- Willi Plett
Willi Plett (born
7 June , 1955) is a retired professionalice hockey right winger.Plett was born in
Asunción ,Paraguay to Russian-German émigré parents; the family moved to Canada when Willi was a boy. [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1975/75080.html] He didn't start playing organized hockey until age 12 although once he caught on, he fell in love with the game. But by the time he made the junior level with theSt. Catharines Black Hawks of the OHA, he lacked finesse and aggressiveness. As a result, his coach,Hap Emms , demoted him to a tier-two level club.From that point forward, Plett began to barge around the ice, playing roughhouse hockey. It didn't do too much to raise his stock in the draft, but the
Atlanta Flames eventually picked him up in the 4th round in 1975.Plett tried his hand with the Flames for a couple of games before heading to Tulsa for tutelage from a coach who could understand his needs, former NHL enforcer
Orland Kurtenbach .The following season, Plett started the year in Tulsa, but then got the call to join the Flames where he made a surprise splash, netting 33 goals in 64 games. By season's end, he had secured the
Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie.Clearly Willi Plett was a big, tough player who thrived on aggressiveness and fighting. But he brought much more to the rink than a set of brass knuckles. He could play the game. In 1980–81, with the
Calgary Flames , Plett scored a career-high 38 goals.But not long after his transition to the
Minnesota North Stars , in 1982–83, his role was changed from a goal scorer to exclusively that of apugilist .In 1987, the
Boston Bruins picked him up in theWaiver Draft . As such, the Bruins made a solid run in the playoffs, making it to the finals, only to be shut out by theEdmonton Oilers . It was Plett's final game in the NHL.External links
*hockeydb|4320
Big Willi scored an important goal against the St Louis Blues in the 1984 Norris Division finals series versus the St Louis Blues and goaltender Mike Liut.
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