Steve Durbano
Harry Durbano | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 December 1951 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 16 November 2002 (aged 50) Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player |
| Years active | 1971–1979 |
| Known for | NHL player known for toughness and penalty minutes leader |
Harry Steven Durbano (December 12, 1951 – November 16, 2002) was a Canadian professional ice hockey athlete recognized for his fierce style of play and candid demeanor.
Career
Hailing from Toronto, Durbano progressed through youth hockey ranks before joining the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association. Selected 13th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft, he never suited up for them and was subsequently traded to the St. Louis Blues, marking the start of his NHL tenure. Known as one of the toughest competitors in the league, he amassed a total of 1,411 penalty minutes throughout his major league career and led the NHL with 370 penalty minutes during the 1975–76 campaign.
Over his NHL career, Durbano appeared in 220 games representing St. Louis, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kansas City Scouts, and Colorado Rockies. Additionally, he played 45 contests in the World Hockey Association for the Birmingham Bulls.
In the first match of the 1974–75 season, Durbano sustained a fractured left wrist following a hit from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Andre Dupont, which sidelined him for that entire season. Although he made a return to play afterward, he never fully recovered complete strength in that wrist.
Post-career and death
Durbano’s professional hockey career concluded after the 1978–79 season. In 1981, authorities arrested him at Toronto International Airport with nearly 474 grams of cocaine valued at $71,000. Found guilty in 1984 on charges of cocaine trafficking, he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment and confessed to habitual drug use during his playing years. Later legal issues included an arrest for shoplifting and a conviction in 1995 related to involvement in recruiting for an escort service.
Seeking a more tranquil lifestyle, Durbano moved to the Northwest Territories, where he passed away from liver cancer on November 16, 2002, aged 50.
Career statistics
Bold denotes league leader
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | York Steel | MetJHL | 21 | 1 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1968–69 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA-Jr. | 45 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 158 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | ||
| 1969–70 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA-Jr. | 53 | 7 | 25 | 32 | 371 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 49 | ||
| 1970–71 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA-Jr. | 49 | 7 | 32 | 39 | 324 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 75 | ||
| 1971–72 | Omaha Knights | CHL | 70 | 7 | 34 | 41 | 402 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 49 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 231 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1973–74 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 36 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 146 | |||||||
| 1973–74 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 33 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 138 | |||||||
| "1974–75 NHL season" | "Pittsburgh Penguins" | "NHL" | "1" | "0" | "1" | "1" | "10" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "1975–76 NHL season" | "Pittsburgh Penguins" | "NHL" | "32" | "0" | "8" | "8" | "161" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "1975–76" | "Kansas City Scouts" | "NHL" | "37" | "1" | "11" | "12" | "209" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "1976–77 AHL season" | "Providence Reds" | "American Hockey League (AHL)" | "9" | "1" | "2" | "3" | "55" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "1976–77 NHL season" | "Colorado Rockies (NHL)" | "NHL" | "19" | "0" | "2" | "2" | "129" | "—" | "—"
| |||||
| 1977–78 WHA season | Birmingham Bulls (WHA) | World Hockey Association (WHA) | 45 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 284 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1978–79 NHL season | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 CHL season | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 220 | 13 | 60 | 73 | 1127 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||||
| WHA totals | 45 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 284 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | ||||