a stick autographed by all team members.
Professional journey
Following his Olympic stint, Baker joined the Canadiens before being traded to the Colorado Rockies in 1981. He also represented Team USA at both the 1981 Ice Hockey World Championship and Canada Cup. Subsequently, Colorado traded him to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Joe Micheletti and Dick Lamby. Baker finished the 1982–83 season with the New York Rangers. During the 1983-84 season, he played in 59 regular season games with the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL, contributing to their league championship under coach Tom Webster, although he did not participate in postseason play.
Awards and honors
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1978–79 |
| AHCA West All-American | 1978–79 |
- CHL Adams Cup: 1984 (Tulsa Oilers)
International competitions
- 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, New York
- Ice Hockey World Championships, 1979 and 1981
- 1981 Canada Cup
In popular media
In the 1981 television film Miracle on Ice, Baker was portrayed by actor David Wallace. In Disney’s 2004 movie Miracle, Nick Postle assumed the role.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1975–76 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 44 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 28 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 38 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | University of Minnesota | WCHA | 44 | 12 | 42 | 54 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | United States | Intl. | 60 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | American Hockey League (AHL) | 12 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1980–81 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | |||||||
| 1980–81 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 18 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 42 | |||||||
| 1980–81 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | |||||||
| 1981–82 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 | |||||||
| 1981–82 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 35 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Fort Worth Texans | Central Professional Hockey League (CHL) | 10 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 20 | |||||||
| 1982–83 | New York Rangers | NHL | 70 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 64 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Tulsa Oilers | (CHL) | 59 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 47 | |||||||
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals !143 !7 !25 !32 !175 !6 !0 !0 !0 !0
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | United States | WC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1980 | United States | OG | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1981 | United States | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 1981 | United States | CC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Overall senior statistics | 22 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | |||