Gary Croteau

Gary Croteau
Gary Croteau
Born	June 20, 1946 (age 80); Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Ice hockey forward
Known for	Playing for Colorado Rockies in the National Hockey League

Gary Croteau (born June 20, 1946) is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward, most prominently recognized for his period with the Colorado Rockies in the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Originating from Sudbury, Croteau was the son of Earl, who worked as a miner. Following an impressive collegiate tenure at St. Lawrence University, where he achieved a spot on the ECAC First All-Star Team in 1968, he entered professional hockey by signing as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1968. Shortly thereafter, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, spending most of his time with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Kings. During his rookie NHL season, he tallied five goals across eleven games. His playoff contribution—five goals over eleven contests—was instrumental in helping Los Angeles advance to the semifinals. The Kings’ owner, Jack Kent Cooke, affectionately dubbed him "Bull."

After limited appearances for Los Angeles in the 1969-70 season, Croteau was traded to the Detroit Red Wings but saw minimal ice time before being claimed by the California Golden Seals during the 1970 waiver draft. With the Seals, a team facing depth challenges, he established himself as a consistent scorer over four seasons, ranking among their top point producers during both his initial and final campaigns.

Selected seventh overall by the Kansas City Scouts in the 1974 NHL expansion draft, Croteau became a pivotal figure for the nascent franchise. He recorded Kansas City’s first-ever goal in their inaugural victory over Washington. After a modest first season, he remained one of the Scouts’ leading offensive players through their transition to Denver as the Colorado Rockies in 1976. His best season occurred in 1976-77 when he achieved personal bests with 24 goals and 27 assists, accumulating 51 points.

Following an injury that kept him out for most of the 1979-80 season, Croteau stepped away from professional hockey, save for a brief minor league return the subsequent year. He currently lives in the Denver vicinity.

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-ECAC Hockey First Team	1967–68

Career statistics

References

Icing on the Plains: The Challenging Journey of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, Troy Treasure, 2018, Balboa Press.

External links

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1964–65	St. Lawrence University	ECAC	14	18	13	31	—	—	—	—	—	—
1965–66	St. Lawrence University	ECAC	24	20	11	31	12	—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	St. Lawrence University	ECAC	27	21	17	38	—	—	—	—	—	—
1967–68	St. Lawrence University	ECAC	19	21	19	40	—	—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Los Angeles Kings	NHL	11	5	1	6	6	11	3	2	5	8
1968–69 AHL season	Springfield Kings	American Hockey League	53	24	20	44	27
Los Angeles Kings	NHL	3	0	0	0	0
1969–70 AHL season#Springfield Kings Springfield Kings	AHL	52	23	21	44	22
NHL	10	0	2	2	2
NHL	74	15	28	43	12
NHL	73	12	12	24	11
NHL	47	6	15	21	8