Mike Christie (ice hockey)
Michael Hunt Christie | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 December 1949 Big Spring, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | 11 July 2019 (aged 69) |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Years active | 1974–1981 |
| Known for | Playing in the NHL for California Seals, Cleveland Barons, Colorado Rockies, Vancouver Canucks |
Michael Hunt Christie (December 20, 1949 – July 11, 2019) was a professional ice hockey defenseman who appeared in 412 games within the National Hockey League representing the California Seals, Cleveland Barons, Colorado Rockies, and Vancouver Canucks between 1974 and 1981.
Biography
Christie was born in Big Spring, Texas and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. Although he was the first NHL player born in Texas, his upbringing took place in Canada due to his father's Canadian citizenship and employment in the American oil sector.
Prior to turning pro, Christie competed with the University of Denver men's ice hockey squad, where he earned first team all-American distinctions in 1971. Additionally, he represented the United States amateur national team at the 1972 Ice Hockey World Championship Pool B tournament. Undrafted by any NHL team, he initially signed with the Chicago Black Hawks and spent two seasons playing for their minor league affiliate, the Dallas Black Hawks of the CHL. In 1974, he was traded to the California Golden Seals and made his NHL debut that same year. He stayed with this franchise through its move to Cleveland as the Barons in 1977. During the late 1970s, Christie captained the Colorado Rockies before finishing his NHL tenure with the Vancouver Canucks in 1981.
Christie also took part in representing Team USA during the first-ever 1976 Canada Cup competition.
Following his hockey career, Christie settled in Colorado where he embarked on a sales profession, promoting leading golf brands such as Callaway and Top-Flite. He retired from his business endeavors in 2010.
Christie passed away due to kidney disease in July 2019. He was married to Molly (née Hamill) for 47 years and is survived by three children—Lisa, Colleen, and Dan—as well as four grandchildren.
Awards and honors
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1970–71 |
| AHCA West All-American | 1970–71 |
Regular season and playoffs
1977–78 1979–80 NHL season1980–81 CHL season 1980–81| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1968–69 | University of Denver | WCHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | University of Denver | WCHA | 31 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | University of Denver | WCHA | 36 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | University of Denver | WCHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 32 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1973–74 | Dallas Black Hawks | CHL | 71 | 5 | 37 | 42 | 110 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 23 | ||
| California Golden Seals | National Hockey League | 34 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1975–76 NHL season | California Golden Seals | NHL | 78 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 152 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Cleveland Barons | NHL | 79 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1977–78 NHL season | Cleveland Barons | NHL | 34 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
|
NHL |
35 |
2 |
8 |
10 |
28 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | ||||
| 1978–79 NHL season |
Colorado Rockies |
NHL |
68 |
1 |
10 |
11 |
88 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | ||
|
Colorado Rockies |
NHL |
74 |
1 |
17 |
18 |
78 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
Colorado Rockies |
NHL |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
CHL |
20 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
27 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | ||||
|
1980–81 |
NHL |
9 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
Dallas Black Hawks |
CHL |
40 |
2 |
20 |
22 |
95 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
10 | |||
| CHL totals | 163 | 13 | 68 | 81 | 283 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 33 | ||||
| NHL totals | 412 | 15 | 101 | 116 | 550 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | United States | CC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |